A report has been published on how Bridgend County’s library services – managed by Awen Cultural Trust on behalf of BCBC – meet Welsh Government library standards (pdf).
Bridgend has 11 public libraries as well as a home delivery service and 99% of the population live within 2.5 miles of a library.
The good news is that Bridgend’s libraries meet all of the Welsh Government’s 12 standards. These standards cover access, the range of services offered and how the library service works with users and other organisations.
Borrowing increased by 23% during the reporting period, with borrowing of children’s books increasing by as much as 834%.
Bridgend was in the top quarter of councils for spending on materials, but was in the bottom quarter for spending on Welsh language resources – though they did enough to meet the Welsh language standard.
Awen has undertaken a review and accepted that more Welsh language resources were needed, particularly those aimed at children. More support has been introduced for Welsh-medium coffee groups and “Bounce and Rhyme” sessions.
Examples of good practice include how the library service operated during the Covid-19 pandemic, digital literacy sessions and new reading groups.
The sting in the tail is that the recently approved 2024-25 council budget raises the prospect of reducing library opening hours as part of a wider £360,000 cut to cultural services.
