There were 3,978 responses to the consultation on the future of Libraries in the Borough, of which 95% were from current library users. The main themes resulting from that consultation included the following:
- 48% used a library on a weekly basis
- 84% said they went to a library to borrow items and 50% said to find information.
- Users ‘satisfied’ with current service standards
- 78% thought that combining libraries and other services in one place within communities provided better services for customers
- 75% thought that the community should be able to use buildings for their own activities for a small fee
- 61.7% thought that volunteers should be able to get involved in the development and delivery of local library services alongside library staff
- Co-location and self service should be developed
Bury Council’s review group will continue to work on the development of a draft vision and model of service delivery, which will then be the subject of another public consultation exercise.