Young people across South Gloucestershire are to be asked for their views on the library service.
During the week of 22nd-28th November, all children and young people using libraries will be asked to complete a questionnaire on what they think of the services and how they think the service could be improved.
Supporting the consultation Councillor Heather Goddard, Executive Member for Communities, said: “More than 16,000 young people use our libraries regularly and are important customers of the library service. This is one of the reasons why the Council has just completed a £500,000 investment in extending libraries to provide more room for children’s services.”
“Children use the library to borrow books, access the free internet service or just to meet friends. It is essential that we seek their views on what they think of the service and then act on these responses.”
“Membership of the library service is open to all children and ownership of a library card is one of the first actions that recognise children as citizens of South Gloucestershire.”
The survey, which is aimed at children, takes only a few minutes to complete and can either be filled in by the parents or the child themselves depending on their age. In some libraries volunteers will be on hand to hand the forms out and answer any questions on completing the form.
The last survey, which was carried out in 2007, showed that 54% children thought that using the library helped them to read better; 36per cent found it helped them join in with and try new things whilst 33% felt that they did better at school as a result of using library services.
As a result of the survey a number of improvements took place including an increase in the number of children’s reading groups and extending the number of libraries providing Wi-Fi access to enable students to use their laptops in libraries.
Source: South Gloucestershire Council
