A scheme offering ‘books on prescription' to people with mental health problems has been hailed as a major success.
Last year Devon County Council teamed up with leading independent charity The Reading Agency and the Society of Chief Librarians to help launch the national ‘Reading Well Books on Prescription’ scheme, which aims to use reading as a tool to help those who suffer from conditions such as depression, anxiety, stress, phobias and some eating disorders.
Since then loans of self-help books in the ground breaking scheme have more than doubled, reaching around 275,000...
Devon County Councillors today agreed plans aimed at keeping all the Council's libraries open and run by professional staff, despite significant reductions in the service's budget.
Members heard that Councils elsewhere have successfully transferred the delivery of their libraries to ‘mutuals’ or ‘trusts’ who run the libraries on the Councils’ behalf.
And that library staff, previously employed by those Councils, have been retained and continue to professionally run their libraries, with local communities having a greater say in how their libraries are run.
Devon County Council’s Active Life, Active Mind programme, aimed at supporting health and wellbeing, is back for the third consecutive year with events held in libraries throughout October.
The diverse programme of activities includes something for everyone. For those with creative minds, there are drawing workshops and creative writing groups, and for those looking for support with health and wellbeing there are health checks, guided walks and advice and guidance sessions.
To find out more visit your local library or website .
UNISON is warning Devon County Council not to let the consultation responses it received on its proposals for the future of the library service to fall on deaf ears.
The union’s warning comes after the Council released figures last week on the number of people who took part in the consultation.
Andy Bowman, Branch Chair at UNISON Devon County Branch, said: “Whilst it’s great that thousands of people have responded, it doesn’t take a genius to work out that the response rate was so high because the people of Devon are seriously concerned about the Council’s proposals and...
Devon County Council has described responses to its recent consultation on the future of Devon's library service as 'extremely positive'.
Never has the council had such a level of responses to previous library consultations, in terms of numbers and quality of feedback.
5,500 returned questionnaires; 2,500 attendees at local library drop-in sessions; 1,000 people at public meetings; as well as emails, letters and petitions that have been sent to the Council.
Results from them all are now being collated, digested, and deliberated over by senior Managers and...
Former BBC Spotlight presenter Teresa Driscoll will soon be touring Devon's libraries with a workshop to help aspiring writers.
Tickets are free (with a refundable deposit of £5) and will be available in the libraries below from Saturday 9 August.
The workshop Short stories: for pleasure and for profit is suitable for new and aspiring writers of short fiction and is a relaxed and fun session designed to build confidence and help writers to find their own voice. The session is pitched to suit a broad range of ages and experience but is for adults only, please. Absolute...
Communities say they are keen to work with Devon County Council to ensure their library service continues.
Towns and villages, which had feared a potential loss of their library services due to budget cuts, are saying that alternative solutions are achievable if people put their minds to it.
So far, more than two out of every three of the 2,500 people (67.7 per cent) responding to the council’s consultation agree with the proposals for their local library.
More than eight out of every 10 respondees agree that sharing library space with multiple services – the...
Pandora Munoz has won first prize in a design a Doctor Who monster competition run by St Thomas Library.
The library, situated in Church road, Exeter, hosted an award event presenting Pandora with an upgraded version of the design she created.
The monster was redrawn and coloured by Simon Brett a local artist who works for the longest running scifi magazine in the world, Starburst. He presented Pandora with a framed original of her creature: ‘The Soul Stealer’.
Simon was impressed, saying: "Its inventive design and fascinating back story with special powers would...
Libraries have a role in helping new and small businesses grow, says Dr Stephen Fear, Entrepreneur in Residence and Ambassador at The British Library.
Dr Fear was speaking in Exeter to business leaders at a briefing by Devon County Council, hosted by Ashfords, about a new resource within Exeter's Central Library that will give businesses access to high quality business and 'Intellectual Property' (IP) information.
The multi-million pound redeveloped Central Library, on track to open next summer, will include a dedicated entreprise support service, funded...
