AQW 9638/16-21
Ms Kellie Armstrong
Alliance Party
Strangford
Tabled Date: 18/01/2017
Answered On Date: 25/01/2017
Priority Written: No
Question:
To ask the Minister for Communities to outline his Department's commitment to ensure an effective library service.
Answer:
My Department is fully committed to ensuring an effective library service. As community hubs, libraries are free, inclusive, shared, accessible and trusted spaces, embedded in communities and used by people of all ages, cultures and backgrounds. As 89% of the population lives within two miles of a branch library or mobile library stop, I recognise that there is tremendous potential for libraries to provide local access to, and support for, a range of citizen-focused services. This was reflected in my decision in August 2016 to allocate Libraries NI with an additional £225k which I made available to help Libraries NI maintain library opening hours at current levels in this financial year. Libraries NI is also fully committed to ensuring an effective library service and its strategy for doing so is set out in its 2016/17 Business Plan. Amongst others, this Plan aims to improve the effectiveness of the library service by widening access to libraries through targeted outreach work, partnership working with local community organisations, charities and Government Departments. Libraries NI is also a statutory partner in the Community Planning process and has been working closely with local councils in the development of their respective Community Plans, recognising the important role libraries play as community hubs. In order to make the library service even more effective and to widen access to libraries as far as possible my Department believes that greater joined up working is essential. I am pleased therefore that Libraries NI has already developed Memoranda of Understandings (MOUs) with various parts of Government to help support their activities in the community such as DfC employment services, DE and DAERA. A number of initiatives are being taken forward through these partnerships in libraries. These include Job clubs to support the unemployed; basic IT training for farmers, rural dwellers and those seeking employment; early intervention schemes to improve educational aspirations of pre-schoolers and primary school children and much more. I fully support this partnership working and my officials, in conjunction with Libraries NI, are exploring other areas of potential collaboration with other Departments, including organisations which now form part of DfC. This is to ensure that every opportunity is used to improve the effectiveness of the library service and to widen access to libraries and provide as wide a range of services to the community as possible.
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