Tuesday, 05 March 2013

Hampshire County Council's libraries have more to offer than ever this World Book Day, (Thursday 7 March 2013).

The Library Service is continuing to embrace new technologies and is offering even more services to residents and library customers.

The County Council runs 49 libraries throughout the county and three Discovery Centres in Winchester, Gosport and Basingstoke. It also supports a community library at the Carroll Centre in Stanmore, Winchester. All of them provide a wide range of services from book loans, DVD and CD hire, to internet access, audiobooks and children's Rhymetime events. There are 6.4million visits every year and 7.3milion books, CDs, DVDs, magazines and games are issued annually.

In the year from 1 February 2012 to 31 January 2013 Hampshire's libraries issued almost 2.5 million children's books (2,496,261). This was an increase of 5% over the previous year (1 Feb 2011 to 31 Jan 2012).

A new magazine and newspaper service has been launched for people who are blind, partially sighted or have difficulty reading print. For the first time, anyone who is in this situation can now visit any Hampshire library or Discovery Centre and pick up over 150 audio versions of newspapers or magazines of their choice for free.

In recent years, to keep up with modern demands, Hampshire's Library Service has been investing in technology to offer further facilities. A number of libraries now include self-service terminals and Wi-Fi, and a wide range of online resources are now on offer in all branches.

Another popular addition has been magazines which are now available to borrow from 25 libraries, and will soon be on offer in the majority of Hampshire libraries. Since their introduction in April 2012, there have been over 13,000 items checked out, including titles such as Vogue, Empire, BBC Good Food, Lonely Planet, What Car? and Practical Photographer.

Loans of orchestra sets and vocal scores, used by local orchestral and choral groups, have also increased. The introduction of the new automated booking system ensures that customers in Hampshire and in other Library authorities can access the stock quickly and easily. Hampshire is now one of the largest public library suppliers of orchestra sets and vocal scores in the South East region, providing just over a thousand sets a year. The most popular titles include -

Faure: Requiem, (choral set)
Handel: Messiah, (both choral and orchestral sets)
Vivaldi: Gloria, (choral set)
Mozart: Requiem, (choral set)
Haydn: Mass in C, (orchestral set)
Coates: Dambusters march, (orchestral set)

Then Hayden: Mass in D, Britten: St Nicholas, Mozart: Coronation Mass, Parry: I Was Glad, Mendelssohn: Elijah

The popularity reflects the anniversary of the Accession and Britten's centenary.

Learner drivers can even use their local library to practice for their theory test with an online version of the Highway Code and realistic hazard perception video simulations. This is just one of many e-resources and tools available in libraries for children and adults, some of which can also be accessed remotely from library customers' home computers.

With sales of eBook readers on the increase, libraries now offer free loans of up to three eBooks at a time, which can all be downloaded and accessed online from the Hampshire Libraries website.

Hampshire County Council's Executive Member for Culture and Recreation, Councillor Keith Chapman, said: "Hampshire has one of the largest library services in the whole of the UK and offers so much more than many people realise. Libraries and Discovery Centres are a great resource for local residents, not only as a place to read, but also as a platform for encouraging knowledge, creativity and socialising.

"As people's needs evolve, so will our Library Service, so that we are continuing to bring new and improved services to everyone in Hampshire."

Library members can now download the Hampshire Library iPhone app to manage their accounts from their phone.

• Hampshire Libraries and Information Service

Friday, 01 February 2013

Hampshire County Council has launched a new magazine and newspaper service for people who are blind, partially sighted or have difficulty reading print.

For the first time, anyone who is in this situation can now visit any Hampshire library or Discovery Centre and pick up the newspapers or magazines of their choice for free.

The National Talking Newspapers & Magazines now on offer from the Library Service give access to audio versions of over 150 national newspapers and magazines from popular editions, through to specialist interest titles.

Endorsing this new service, Councillor Keith Chapman, Executive Member for Culture and Recreation, said: "This is a wonderful service for people who have difficulty reading print due to sight loss or other conditions. With more than 150 national titles available, there is something for all tastes and interests.

