Latest News
Book to the Future
Published: 06/10/2015
People are being invited to travel forward in time and take a look at what the
new library hub at Deeside Leisure Centre might look like.
Proposals to modernise and re-shape library services in Flintshire were
announced by the County Council in March and included a proposal for a brand
new library hub within Deeside Leisure Centre to serve the communities of
Hawarden, Mancot and Queensferry where part-time facilities are being delivered
in outdated or under used buildings.
Consultations about the proposals took place in the affected communities.
Although it was recognised that it was in the overall best interests of future
library provision to progress with the development of a new hub, many library
users also emphasised that the service must be designed to reflect all three
local communities, and asked that it also be supplemented by additional
community based services along with the consideration of a Community Asset
Transfer.
The new hub is expected to cost approximately £130,000, with the majority of
the funding - over £90,000 - coming from a CyMAL grant. It will also save the
library service in the region of £50,000 a year.
Plans for the new library are now taking shape and library users and members of
the public are invited to drop in to Deeside Leisure Centre any time between
5pm and 7pm on Thursday 15 October to see the space the library will occupy and
have their say on the vision for the future, modern v traditional library
design, future book choices, on-line catalogue and self service facilities
Councillor Chris Bithell, Cabinet Member for Education said
“Whilst we have maintained our library network in Flintshire, we must now look
at different ways of delivering the service, preserving its quality and
enhancing the facilities on offer.
“This is an exciting time in the design of the new library hub at Deeside
Leisure Centre and I hope people will take the opportunity to drop in and see
for themselves how this new facility could both open the doors for library
users to experience the excellent range of leisure and spa facilities the
centre has to offer and provide leisure users with easy access to books,
computers and study opportunities.”