The award was for imaginative expansion and re-design of the
library and the use for local clubs and groups
Felixstowe Library's DVD presentation "Heart of the Community" won
the Delegates' Choice award at the recent Public Libraries
Authorities Conference in Glasgow. 33 public libraries were
nominated for the award from the whole of England, Scotland, Wales
and Northern
.
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Pictured, left to right are Adrienne Adair, awards judge from
Northern Ireland libraries; Roger McMaster of Suffolk County
Council Libraries service; Councillor Graham Newman; Alison Wheeler
of the Libraries service and Norma McDermott, awards judge Director
of the Library Council (Ireland) |
The Library has been transformed by the £1 million refurbishment
project. Floor space has been increased by more than a third,
allowing for the creation of more meeting rooms, a new café and a
complete redecoration and reorganisation of the bookshelves, DVDs,
CDs and computers. The library already has 269,000 visitors per
year, and those people borrow 250,000 books. Book clubs, internet
access groups for both older people and younger people and "Top
Time" activity groups for older people all now take place regularly
in the Library. Felixstowe Library is also the first public library
in the UK to have a Baby Café.
Suffolk County Councillor Graham Newman, portfolio holder for
Adult and Community Services said, "This is well-deserved
national recognition for the superb facility we now have in
Felixstowe Library. I felt very privileged to be at the Public
Libraries conference to accept the award. Our Library looks bright
and modern, and it's fit for the 21st century, with modern media
and technology making it a welcoming place for young people and
everyone else."
Graham added, "This award is a tribute not only to my
colleagues Ann Rodwell and John Goodwin but to many former
Councillors, the staff of the library service and numerous other
local people who persistently campaigned over a period of years to
get the Library improved. I would invite all Felixstowe residents,
and the many visitors to the town, to come and have a look at the
bigger children's section, a newly-built young people's area, and
the new meeting rooms. We now have full disabled access, and an
excellent new café staffed by some of the people Suffolk County
Council helps to support."
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An evening's celebration at the library
Voting for the award was available on-line on the CILIP/PLG website
and by the delegates at the conference, based on a short video and
display of photographs of the 16 long-listed (out of 33) entries.
See the national website
http://www.cilip.org.uk/specialinterestgroups/bysubject/public/awards/
Contact details and opening times of Felixstowe
Library