"Accessing these titles is also very easy. People can simply bring a memory stick to any Hampshire library, choose their magazines and newspapers, and staff will download them. The whole process only takes a few minutes."

If the downloading cannot be done straight away, the memory stick can be left with library staff and customers can call back later to collect and listen to at their leisure, on any USB MP3 player.

This new audio newspaper and magazine provision sits alongside other library services for blind and partially sighted residents in Hampshire such as pioneering reading groups using audiobooks, and IT classes that teach people how to navigate computers using accessibility software.

The audio format also complements the successful 'magazines for loan' service that has been successfully piloted and is now available in 25 Hampshire libraries and Discovery Centres.

• Services for visually-impaired people

Friday, 11 January 2013

Hampshire County Council's Executive Member for Culture and Recreation, Councillor Keith Chapman will be asked to consider the budget for delivering arts, museums, libraries and countryside services across Hampshire in the year ahead, at his Decision Day on 21 January 2013.

The budget report for 2013/14 sets aside £22.356million to continue to provide these services, as well as provide the various grants awarded to cultural, community and recreational organisations in Hampshire. The efficiencies that need to be made for 2013/14 are aimed at avoiding impact on services to the public at the Council's libraries, museums, arts centres, and country parks.

Early and decisive action taken by Hampshire County Council to respond to the national deficit reduction programme, achieved savings of £100million over the last two years, putting the Council in a strong position to tackle future funding challenges, which are expected to be even tougher from 2015/16.

The report sets out how Culture and Recreation services will tackle further efficiencies to reduce their budgets by two per cent to help meet the major pressures and demands.

Like other services, the next two years will be used to further develop new ways of working for Culture and Recreation services, transforming the way some of these services are delivered to make them more sustainable so that Hampshire residents can continue to receive the quality services they need, at lowest cost.

Ongoing support from the volunteers who operate in Hampshire's community museums, libraries and the countryside, and help deliver various cultural and recreational services, will continue to be extremely valuable in future. Meanwhile, providing residents with ongoing and improved access to Hampshire's beautiful countryside and its 2,900 miles of footpaths, will remain a key priority for the County Council in the year ahead.

The majority of savings will come from the Library Service as a result of staff vacancies that will not be filled. More modern and innovative services to the public will also be provided, with the introduction of self-service machines in Hampshire's libraries, for example, to free up staff time to help customers. In addition, greater use of web-based services including online book renewals and reservations will be on offer. An increase in library charges, including library fines is not being proposed.

Among the challenges facing Culture and Recreation services in future, is securing ways to continue to increase visitor numbers and income to Hampshire attractions when nationally, visitor numbers are declining in the current economic climate. Work will also take place to develop more all-weather facilities such as the Play Barn at Staunton Country Park, to allow more people to enjoy Hampshire's countryside venues, even in poor weather. In addition, in the early part of 2013, the Council will continue to explore the potential for setting up a Charitable Trust to support its work, and that of partner local authorities, in delivering and safeguarding arts, museum and heritage services across Hampshire in the future.

• Read the agenda and papers for the meeting of the Executive Member for Culture and Recreation on 21 January 2013

Wednesday, 31 October 2012

Hampshire County Council, in partnership with the Big Lottery funded Learning at the Centre Project at Basingstoke Discovery Centre, have been working with people who have communication difficulties to create a training film to help staff and others to communicate more confidently with people who find speech challenging.

This small group, supported by staff from the Learning at the Centre Project, Hampshire Learning Centre and Adult Services, wrote and made a short film whose key message is to "have patience and listen".

The film is sometimes challenging to watch as there are no sub-titles, but people do not speak in subtitles - patience and listening carefully with respect will provide the answers.

The film will be used as a training aid by Hampshire County Council, but with the agreement of the group who made the film it is freely available to all organisations and individuals, particularly those who come into everyday contact with people who sometimes struggle to be heard and get their point across.

