Shaping our Future: Options for Manchester’s Libraries

Please note: the consultation period for the future of library services ended at midnight on Sunday June 5.

The City Council needs to find £109m of savings this year. As you'll read below, we have opened a number of new libraries in recent years, and will be opening more in the years to come. We have also comprehensively renovated most of the libraries across the city. Two-thirds have now benefited from this renewal programme. New buildings are only part of the renewal: new technology has been used to make the library experience more convenient, flexible and accommodating than ever before.

We believe in our libraries and will continue to do so, despite the challenging financial circumstances. They sit at the heart of many of our communities, a vital hub of learning. They are modern, vibrant places, which are about much more than book lending.

As part of the review of libraries, we are considering the closure of some smaller libraries: Barlow Moor Library on the Merseybank Estate (between Chorlton and Didsbury), Rack House Library in Northenden ward, and Clayton Library. East City, which opened as a temporary library while Beswick Library was closed, is also on the list. We are considering these closures because there is excellent alternative provision nearby. The existing Miles Platting and Hulme Libraries are also earmarked for closure, but both will be replaced by either new or alternative provision before they are closed. We are committed to ensuring a customer promise that 99% of residential properties will be within a two-mile radius of a library and 95% will be within one mile.

Other library buildings are not being considered for closure, although we are going to have to review our opening hours across the city. We need to consider reducing opening hours to achieve the savings we need to make, but any reductions would be structured so that we could expand the network again in the future.

We also need to review the continued viability of the services offered by our mobile libraries, recognising the growth of our building-based and online library network over recent years.

The following pages form part of our consultation on the future of libraries. They describe the services currently delivered, outline some of our options for savings and explain the reasoning behind these difficult decisions. We are using this opportunity to take a fresh look at our libraries and consider new, more flexible ways to deliver what they offer and ensure their future in the longer term. This isn't just about libraries surviving; it's about them thriving.

When you've read the pages that follow, please do take the time to complete the questionnaire and share your views with us.

Neil MacInnes
Head of Library & Information Services, Manchester City Council