Bookmarking a bright future
An army of North Yorkshire volunteers is preparing for April 1 when they will officially take control of community libraries. The handover will be a culmination of the joint efforts of the library service, the county council’s stronger communities team and volunteers who have come forward to offer their time. In 2015, following a three-month consultation, the council put forward a proposal to support 20 more libraries in their move to become run by local communities as part of a reconfiguration of the service. Community libraries will remain part of a North Yorkshire ‘family’ alongside hybrid and core libraries. The change is a direct result of cuts in Government funding whicht have seen the library service budget reduced from £7.8m in 2010 to £4.3m in 2017-18. For core libraries, volunteer support will be crucial in maintaining their existing opening hours and retaining the range of activities currently available. These larger libraries will also be responsible for supporting all libraries in the district. County Councillor Chris Metcalfe, Executive Member for Library and Information Services, said: “Our core libraries will play an important role in supporting the new and existing community library teams. Their need for volunteers should not be underestimated. Core libraries are all currently open for at least 35 hours each week, some as many as 55. Without volunteers this will not be sustainable, nor will the wide range of wonderful activities on offer for library users of all ages. “It’s been overwhelmingly positive seeing how many people have come forward to help keep community libraries going, I hope our larger libraries will be equally well supported.” Malton library currently opens for 35 hours each week and had more than 126,000 visits during 2013-14. People visiting the library can enjoy activities such as children’s storytime sessions, a popular reading group and a variety of events throughout the year. The library also offers free Wi-Fi, computer access and study areas in addition to traditional resources such as books, CDs and magazines. The team at Malton library is currently supported by 33 volunteers, though more will be needed to help to manage day-to-day running of the library. Vivienne Livesey is 53 and has recently started her volunteer training ready to join the team at Malton library in April. Vivienne recently returned from a period of living and working abroad so she can care for her mum. Vivienne said: “I heard on the radio that there was a problem with the libraries and that if they didn’t get enough volunteers, then a lot of them would be closing. “I went into the library every summer when my daughter and I came over to visit my mum. I wanted her to get used to reading English books in that lovely environment. “I was in town and thought I would pop into the library when a member of the team approached me and mentioned the volunteer campaign. At first I wondered whether I might be able to do it, then I thought, why not? “That day when I walked past I didn’t really have much time, but I thought to myself I’ll just go in for five minutes, really because of nostalgia and the memories it holds. My daughter is 19 now so I was really interested in whether it had changed since the last time I was there. “Previously, I was living in Israel, working as a teacher. I’ve taught every age from primary school up to university age. “For me not working since I came back to the UK has been quite difficult. I’ve never not worked. I loved my job and I love teaching. So this was just meant to be. “It is a very real risk that libraries will close if they don’t get enough volunteers and so I just want to help. It’s such an important source of information and libraries have so much to offer. “It’s a wonderful thing that I’m so looking forward to. It gets me out of the house and I’m doing something positive and useful. I just want to help to keep something that has such happy memories open and I feel really lucky to get this opportunity. I love libraries and always have.’’ lPeople who are interested in volunteering opportunities can find out more and apply online at www. northyorks.gov.uk/libraryvolunteers