Consultation: Biggleswade Library

Consultation closes: Sunday 5 June 2022
Consultation opened: Monday 14 March 2022

Library service

As part of the reconfiguration works, the library would receive a major refurbishment. It would remain in its present location and be upgraded to the latest regulations and standards. 

The library would have a much bigger children’s library, both in floor space and the number of books, which is reflective of the need in the community. Children’s events such as rhyme time are very popular and around 58% of books borrowed are children’s books. The proposed new layout would enable more families to join these sessions. It would also give greater opportunities to work collaboratively with the proposed children’s centre. 

We are proposing to include a better information technology (IT) zone, for those wanting to use a PC, access the internet or take advantage of a new microfiche reading machine.

We also plan to include increased study space and improved Wi-Fi coverage, which would support those without internet access at home. Access to super-fast internet will enable library users to access information and services and support access to education and skills opportunities.

The existing library staff workroom would be incorporated into the public library space to increase the size of the children’s area. A smaller workroom would be configured to provide a good working environment for library staff.

To reflect the change in customer borrowing habits in recent years, we would reduce the number of adult non-fiction books but keep a good range of popular titles. We would increase the number of books for teenagers and create a special teenage area and a separate read and relax area. These proposed changes are reflective of demand and how customers wish to use the library.

All new walls would be solid and feature acoustic baffling and damping to reduce noise disturbance for users. Similar soundproofing would be included above the ceiling to limit noise transfer and maintain privacy, especially between the different services and user groups. 

The library has always suffered from being too hot during most of the year. We would solve this by introducing new ventilation throughout the building. 

There would also be new flooring, furniture and shelving to match that at Dunstable Library.

Children's centre

There is currently no permanent children’s centre in Biggleswade, which has resulted in services being delivered from external venues in and around Biggleswade. We are holding sessions and working from the Biggleswade Youth Centre at Mead End from Tuesday to Friday each week.

We have also provided holiday activities in and around Biggleswade at local parks and open spaces.

This new base would enable the children’s centre team and partner agencies to deliver sessions to children aged up to 12 and their families. It would also mean a member of staff is available at a dedicated site for families dropping in or booking an appointment for advice, guidance and support.

Biggleswade Library is in the centre of Biggleswade, so would provide easy access to children’s centre support for families who do not drive through good public transport links.

The proposed co-location alongside the library and registration service will have clear benefits:

• new parents registering the birth of their child/ren will be able to pop into the children’s centre space to find out what is available to support new parents
• families visiting the library can find out about children’s centre activities and families visiting the children’s centre can be encouraged to use the library promoting the advantages of reading to your bump and beyond
• there would be opportunities for joint delivery of sessions within the library space to include family sessions and parent education sessions

The children’s centre is proposed to be accommodated by re-purposing back-office space which is currently in use as an office and as a garage. Including this service would have no impact on existing public library space.

Registration service

We are proposing to include the registration service within Biggleswade Library. The accommodation would include its own waiting area for registration service customers and a room for private interviews close to the main entrance.

Inclusion would have a slight impact on existing public library space, with a small overall reduction. This would be mitigated by a new layout to minimise the impact.

The rooms would only be used by registrars on a part-time basis, meaning the rooms would be available for other users at other times.

Having the registration service located in the library would mean:

• the service remains in the local community and is accessible to everyone
• the service would be available in the town centre
• those without transport could go to a local office to register births, deaths and to give notice of marriage or civil partnership

The registration service would continue to provide ceremonies at the register office in Ampthill, which can accommodate 60 people and has a large outside space for photographs. The service is also able to provide ceremonies there at the statutory rate which cater for the couple and 2 witnesses only.

There are premises locally approved for civil marriage and civil partnerships.

Satellite office

We are proposing to include a new small satellite office to provide access to office facilities for our staff living or working in the Biggleswade area. This could reduce the need to travel to other offices and enable staff to work collaboratively.

This supports our commitment to sustainability.

Customer service

We are currently reviewing our face-to-face customer services and will be consulting with the public on this at a later stage.