During July the first of a series of events across Devon to mark the centenary of our award-winning libraries’ service took place, with authors and actors paying tribute to a service which has enriched the lives of so many.
The event at Exeter Library marked one hundred years since the launch of the Devon County Library Service which, from the very outset, had the aim of providing a single county-wide service for all residents, no matter their background.
While prior to the launch public libraries did exist, they tended to operate by subscription; aligned to institutions such as the church, or funded by individual local authorities and less than half of the population were able to access them.
The Public Libraries Act of 1850 began to change all that with the noble goal of providing universal, free access to information and literature, for the ‘greater social good’.
In 1913 grant funding was secured from the Carnegie UK Trust which had the specific aim of improving well-being. The building of branch libraries and the establishment of 500 village centres was considered fundamental to that aim.
Gradually libraries opened in most of Devon’s larger communities, and while some have since moved into different premises, Devon remains one of the few authorities that has not closed static libraries despite increasing budgetary pressures.
Over the years some facilities were purpose built, such those in Cullompton and Ivybridge, others moved into facilities previously used for other purposes such as Exmouth Library, the original Exeter Road Primary School.
One such library that was relocated was Exeter’s old Library, in Castle Street which was all but destroyed.
One night in May 1942, 20 Luftwaffe bombers dropped thousands of tonnes of ordnance and in 70 minutes devastated swathes of the City centre and Newtown area.
Of the many buildings that were hit, one was the City Library; over a million documents and books went up in flames.
Over the intervening years the collection was gradually built up again – although many of the documents were irreplaceable – and in 1965 the ‘New City Library’ was unveiled by the Princess Marina, Duchess of Kent. Today it’s simply called the Exeter Library.
As technology developed and people’s needs changed over time what our libraries offered also changed.
In response to austerity, in 2016 Libraries Unlimited, a staff and community-owned social enterprise was established and took on the stewardship of the Service with Devon County Council as commissioners – this new model opened doors and access to funding not previously available to a local authority.
Over the last eight years Libraries Unlimited has invested in new and core services and technology as well as new programmes to continue to help fulfil the service’s original 100-year-old mission; to enrich lives and build communities.
Always highly regarded as one of the best and most innovative library services in the country, never was this more apparent than during the pandemic when they took on another role – as a safe-haven.
During the restrictions in place at the peak of the pandemic many people, particular the elderly, vulnerable and those who lived alone, struggled to cope and our libraries once again showed why they are the centre of communities as they brought people together for comfort and companionship.
And as the cost of food and heating continued to sharply rise and the cold nights of winter 2021 drew in during the start of the cost-of-living crises they also provided a warm, safe space.
Both Devon County Council and Libraries’ Unlimited have since then continued to invest in the service.
For instance, the £1.7m transformation of Bideford’s old arts centre into a community ‘hub’ which also delivers adult education services was completed last year.
The event at Exeter Library was the first of what will be many opportunities over the next 12 months to reflect and celebrate the library service’s history and its role.
The South West Heritage Trust, historians, library staff past and present, Friends’ groups, volunteers and supporters were just some of those who attended.
Special guest speaker was comedian, actor and writer Robin Ince, who said: “Libraries are so much more than many people imagine. Perhaps most importantly they are the safest space and the most curious place in town. They are not just the guardian of knowledge but a place of activity, security and possibility.”
Devon County Council’s Cabinet Member for Public Health, Communities and Equality, Councillor Roger Croad said:
“This year will see several events to celebrate our fantastic award-winning library service.
“The impact of our libraries continues to grow from creating warm and safe spaces for residents, to Youth hubs, free Wi-Fi, on-line resources to adult education.
“We’re bucking the trends nationally and internationally in increasing young people borrowing books and resources and now over 30 per cent of users prefer to access our extensive digital services.
“I am proud to say that despite budgetary pressures we have not closed a single library and have no intention of doing so.
“Thanks to the hard work of our partners Libraries Unlimited the future is looking bright; we have a strong sustainable model that has professional staff and communities at its very heart, that has greater community involvement, flexibility, focus and opportunity to work collaboratively with customers, communities and partners to deliver a service that meets local need when it needs it.
“I look forward to continuing to work with them as we look to another hundred years!”
Alex Kittow, Chief Executive of Libraries Unlimited, said:
“Over the past 100 years, public libraries have been not just a free source of knowledge, but welcoming community hubs of activity and information. We are extremely proud of what we have achieved but we’ve got big ideas and even bigger ambitions.”
Award-winning British mystery crime writer Ann Cleeves OBE added:
“Thanks so much for all you do, for bringing people together in the community to talk about books and providing a host of other services on top of that.”