Exciting plans for Hartlepool's libraries will embrace the future while preserving the past, say chiefs

Hartlepool Borough Council has outlined plans to ‘refine and refresh’ the area’s library service in response to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Plans for the future will see a ‘blend’ of both physical and digital library services – the latter of which council chiefs say has been used increasingly during the pandemic.

The Headland branch library will also evolve into a family and local history centre as part of the overhaul.

Gemma Ptak, council assistant director for preventative and community-based services, said all decisions are being informed by intelligence and there are no plans to remove libraries’ physical book offerings.

She said: “We know during the period of lockdown that the trends and demand on our library services has been much different and we’ve been doing some low level consultation with our current users.

“We know there is quite a big demand on our local history work that we do, so we’re going to evolve the Headland branch library into a family and local history centre, and that’s a really exciting piece of work.

“In terms of the book offer, that will absolutely be retained, we don’t anticipate that we will move to a full digital offer, but it will be very much a blended approach.

“We are making sure that anything we do is very much informed by intelligence and we won’t be reducing an offer that we know the public are very much wanting to continue to access.”

Ms Ptak was speaking to councillors on the authority’s adult and community-based services committee.

She added the council has been running a comprehensive click-and-collect programme for books throughout the pandemic, not just from its main buildings, but its mobile libraries going out to communities.

She added they also continue to deliver a home library service to the most vulnerable to ensure they can access books regularly in their homes.

However it was also noted the number of users of the digital borrow box offer, which enables people to access books online, has ‘increased significantly’ which has been ‘extremely positive’.

Cllr Stephen Thomas noted libraries are an ’emotive subject’ in the community and stressed the importance of the physical offer, along with the increased digital access, to ensure everyone’s needs were catered to.

He said: “I think that libraries are quite an emotive subject and I certainly know that there is a lot of strength of feeling out there in the community about the importance of library provision.

“I know there is a lot of emphasis around some of the digital content but I think for a lot of people there is still a requirement to maintain the actual physical book content and the actual hard book offer for people, as well as that digital offer that clearly has got a place going forward.”

He also called for further updates on the direction of libraries going forward, which council officers said would be brought to a future meeting.

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