LIBRARIES in Kirklees are to undergo a massive revamp as the council looks at how to deliver services in the wake of ongoing cuts that have reached £3.5m.

In outlining that “libraries are about much more than books” the authority’s chief librarian, Carol Stump, proposes to redesign library provision across the borough by focusing on what it describes as the “wider community function”.

This could mean libraries acting as hubs for a range of services such as the voluntary and community sector, primary care, adult and children’s social care, and communities teams as well as access to networked libraries elsewhere.

She says community managed libraries are developing across the country and that Kirklees Council “should continue to proudly embrace and support” the idea as well as learning from the mistakes of other councils.

The existing home service looks set to continue but may be delivered in collaboration with an as-yet unspecified external partner.

And book fines, for decades the bane of readers’ lives, could be axed.

Libraries in Kirklees have suffered under crippling financial cutbacks that have already seen budgets slashed by 43%.

It is expected they will fall still further to 63% – falling from £5.7m to £2.2m by 2020. The council says maintaining services to more vulnerable people “will be extremely challenging”.

The new vision for libraries follows a £25,000 government-funded feasibility study and 12-week consultation that heard feedback from staff, friends’ groups and some of the borough’s 450 volunteers.

Whilst there was support for more volunteer input there was also strong support for retaining trained librarians and an acknowledgement that any further reduction in paid library staff “would have a negative impact on the quality of the service”.

By sharing space and integrating service the new library model would reduce running costs whilst improving social connectivity.

The council could back community management via training, provision of book stock and IT support. Financial support could be given through a parish precept.

Uniting libraries from two or more councils could also save money by reducing the number of managers and back-room staff. As an example Bournemouth and Poole are looking to create joint tourism and library services to save £1m.

Kirklees and Wakefield are working ion joint funding bids to deliver projects. Frontline staff will also take part in a “skill sharing” day.

Describing libraries as “a universal space” Ms Stump comments: “It is clear that libraries are about much more than books.

“At a time when many public services have contracted … libraries have become a universal safety net and, increasingly, one of the few remaining symbols of public service in a local community.”

There was also recognition of the public’s preference for libraries and services to remain council-led but that on-going modernisation could mean traditional buildings being swapped for newer premises.

A single-floor, open-plan library is considered to be the most cost effective and accessible layout.

The new libraries service should be respectful of current buildings “but must not be tied to them”, which may mean some traditional and historic library buildings are sold off.

In Mirfield a local developer has already offered to build a new two-storey library in a deal that could see him turning the existing building into a restaurant.