Libraries - A Real Success Story!

Wigan Borough’s library service has received a huge boost following the publication of national library performance figures for 2004/05.

Having been criticised for poor performance in previous years, Wigan and Leigh’s sixteen libraries, which are operated by Wigan Leisure and Culture Trust, have seen their official national rating leap from ‘poor’ to ‘good’. The borough’s library service now also meets 21 out of 26 public library standards as against 14 out of 26 in 2003/04.

The changes being witnessed in the borough’s libraries have been largely due to evolution, better management and the commitment of all the staff, rather than revolution and huge investment.  A tremendous effort on behalf of all library staff means that the percentage of adults rating library staff knowledge as good or very good is an outstanding 99%.  In terms of service provision, 68% of people reported receiving a book within seven days of requesting it, up from 33% in 2004; 87% of adults were able to obtain relevant information, up from 70% and there are now 181 electronic work stations available as against 155 last year. The introduction of the Talis system has also contributed to the library services’ success as this has helped people to find books more easily.  Similarly, people are receiving books far sooner due to the Greater Manchester Purchasing Consortium, who have helped to shorten supply times from publishers.

“The great strides our libraries have made this year, prove that service improvement is not always due to re-investment but can be achieved with a lot of hard work, determination and good communication,” enthuses Ian Bancroft, WLCT’s Executive Director for Libraries, Information and Heritage. “These are really exciting times for the library service.  We are now able to provide the public with an information system that is more efficient and easier to navigate.”These are exciting times for libraries across the borough.

The service improvements over the last year have been complimented by the introduction of the new Explore brand that will see all of the borough’s libraries become more inviting and exciting places of discovery, as has already been witnessed in Golborne.

“Although we take great pride in the successes we have achieved over the last year now is not a time to rest on our laurels. We must build on these successes and we will also have an extra £300,000 to invest in refurbishment, books, IT facilities and opening hours improvements over the next year,” continued Ian. “We have proved we can improve our service without substantial investment, so I am positive with the additional money we will be able to provide an excellent service that more and more people in the borough will be able to take advantage of.”

NOTES TO EDITORS: For further information on this News Release, please contact Chris Dunbar, Public Relations Consultant, Wigan Leisure and Culture Trust on 01942 776719 or at C.Dunbar@wlct.org

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