Revealed: state of Bay’s libraries
As you walk into the Motherwell public library there is a bustling, inclusive feeling with warm, helpful librarians ready to assist as soon as you step through the door.
The large library, arguably one of the best in the Bay, caters for a wide variety of users.
It also ticked all the boxes in terms of service, in some cases exceeding expectations.
The Motherwell library – the only one in the area and catering to the whole of Motherwell and the surrounding settlements – was given a major thumbs-up.
It is close to eight schools and plays an active role in promoting reading for children and teens in the area.
The library is a one-stop shop for bookworms, pupils, students and adults, equipped with printers and computers and even offering audio braille services for the blind.
It has a wonderful kiddies’ section with long aisles, colourful tables and extra chairs, and a section for storytelling.
The library also has a research and history section with rows of encyclopaedias.
It is always buzzing with students from various higher and tertiary education facilities in the morning, and youngsters coming in after school later.
Wednesday is designated for braille studies, with braille readers attending classes.
During the week, there is a librarian assigned to assist any visually impaired readers who come in to study or want to read.
A regular library user, who did not want to be named, said she used the library almost every day as it was close to home and she did not have a library at school.
“We do not have extra reading material at school so when I have assignments, the library is the only place I can get information,” she said.
The 17-year-old said she also studied better at the library because there were fewer distractions.
Adding to that is the fact that the Motherwell library has a textbook section for high school pupils, with study guides available in all three languages used in schools.
Agricultural and technical study guides are also available.
Slap-bang in the middle of the large library is a long table with newspapers, where young and old look for jobs and fix up their CVs.
Speaking anonymously, another library user, who was reading a newspaper, said he was looking for a job and always came to the library to see if there was anything he could apply for.
Adding to the sense of wellbeing is the fact that the library has an alarm system and a security guard is posted at the main door.
An integral part of the community, the library hosts schools from around the Bay for a literacy quiz.
The Phendulani Literary Quiz was started in 2009 with the aim of promoting reading and comprehension in a fun way, especially for schools that do not have libraries of their own – with the Motherwell library playing host.