The Physical Library and Regeneration - Tony Durcan

EDGE 2010
The Physical Library and Regeneration
The Newcastle upon Tyne perspective

Councillor John ShipleyLeader Newcastle City Council
Tony Durcan
Head of Culture, Libraries and Lifelong Learning

Newcastle’s new City Library
PFI project with a 7 year development period;
£24m capital cost;
6 floors, 4 storey entrance atrium; 8,300 square metres;
opened to the public on Sunday 6 June 2009;
officially opened by HM The Queen on 6 November 2009;

totally self service;
open 70 hours per week – 7 days;
24 hour provision;
150,000 new books;
5792 visitors on day one;
792,000 visitors by 31 January 2010
35,000 new members;
396,000 items loaned.

The Council’s only capital cultural project to come in on budget … ….and on time.

Why a new City Library?
Library Service modernisation agenda;
as much about service as buildings;
to overcome the 1960s building’s shortcomings:
unloved concrete;
invisible/non distinctive and a wasted site;
limited accessibility;
hidden services and unwelcoming;
poor community facilities.

Old library shots

Stage two development

And the City wanted a new building which would “delight and inspire”.

Key steps
research;
visioning;
consultation;
engagement;
staff involvement;

Some examples from 2006
10 March – Bidders’ presentations at Civic Centre
13 March – Sectoral stakeholders/expert witnesses
16 March – Elected Members
18 March – Young People Group
20 March – Staff Focus Group 1
27 March – Members’ Advisory Group/Design Panel
28 March – Staff Focus Group 2
30 March – Public meeting (City Library)
3 April – Staff Focus Group 1
3 April – Public meeting (High Heaton)
6 April – Public meeting - Princess Square residents/traders
7 April – Public meeting (City Library)
10 April – Community/Hard to Reach/Disabilities groups
19 April – Staff Focus Group 2

Political and community engagement

Not just a city library
City, city-wide, and regional role;
other libraries;
impetus for change:
new ways of working;
new ways of using
a choice of support, progression and anonymity.

Gosforth

West End Library and Customer Service Centre

Fawdon – Library Express

The Observer 22 February 2009
“A shining light and a beacon for what a library should be doing in the 21st century” – Andrew Motion.

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The Physical Library and Regeneration - Tony Durcan

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The Physical Library and Regeneration - Tony Durcan — Presentation Transcript