Palmer Park library in East Reading supports a range of students, including learners with learning difficulties and/or disabilities at nearby Reading College (run by Activate Learning) to gain, develop and improve customer service skills, offering a way of gaining skills in a real life environment, whilst ensuring that a public library service can still be sustainably provided.
The challenge
In 2016, Reading Library was reviewing budgets at a time when large savings were being made. We were looking for innovative ways to retain the library network and work in partnership with other organisations to do so. We were particularly interested at Palmer Park to see if any local organisations were interested in working with us, at what is a small but busy local library, situated in the largest green space in East Reading.
The solution
We were approached by Activate Learning at Reading College, who required real life work experience opportunities and to embed them into the offer for students. By providing real life, long term, meaningful work experience, students could learn and demonstrate skills for future employers, at a place embedded in the community and providing real life experiences with the public.
The impact
Several cohorts of students, up to seven per year, have spent time at the library and developed skills in all key areas of service provision. All are involved in direct service provision, helping people with books, supporting rhymetimes and supporting computer users, as well as carrying out the various tasks involved in running a library, restocking shelves, finding items and providing a welcoming atmosphere.
All students engaged have indicated that they have had a positive experience, the library itself is greatly enhanced by the presence of the students, and the contribution from the college for staffing costs means that the library is able to remain open and playing a role in the cultural life of East Reading.
The work has led into other areas such as Reading College Art students having visual work displayed in the gallery at Reading Central library in the town centre.
Students have gained skills, in a supportive, culture based environment, and by gaining those skills and providing this opportunity, the library itself is more sustainable.
How is the new approach being sustained?
There are regular meetings between the library service and the college, and the scheme is well established. An service level agreement is in place covering all aspects of what both parties provide the college assess students for the placement and we ensure students see the space before starting.
Lessons learned
- We’ve made sure that the offer is clear, reviewed and that students know that there are lots of different aspects to a library and whilst there is a lot to learn, it is all paced appropriately.
- We have ensured that the protocols in place covering what to do if library staff/tutor/students aren’t available for work are all robust and these have been tested well.
- We’ve ensured that students have familiarisation sessions with the space.
- We have got to know each group of students and tutors really well and made sure that what is on offer to them reflects what they are needing to do – we have used various tutor led models to ensure students are learning and capturing learning each day.
- We have a toolkit available to replicate the model in other libraries.
View the Palmer Park Library video
Contact
Donna Pentelow, email: [email protected]