The film was supported by the Learning at the Centre Project as a development opportunity for Project participants.

• Play 'How to talk with me' film

Thursday, 18 October 2012

Hampshire County Council will introduce changes to some mobile library routes next week (22 October) with the launch of a new timetable detailing hundreds of mobile library stops across the county.

The Mobile Library Service will make 343 stops around Hampshire, mainly on a four weekly and weekly basis. The new revised timetable includes a change from four weekly to fortnightly visits for Broughton and Kings Somborne in the Test Valley, another in Crookham Village, Hart will move location, and the length of some existing stops in Fareham, the New Forest, Rushmoor, Test Valley and Winchester will increase to cater for more customer visits.

All the new routes are now available  at online or by calling 0845 603 5631. Visitors to the website can simply enter their postcode to find their nearest stop on the map.

The new service follows a public consultation held over the summer, with feedback and comments used to help ensure the service reaches as many people as possible, and uses resources in the most efficient and effective way.

If people wish to use a mobile library but are unable to get to the new stop then a friend, family member or neighbour willing to visit the library or mobile library on their behalf can be registered as a Good Neighbour, and borrow books for them. If the person concerned is frail or has mobility problems then arrangements can be made for books to be delivered directly to their home.

For more information on these services you can ask library staff, ring 0845 603 5631 or go to: Hampshire Libraries and Information Service search A-Z of services for Home Library Service.

• Mobile Libraries

Wednesday, 10 October 2012

Hampshire County Council's Summer Reading Challenge - Story Lab, captured the imagination of a staggering 23,000 young children across Hampshire this year.

The Challenge is an annual event that takes place at all of Hampshire's Libraries and Discovery Centres. Aimed at four to 11 year olds, it encourages children to read six books over the school summer holidays.

Almost 15,000 children completed the challenge and received a medal and certificate.

Hampshire County Council's Executive Member for Culture and Recreation, Councillor Keith Chapman, said:

"I am delighted that so many children took up the summer reading challenge this year. It is a great way for children to maintain and improve their reading skills during the school holidays, before they return for the new term in September.

"This year's figures show a fantastic commitment from library staff and volunteers in getting children involved, and listening to youngsters talk about the books they have read."

This year saw Basingstoke Discovery Centre top the polls with the most starters and finishers (1,500 and 880) with Fleet and Farnborough libraries placed second and third. Fleet had 1,157 starters and 771 finishers, Farnborough had 1,069 starters and 726 finishers.

2012 SRC results

Events and activities to keep children excited about reading are held in Libraries and Discovery Centres all year round.

• Find out what is happening in your local library

Wednesday, 19 September 2012

A number of mobile library stops could have their time increased as part of a review that will be considered by Hampshire County Council in order to ensure the Mobile Library Service reaches as many customers as efficiently as possible.

At his Decision Day on 27 September 2012, the County Council's Executive Member for Culture and Recreation, Councillor Keith Chapman will be asked to consider the findings of a public consultation held over the Summer. Among the proposals is the removal of 29 under-used mobile library stops.

The Mobile Library Service currently makes 363 stops around Hampshire, mainly on a monthly and weekly basis, but 39 of these stops have fewer than two customers each, or even none, which is not an efficient use of the service. Others stops, however, are very popular and their customers would benefit if the Mobile Library stopped for longer.

Feedback collected from mobile library customers, and district and parish councils has shown support for the review, and in response to suggestions a number changes are now being put forward.

Responding to local demand

Of the 39 under-used stops, it is proposed that 29, spread across the Basingstoke, East Hampshire, Eastleigh, New Forest, Test Valley and Winchester areas, are withdrawn.

The remaining ten would be retained; in Bentworth, Catherington, Hawkley, Selborne, Horton Heath, Winchfield, Brockenhurst, Aldershot, Whitsbury and Knowle Village. Five of these would be moved to a different but nearby location, one would change time, one would combine with another stop and three would remain the same.

