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• 12 April – Community/Hard to Reach/Disabilities groups• 19 April – Staff Focus Group 2• 21 April – Community/Hard to Reach/Disabilities groups

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.

Any questions?