Proposed changes to opening hours for libraries in Winchester district

Winchester Discovery Centre

Winchester Discovery Centre is designated as a key library.

Feedback

The majority of responses (67%) agreed with the proposed changes. Of the disagrees 46% wanted to retain longer opening hours on Sunday by reducing opening hours during the week. 6 customers wanted to close altogether on Sunday. 3 preferred 11 -3 Sunday opening and one wanted 10 – 2.

Comments

As the majority of responses agreed to the reduction in opening hours on Sunday the proposal to reduce the hours on Sunday will go forward for approval. However based on staff feedback the hours will be 11 – 3 on Sunday.

Alresford Library

Alresford is designated as a small library.

Feedback

From original proposed change: 74% disagreed and of these disagrees 98% wanted to keep the late night on Friday. 83% of these put forward alternative proposals, with 43% of these suggesting opening later each morning. Other suggestions included opening two hours later on Friday or closing over lunchtime.

From revised change: 92% agreed with the revised proposals. Of the 7 that disagreed three wanted at least one morning opening earlier than 10am.

Comments

As 92% of the responses agreed with the revised proposed change, the revised proposed alteration will go forward for approval.

Bishops Waltham Library

Bishop’s Waltham is designated as a small library.

Feedback

The majority disagreed with the proposed changes and 90% of these wanted to keep some form of late night for workers in particular. 18 responses suggested alternative solutions and 7 of these suggested keeping the late night by opening at 10 or 2 on other days. This solution was also put forward by Bishop’s Waltham Parish Council.

Comments

The revised proposed change will go forward for approval, based on feedback from customers and the Parish Council

Stanmore Library

This review has shown that:

• Stanmore Library is the least well used library in Hampshire with an average of 106 borrowers per month and at a cost to the Library Service of nearly £15 per visit.
• Its book issues have declined by 49.5% over the last five years, more than any other library in Hampshire
• Only 3% of people who live in Stanmore actually borrow from the library
• It is within two miles of the Winchester Discovery Centre
• There is a regular bus route into Winchester
• 44% of Stanmore’s customers use other Hampshire libraries or the library website
• The nearby Carroll Centre offers free public IT access, IT classes and activities for young children and it has the capacity to do more
• It costs approximately £36,000 a year to run the library

What does this mean for Stanmore Library?

We know that Stanmore Library is much loved by those customers who do use it, but we do not feel it is viable for it to continue to be run by Hampshire’s Library Service. We are therefore keen to enter into discussions with local groups or organisations who might be interested in taking over full responsibility for running Stanmore Library, with support from the Library Service.

We realise these discussions might take some time and we have set a deadline of 28 December 2011 for any groups to come forward. If we cannot agree arrangements to transfer the running of Stanmore Library to a local group by June 2012 then it is likely to close in September 2012.

A member of the Library Service’s Management Team visited Stanmore Library to discuss these proposals.