Fulham Library revamp
Friday July 8, 2011
An £80,000 revamp for Fulham Library starts on Monday (July 11)!
The new library at Shepherds Bush has proved to be so popular with residents that the council has decided to use that model as a blueprint for improvements at Fulham Library.
The Shepherds Bush service is branded as ‘More than a Library’ because it offers residents a variety of services under one roof. The improvements made at Fulham will include:
- Buying new books and other stock
- Introducing comfortable seating areas for reading or study
- Access to e-books
- Self-service machines to reduce queues and customer waiting time. This will release staff to floor walk around the library, offering more help to customers
- Changing the locations of the Childrens’ and Teenage areas so that services to these two groups of library customers can be developed and enhanced
- Introducing uniforms so that staff can be easily identified
Hammersmith & Fulham Council is also investigating introducing refreshment facilities, Wi-Fi and an X-Box.
Shepherds Bush Library opened at Westfield in September 2009 and has been an unparalleled success in a time when across the country library usage is falling. The number of new members registering has soared by 300 per cent and books have flown off the shelves so quickly that the council had to take the unprecedented step of placing an emergency order for 20,000 new titles!
Cllr Greg Smith, cabinet member for residents’ services, said: “Local authorities pumping money into their libraries during these tough financial times is almost unheard of. Many of our counterparts are closing branches but we are increasing spending at Fulham because we realise the importance of reading and libraries in any modern society.
“The unprecedented success of the new Shepherds Bush Library goes to show just what can be achieved by modernising library services. We are incredibly excited at the prospect of replicating that ‘More than a Library’ model at Fulham.”
In order for the improvement work to take place, the council will be closing the existing childrens’ area for improvement works from Monday July 11 to Friday July 22.
Children’s books will be moved to other parts of the library and weekly childrens activities will also continue as normal. Completing the works to this area now will enable the area to reopen in time for the summer holidays.
It is likely that the ground floor area of the library will close for at least a week in September to enable the installation of self service, a new customer service desk, new shelving and furniture.
The Council recently signed a groundbreaking deal that will see it combine its library services with the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea and Westminster City Council. The agreement will save taxpayers more than £1million a year and ensure all of their 21 public libraries remain safe from closure.