Using resources where they are needed most

A further 14 stops that were not part of the consultation could also be changed; one would move location, 10 stops would have their time increased and two would increase in frequency from every four weeks to fortnightly. It is also proposed that three of the weekly stops would reduce in length in order to accommodate some of the other changes and allow for the introduction of two new stops.

Councillor Keith Chapman, said:

"A new, improved, and streamlined Mobile Library Service was launched last Summer as it had not been extensively reviewed in over two decades. We said that we would review the service one year on, and the feedback collected this Summer has been an important part of work that aims to help shape a mobile library service that better meets the needs of Hampshire residents. Thank you to everyone who has taken part and provided their comments.

"As a result, there are now a number of options that will be considered that aim to redirect resources from those stops that were hardly ever used, so that they are put to better use, and help support those more popular stops. It is our aim however to keep any changes to a minimum so that the fewest number of customers would be affected."

In the case of areas where stops may be withdrawn, the County Council will endeavour to ensure that, where possible, customers continue to receive a library service.

Subject to the outcome of the meeting on 27 September 2012, any proposed changes would come into effect on 22 October 2012.

A full review of the Mobile Library Service will be undertaken at the end of 2013, 12 months after the current planned changes are implemented.

Read the full list of proposals for the 39 under-used stops, and proposed changes to the further 14 stops.

This latest review comes a year after the launch of a streamlined mobile library service in 2011, following the need to save more than £500,000 a year and modernise the service which had not been reviewed in over 20 years. At that time, two extensive public consultations were carried out, and it was agreed to further review performance and consult customers once again, a year later.

Customers affected by any decision to withdraw a stop may meet the criteria for a Home Library Service delivered by volunteers if they are frail or disabled and do not have family or friends who can visit the nearest library or another mobile library stop on their behalf as a 'Good Neighbour'. The 'Good Neighbour' scheme allows family and friends to borrow items on someone's behalf without having to pay overdue charges should items not be returned on time.

• Progress and further review of the Mobile Library Service

Wednesday, 11 July 2012

Members of the public are being invited to tell Hampshire County Council what improvements could be made to increase custom at a number of under-used mobile library stops across the county.

40 stops are currently extremely under-used across Basingstoke, East Hampshire, Eastleigh, Hart, the New Forest, Rushmoor, Test Valley and Winchester, with fewer than two customers and a total of 28 people. Some stops are not used by anyone.

A public consultation is now underway to gauge opinion among residents, mobile library drivers, customers, and local district and parish councils to see if by making changes, the stops have potential for increased custom. This feedback, along with comments from other interested parties, will be used to inform a decision due in the Autumn to revise the Mobile Library Service.

Hampshire County Council Executive Member for Culture and Recreation, Councillor Keith Chapman, said:

"Our new, improved, and streamlined mobile library service was launched last Summer following two extensive public consultations; in order to help save more than £500,000 a year, and modernise the service as it had not been reviewed in over 20 years. We said that we would review the service one year on, so we have been assessing the results of this transformation.

"The new Mobile Library Service currently makes 363 stops around Hampshire, mainly on a monthly and weekly basis, but a number of these stops are so poorly used that this is not an efficient use of the vehicles. Nevertheless, as well as considering some of these under-used stops, we are also looking to increase the length of time vehicles are parked at some of the more popular stops."

If there is no potential for improvement, the 40 stops could be withdrawn from 21 October 2012, subject to the approval of the Executive Member for Culture and Recreation at his Decision Day on 27 September 2012.

If this goes ahead, the extra resources will be used to increase the length of time or frequency of a few stops that have been identified as needing to be longer because they are busier than originally anticipated.

Drivers will be talking to customers at the 40 affected stops, during July and August 2012. Customers and other interested parties will have the opportunity to have their say through a paper questionnaire available on the mobile libraries or by completing the online form.

The closing date for the consultation is 24 August 2012.

Any changes resulting from the consultation may impact on the timing at other stops, but these will be kept to a minimum, so that the fewest number of customers are affected. However, if a stop does ultimately have to be withdrawn, the County Council will endeavour to ensure that, where possible, customers continue to receive a library service.

