Innovative library partnership wins Government recognition

The innovative partnership which has been developed by York Council's Libraries and Adult Learning teams and one of the city's biggest employers, Aviva, has been highlighted by the Government as part of a national review.

A new policy document published by the Government has analysed ways of improving the nation's libraries and cites the partnership between the authority and Aviva as an innovative method of delivering services.

The two organisations joined forces last year as part of the 540,000 revamp of the city's Central Library, creating a new Explore centre with caf, changing space facilities and learning rooms, as well as launching financial courses for recession-hit York residents.

York Council's head of libraries and heritage, Fiona Williams, who is also the president of the Society of Chief Librarians, said: "The library service's partnership with adult learning has enabled us to bring in funding to improve services for the people of York and it's great that that has been recognised nationally.

"More and more people are using libraries in York and the new Explore centre will be our flagship."

The partnership with Aviva, which was previously called Norwich Union, has involved staging a series of workshops to provide financial advice to householders struggling during the economic slump.

Staff from Aviva joined forces with York Council to give advice to residents to help them cope with debts and manage their finances more effectively.

The council has been overseeing a series of schemes to introduce new measures in York's network of libraries in the hope of increasing the number of users.

Libraries across York are being fitted with self-service counters

to provide users with easier access to tens of thousands of books.

The new technology was installed at the Explore Acomb Library Learning Centre last summer before the systems were launched in September. It is hoped that the self-service stations will eventually be used in all the council's 14 libraries across the city.