When the new Caerphilly Library & Customer Resource Centre opened earlier this year it provided a happy ending to a long running tale of commitment to libraries and education in the county borough.
The launch of the landmark building on The Twyn in Caerphilly town centre heralded the final chapter in Caerphilly County Borough Council’s huge library investment programme involving all 18 libraries across the county borough. Beginning with the refurbishment of Machen Library back in 2001, this exciting journey has ended with the opening of the flagship £5.4 million facility in Caerphilly earlier this year.
Without doubt one of the main reasons for the success of the region’s new and revamped libraries has been a key focus on creating multi-use community hubs offering residents a ‘one-stop-shop’ of useful services.
For example, as well as offering a library with over 65,000 resources, the new Caerphilly building houses customer service points where residents can pay their bills, as well as a museum space. There are also community meeting spaces and activities and events for toddlers and parents.
The library in Abercarn, which opened its doors in May 2012, forms a key part of a social housing project in the village, and hosts a community café operated by local volunteers. Aberbargoed Library and Resource Centre, meanwhile, shares its space and 5,000 resources with an Early Years resource centre. Visits have increased by a phenomenal 71% since the building re-opened in May 2013.
Libraries have also helped breathe new life into old community buildings around the county borough. Bargoed Library relocated to the 2*-listed Hanbury Chapel in 2011 – a move which has helped to play a major role in the regeneration of Bargoed town centre.
The new library is home to a customer service centre, social enterprise café and family history collection. The venue is so adaptable that the practising worshipping area for congregation has been retained – and has even hosted weddings. The library in Hanbury Chapel has proven a major hit with residents and visitors alike, with 174,000 people visiting the building last year.
Likewise, the derelict listed Risca Palace building in Risca had been lying empty for three decades before the building re-opened in 2011 to house a library. The site also boasts a joint customer service provision, rejuvenating the old site and attracting 129,000 visits last year.
The libraries network across the county borough also offers extensive IT provision, and have played a key role in the groundbreaking Get Caerphilly Online initiative, which looks to enhance digital inclusion.
Cllr Rhianon Passmore, Cabinet Member for Education & Lifelong Learning, said: “While our counterparts in England are closing libraries left, right and centre, this Council recognises the important role that libraries play in our communities and we have invested in the library network to ensure these facilities are fit for purpose and that they can adapt to the changing financial climate.
“The key to the long-term sustainability and viability of our libraries is the collaborative and co-located approach we have taken with our library network – we have put residents first and offered them a range of services under one roof in the heart of their communities.
“We are extremely proud of the work that has been carried out across the library network, and the fact that visitor numbers and local book and non-book loans have risen so dramatically after this revamp shows that our residents value these facilities.”
A video showcasing the Council’s investment in libraries across the county borough is available on the Council’s CCBCTV YouTube channel.
For more information about the county borough’s library network visit www.caerphilly.gov.uk.