Customers affected may meet the criteria for a Home Library Service delivered by volunteers if they are frail or disabled and do not have family or friends who can visit the nearest library or another mobile library stop on their behalf as a "Good Neighbour". The Good Neighbour scheme allows family and friends to borrow items on someone's behalf without having to pay overdue charges should items not be returned on time.

• A full list of the 40 under-used stops

Monday, 09 July 2012

This year's Summer Reading Challenge in Hampshire's libraries takes on a virtual Story Lab theme to boost the imagination of children and encourage them to get into reading.

Over the summer holidays, youngsters are being asked to help Professor Cortex find three lost items from her 'Story Lab' by reading six books. The Summer Reading Challenge will run from Saturday 14 July 2012 to Sunday 16 September 2012 in all of Hampshire County Council's libraries and is aimed at 4 to 11 year olds.

Encouraging Young Imaginations

This year, children are invited to step into the 'Story Lab' for a celebration of the imagination by helping virtual characters complete a series of exciting challenges. At each stage, children can collect special stickers, and everyone involved who reads and returns six library books or audio books will receive a certificate and gold medal, just like the Olympic winners at London 2012.

The Summer Reading Challenge is totally free of charge and last year almost 26,000 children took part across Hampshire's libraries. This year the Council hopes to encourage even more children to take part and complete the challenge.

Hampshire County Council's Executive Member for Culture and Recreation, Councillor Keith Chapman, said:

"The Summer Reading Challenge has been running for eleven years in Hampshire and every year, more children are inspired to take part. We really encourage youngsters to get involved in this fun, free challenge, that helps to fire their imagination and keep up their reading skills over the long summer break, before they return to school in the autumn."

Find the location of your local library, and details of how to become a member.

25,990 children took part in Hampshire's Summer Reading Challenge in 2011, of those, 16,422 received medals (a finishing rate that is higher than the national average).

Basingstoke Discovery Centre had the highest number of starters last year (1,521), with Fareham (1,318) and Fleet (1,302) close behind.

• Hampshire Libraries: Summer Reading Challenge

Thursday, 28 June 2012

The future of Hampshire's smallest libraries will be discussed when library services in Stanmore, Winchester and North Baddesley are considered by Hampshire County Council's Executive Member for Culture and Recreation on 6 July 2012.

At his upcoming Decision Day, Councillor Keith Chapman will consider proposals that would safeguard the provision of library services in the two areas, despite their libraries being the smallest and least-used in Hampshire, and no longer viable.

The plans follow a review of Hampshire's smallest libraries, carried out last Autumn as part of a wider review of library opening times across the county, in a bid to save £450,000 in 2012/13 following budget cuts from lower levels of Government funding.

Stanmore was found to have an average of only 106 borrowers per month, with a cost to the Library Service of around £15 per visit. In addition, book issues from the library have almost halved over the last five years, while only 3% of people who live in Stanmore actually borrow from the library as it is within two miles of the Winchester Discovery Centre. North Baddesley has an average of just 163 borrowers a month, and a third fewer book issues now, compared to five years ago.

Working with the local community

It is now proposed that Stanmore library is closed, but a library service continues to be provided from the nearby Carroll Centre which is a well-used community building in the middle of Stanmore. Open five and a half days a week, the Centre already offers many activities including after school and holiday clubs, a children's centre and a wide variety of courses for adults and children including IT. Moving the library to the Carroll Centre would bring the library to the attention of many more people, most of whom are not current library customers. Hampshire Library Service would continue to provide the books and resources, including a self-service kiosk so people can issue and return books themselves. The library itself would be managed by The Carroll Centre.

In North Baddesley meanwhile, discussions will go ahead to explore the possibility of transferring the currently under-used library to the Parish Council. It is proposed that unless an agreement is reached with the Parish Council by the end of October, the current library building would be closed at the end of March 2013, and replaced with a mobile library service.

