Library Plan 2022 – 2025

Awen Cultural Trust is a registered charity. Our purpose is to ‘make people’s lives better’ by providing space and opportunity for people to enjoy vibrant cultural experiences that inspire and enhance their sense of wellbeing.

Awen directly manages six full-time libraries, two part-time community libraries, and the Books on Wheels delivery service; we support and stock two community libraries in venues staffed and managed by Halo Leisure; and we also manage a large book reserve.

Awen Libraries conduct annual Adult and Children’s surveys.

The 2021/22 survey results highlighted the importance to our customers of the staff, the activities, the space and the resources (books, PCs, printers etc) we provide. In the adult survey, 64% named the staff as a strength, others named the space, the atmosphere or the environment of the library; and over a quarter of those who were surveyed reported the negative impact removing the library would have on their mental health.

In the 2021/22 Adults, Children’s and Books on Wheels surveys, book was the most used word, with staff, read and help also in the top 5.

In the Adult User Survey, to the question What difference does using the library make to your life, 1 in 5 replies listed the social aspect, or the benefit to their mental health.

As activities and events become increasingly important in generating footfall and meeting expectations and need, it’s important that our libraries can accommodate them. We need flexible spaces that can underpin our purpose to Make People’s Lives Better.

Our Objectives 2022 – 2025
Social Impact Objectives What we’ll do Key Milestones
Better Life Chances:

To create better life chances by engaging with more people, improving literacy and digital literacy, supporting reading for pleasure, promoting independence and reducing social isolation.

 

  • Increase the number of activities and events.
  • Work with more partners and run more events in the community.
  • Ensure our website and social media channels are engaging and interesting and create links to our events and easy access to our online resources.
  • MTH Library opens
  • Consult with non-users
  • Marketing Plan in place
  • Information Literacy sessions created and advertised for children and adults, schools and groups
  • Sponsorship of Summer Reading Challenge
Community Spaces:

To create memorable and positive experience by offering space to the community that meets their needs, offers flexibility, is welcoming and safe, and able to host different activities.

  • Reconfigure our spaces where needed and create fit-for-purpose facilities such as home-working spaces, WiFi, wireless printing, and improved accessibility.
  • More partnership work taking place.
  • Promote our spaces and services so that more people use us for work-space.
  • Open Maesteg Town Hall Library
  • Re-Develop Pencoed Library
  • Survey our User and non-users to understand current need.
  • Open Maesteg Town Hall Library
  • Complete Pencoed Library re-development
  • Bluetooth printing
  • Reconfigure Aberkenfig library, install disabled access toilet
  • Survey of Information Technology users and non-users
  • Identify programme of hardware replacement
  • Betws and Sarn Libraries refurbished to improve layouts and flexibility of space
Wellbeing:

To support social regeneration and improve wellbeing by improving access to health information, reducing social isolation and improving the wellbeing of participants.

 

 

  • Increase the number of activities offering opportunities for social interaction.
  • Increase the number of wellbeing-related activities.
  • Work with more Health & Wellbeing  partners.
  • Work more closely with health board at a strategic level.
  • Provide opportunities for people to learn about information literacy.
  • Work with partners and in the community to ensure the Library seen as a useful community place for wellbeing information for customers and partners.
  • Be recognised by local agencies as a partner in the Wellbeing agenda.
  • Develop Books On Wheels delivery to broader spectrum of ‘housebound’ families
  • Become a “Dementia Friendly” service
  • Develop consistent wellbeing activity programme through staff and partners
  •  Second BOW van purchased to support increased users
  • Social programme introduced for BOW users to reduce isolation
  • Secure sponsorship for Wellbeing programme
Life Skills:

Increase life skills and opportunities through formal and informal training. Have a positive impact on literacy and information literacy.

  • Increase the number of formal training sessions and informal drop-in sessions which support digital and information literacy.
  • Promote our online resources (such as Encyclopaedia Britannica, eMagazines) that support literacy and information literacy.
  • Promote services such as WiFi , book stock and online resources to showcase our libraries as a useful place to study.
  • Work more closely with schools and partners at a strategic level.
  • Provide opportunities for work placements and volunteers to gain life skills and experience through work.
  • Programme of one-off coding and robotics sessions
  • Create Information Literacy programme for school classes
  • Create cohesive offer for schools delivered through Outreach and Engagement team
  • Launch Friends of panel to engage with children and young people over a longer period and offer training and work experience placements to children and young people
  • User and non-user survey around offer for children and young people
Environment:

To reduce energy consumption and reduce our impact on the environment.

 

  • Replace our Books On Wheels and delivery vans with electric vehicles.
  • Replace all lights with LEDs.
  • Extend recycling provision.
  • Install solar panels on suitable library buildings.
  • Lower petrol and diesel consumption, and lower running costs.
  • Conduct and act on Insulation Reviews on stand-alone libraries.
  • Investigate longevity of stock if we were to stop using plastic jackets – which would remove the plastic from the system and aid recycling
  • Future batches of membership cards are to be un-plasticised
  • Change to LED bulbs when and where possible
  • Installation of solar panels where possible
  • Identify opportunities to update heating systems to more energy efficient ones when old systems fail or buildings are refurbished
  • Purchase batch stocks of stationery, cleaning products and craft supplies, minimising deliveries to reduce carbon footprint
  • Begin insulation programme
  • Replace Books on Wheels vehicle with electric vehicle
  • Replace Delivery van with hybrid vehicle

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