First new county library in Wales for ten years opens -
03/01/07
The first new county library in Wales for more than ten years
will open in Barry on January 4. Modern, colourful and welcoming
the library defies the stereotype of libraries as dusty, dull
places where librarians tell visitors to ‘Shush’.
The Vale of Glamorgan Council has developed the library, setting
the standard for community libraries in the 21st century. The
library is housed in a new extension to the town’s recently
renovated, hundred-year-old, Town Hall.
The two-floor library offers state of the art facilities.
Borrowers can check out their own books, using the sort of self
service checkouts found in supermarkets. A computerised payment
kiosk has been installed so library users can make payments without
queuing at the desk. The library is also a ‘wireless hotspot’. This
means registered users, working on their own laptops near to the
library, perhaps in the adjacent park or library courtyard, can
access the Internet through the Council’s server. The library also
includes a new computer suite.
The library has dedicated children’s and youth areas. The
children’s area includes computers, as well as games consoles. The
space can be arranged for a range of activities including craft
workshops. Storytellers will hold sessions in the library’s
courtyard. Local young people helped to design the youth area,
choosing to include a television, sofas and an artwork created by
pupils of Ysgol Gyfun Bro Morgannwg.
Chief librarian, Sian Jones said, “This new library is a perfect
example of how today’s library is more than just a place to borrow
books. We’d like people who have never used the Vale of Glamorgan's
library service, or who are lapsed users, to come along and see the
new facility.”
The library includes a community room named after Philip John.
Mr John dedicated his working life to the local library service and
was borough librarian from 1965 to 1976.
Leader of the Vale of Glamorgan Council, Coun Margaret Alexander
said, “Our libraries are important focal points for the community
and I know our library team intend to make the County Library at
Barry a welcoming and useful resource for all sectors of our
community.”
The library opening has kept library staff busy for three
months. Countless lorry loads of books and equipment were moved
from the old library in Barry Leisure Centre and from the county
book-store in nearby Sully. Staff calculate that around 85,500
books, CDs and DVDs have been moved into the new library and its
basement book-store.