Safeguarding Library Services for the future

Hampshire County Council's Executive Member for Culture and Recreation, Councillor Keith Chapman, said:

"It's important we continue to explore innovative new ways of working that allow us to keep delivering quality services for local people, while making the best use of our resources to deliver value for money for taxpayers. We recently brought a mobile library vehicle to North Baddesley for a day for local residents and library customers to look round. The feedback was generally positive and people were surprised by the size of the vehicle and the number of books it carried. Mobile libraries offer a variety of regularly updated books and could be a great way to ensure the local community continues to have access to library services in future, but first, we want to work with the Parish Council to explore whether they could continue to run the library from its current building.

"Plans for The Carroll Centre meanwhile, have also been well-received by residents and over 100 people attended a recent Open Day event at the Centre where we explained our proposals. As an already thriving hub for community activity in Stanmore, the Centre offers an excellent opportunity to reach even more people and show them the range of additional services our libraries have on offer, beyond simply lending books. We are working with Winchester City Council and The Carroll Centre on this exciting initiative and we are hoping that the library could move to the Centre in early 2013."

• Full meeting agenda

Thursday, 14 June 2012

Hampshire County Council's Library Service has something to shout about when it comes to providing services for residents who are blind and partially sighted.

As part of 'Making A Noise In Libraries' (MANIL) fortnight (11-24 June 2012) - an annual campaign from the Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB), Hampshire County Council is taking the opportunity to showcase the range of services and equipment that is available in libraries, for people with sight loss.

Every library in Hampshire provides facilities for disabled people, to ensure that they can make the most of their library with equal access to books and information. The same is true for those residents with sight impairments.

- All libraries in Hampshire have audio books available on CDs, cassettes, and even in MP3 format. There is also Playaway which gives library members the chance to borrow an MP3 player, on which a book has already been preloaded.

- You can download eBooks and audio books free from the library website and put in free requests for books in any of these formats.

- Hampshire libraries provide ClearVision books for children. These are picture books rebound with transparent Braille text pages which still allow the pictures and print to be easily visible for parents.

- For film lovers, there is an increasing number of DVDs with audio description (a discreet commentary inserted in between the dialogue which describes what is happening on the screen so that you can keep up with the action). These are free to hire from local libraries.

- If the small print in newspapers and magazines is a struggle, staff at Winchester Discovery Centre can download free audio versions of 200+ newspapers and magazines onto your own memory stick in a matter of minutes.

- Hampshire County Council has pioneered reading groups where books in large print and audio formats come as standard. This is a great opportunity to meet other people with shared interests and gives people the chance to take part in a hugely popular, reading group experience. There are reading groups for people with sight loss in many libraries across Hampshire.

- Some libraries also run IT classes for people who need help with computers due to sight loss. These are currently on offer at Basingstoke Discovery Centre, Eastleigh, New Milton and Winchester Discovery Centre. Using specialist software, tutors can help people to use computers, touch-type, email and browse the internet.

Hampshire County Council's Executive Member for Culture and Recreation, Councillor Keith Chapman, said:

"Hampshire County Council works hard to ensure that every resident is provided with the opportunity to make the most of Hampshire's libraries. Our range of services available to blind and partially sighted people, provides access to the vast collections of information, history and entertainment found in thousands of books, CDs, DVDs and more."

Keith Hatter has attended the Visually Impaired People's (VIP) Reading Group at Winchester Discovery Centre for over eight years, he explains why the group is so important to him:

"Novels are the most natural art form for those of us with sight loss. Unlike theatre, film or TV they create pictures wholly through words and it makes no difference whether the words are printed, spoken or in Braille. The VIP book group enhances the reading experience for us by enabling groups of visually impaired people to read the same book and then come together to share their views on it."

For more information about what services are available in Hampshire libraries for blind and partially sighted people, please visit the Hampshire Libraries website.

Don't forget - if you can't get out and about very easily, the library can also come to you. Arrangements can be made for library materials to be delivered direct to your home on a regular basis by a Home Library Service volunteer.

• Services for visually-impaired people