Come along to our libraries and enjoy colourings, readings, puzzles and crafts all based around Harry Potter and his world.
Date: Tue 3 Feb
Time: 4.30pm – 5.30pm
Venue: York Explore
Cost: Free
Come along to the launch of York’s newest teen book group. Chat to other people who enjoy reading, talk about your favourite books and eat pizza.
York Explore Library
The newly independent Libraries mutual company may reclaim this amount – which reflects the income that it lost – from the York Council.
A Libraries manager said that it now faces a “significant financial challenge”
Multiple traffic light failures have been blamed for increases in congestion this morning. Click graphic for updated position
Dringhouses Library which has to close for a short time yesterday following a power cut, is now fully operational again.
The first progress report since York’s libraries were taken over by a “Community Benefit Society” is to be publicly considered next week The Society holds exempt charitable status & is jointly owned by staff and the community.
The society receives a York Council taxpayer’s subsidy of £1.94
million each year but is expected to make savings of £50,000 next year.
The report reveal’s that, not only are visitor numbers down because of the central Library temporary closure, but book issues are also continuing to decline.
However EBooks and audio downloads are increasing rapidly.
From February 2015 a toy library service will be introduced. Parents, after selecting toys on line, will be able to pick them up from their nearest library. This service replaces the now defunct toy library bus.
The new Archives and Local History Library will open along with the rest of York Explore on 5th January 2015.
The report can be read by clicking here
Performance results can be read by clicking here
During these three-hour events, experts will train learners in 3D design using the latest technology, and each learner will be given the opportunity to print their design to take home with them – this could include 3D jewellery, ornaments, model trains, toys, utensils and much more.
And as the events occur in early December, this could be the perfect opportunity to design and create a unique Christmas gift for that special someone.
Customers have a choice of a morning or afternoon session:
Saturday 6 December, 9.30am – 12.30pm
Saturday 6 December, 13.30pm – 16.30pm.
Spaces are limited, so booking is essential. Please call Explore Acomb Library on 01904 552651 to reserve a place. Tickets are priced at £30 per person which includes design training, model creation and refreshments. The events are open to all ages.
Following our story at the weekend, the Council has now said that there was an error in the usage figures they provided for York libraries last year.
The revised figures now issued, in response to the Freedom of Information request, turn what appeared to be a decline in use into a modest increase.
Revised York Library visit numbers. click to enlarge
2014 library visitor numbers click to access
The number of residents using York’s libraries appeared to half last year as rebuilding works took a toll.
The figures were revealed by the York Council in response to a Freedom of Information request
The relatively new library in Rowntree Park increased its visitor numbers to 89,478 putting it second only to Acomb (117,402 visitors) in popularity
Tang Hall library is being moved to a site at Burnholme College while York central library is closed for a refurbishment project
This, Heritage Lottery Fund funded, Gateway To History project is a £1.77m plan to create a 21st century Archive at York Explore. It will be finished in 2016, although the library should reopen later this year.
The Library service – which is now run by a “mutual society” – costs taxpayers around £2.3 million each year.
The mutual society is member run. Two thirds of members are library users, and one third staff.
Any York resident over the age of 16 can become a member for free, and effectively becomes the holder of one share in the society, worth a nominal £1. You have to apply to be a member: do so by emailing contact@exploreyork.org.uk.
Library users don’t have to be members of Explore to use the services.
Every member can vote on the way Explore is run at the annual general meeting.
At the moment there are about 120,000 registered users of library services
There may be some concern that many library users don’t appear – during the period that 2 libraries have been closed – to have transferred their business to other libraries in the City. Neither the new library management company not the Council, have published a business plan showing the assumptions they made on overall library visitor numbers during and after the rebuilding projects.
With an additional library planned as part of the community stadium project in Huntington, future user numbers are likely to be viewed with increased interest. A return to the steady growth, as seen over most of the last decade, will be the least that taxpayers will expect.
While this summer’s book The Orpheus Descent by York author Tom Harper delves into the myths of Greek classical history, this dining event explores York’s Roman history. The one-off talk and dinner will be held at the National Trust Treasurer’s House near a rich seam of Roman remains including the nearby former baths and gymnasium.
(more…)
Bishopthorpe Library
Usage of libraries varies greatly across the City but Labour are likely to target those in areas represented by opposition Councillors.
Those that look to be vulnerable include Bishopthorpe where some Councillors apparently have hopes of building social housing on a cleared site.
Bishopthorpe library attracts over 20,000 user visits each year.
Labour then outsourced the management of the libraries to a social enterprise company but retained the right to force library closures by reducing service grant levels.
They hope that any public odium will then fall on the “Community Interest Company” rather than their paymasters.
We suspect that library users are rather too sophisticated to fall for that line.
