Please allow ads as they help fund our trusted local news content.
Kindly add us to your ad blocker whitelist.
If you want further access to Ireland's best local journalism, consider contributing and/or subscribing to our free daily Newsletter .
Support our mission and join our community now.
Subscribe Today!
To continue reading this article, you can subscribe for as little as €0.50 per week which will also give you access to all of our premium content and archived articles!
Alternatively, you can pay €0.50 per article, capped at €1 per day.
Thank you for supporting Ireland's best local journalism!
The Devon County Library Service was launched in 1924
Reporter:
Marc Astley
22 Jul 2024 7:00 AM
The 100th anniversary of the Devon County Library Service is being marked this month by Libraries Unlimited, the charity that manages 54 libraries in Devon and Torbay.
The Devon County Library Service was launched in 1924 with the aim of providing a single county-wide service giving all residents free access to books. Before then, many of Devon’s individual scattered community libraries were operated by subscription, or aligned to institutions such as the church, or funded by individual local authorities from people’s ‘rates’.
Libraries Unlimited took over Devon County Council’s library services in 2016, and Torbay’s in 2018. The charity library model established in Devon was seen as groundbreaking when it was set up and was promoted around the country through the Department of Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS).
The board includes staff, library users, members of the community and business and independent experts. This structure has enabled Libraries Unlimited to continue to succeed through challenging economic times by being able to source income from beyond the statutory local authority grants from sources such as other charities, Trusts, other Government departments and private donors.
Comedian, actor and writer Robin Ince is a passionate supporter of libraries. The ‘Infinite Monkey Cage’ presenter says they have a vital role to play in fostering imagination, empathy and community spirit.
He added: “Libraries are so much more than many people imagine. Perhaps most importantly they are the safest space and the most curious place in town. They are not just the guardian of knowledge but a place of activity, security and possibility.”
Award-winning British mystery crime writer Ann Cleeves OBE sent her congratulations Libraries Unlimited for the centenary celebrations saying: “Thanks so much for all you do, for bringing people together in the community to talk about books and providing a host of other services on top of that.”
Alex Kittow, Chief Executive of Libraries Unlimited, said: “Over the past 100 years, public libraries have been not just a free source of knowledge, but welcoming community hubs of activity and information.
“The creation of Libraries Unlimited in 2016 was ground-breaking and has been an outstanding success. Not only do we run the public libraries which enable people to borrow books, we also deliver a year-round programme of cultural events and activities, support for local businesses and entrepreneurs, wellbeing initiatives and educational provision. This past year we loaned over 1.5 million books, staged nearly 24,000 events (up 111% on the previous year) and welcomed people into our libraries for 2.3million visits (a 4% rise on the previous year).
“Of course it’s a different landscape now to 100 years ago, but we’re not just sustaining our service, we’re growing – our eBook downloads rose by 6% to over 253k last year, eAudiobook downloads went up 28% to 292k, and people logged into our free WiFi for nearly 165k sessions – an increase of 23% on the previous year.
“This centenary is a fantastic opportunity to reflect on how far we’ve come, and to look towards the future. We are extremely proud of what we have achieved but we’ve got big ideas and even bigger ambitions. We are dedicated to continuing to invest in our service to fulfil our core mission: enriching lives and building communities.”
For further information and full contact details please visit our web page librariesunlimited.org.uk.
ADVERTISEMENT - CONTINUE READING BELOW
ADVERTISEMENT - CONTINUE READING BELOW
ADVERTISEMENT - CONTINUE READING BELOW
ADVERTISEMENT - CONTINUE READING BELOW
ADVERTISEMENT - CONTINUE READING BELOW
ADVERTISEMENT - CONTINUE READING BELOW
ADVERTISEMENT - CONTINUE READING BELOW
ADVERTISEMENT - CONTINUE READING BELOW
ADVERTISEMENT - CONTINUE READING BELOW
ADVERTISEMENT - CONTINUE READING BELOW
ADVERTISEMENT - CONTINUE READING BELOW
4
To continue reading this article, please subscribe and support local journalism!
Subscribing will allow you access to all of our premium content and archived articles.
Subscribe
To continue reading this article for FREE, please kindly register and/or log in.
Registration is absolutely 100% FREE and will help us personalise your experience on our sites. You can also sign up to our carefully curated newsletter(s) to keep up to date with your latest local news!
Subscribe or register today to discover more from DonegalLive.ie
Buy a paper
Buy the e-paper of the Donegal Democrat, Donegal People's Press, Donegal Post and Inish Times here for instant access to Donegal's premier news titles.
Keep up with the latest news from Donegal with our daily newsletter featuring the most important stories of the day delivered to your inbox every evening at 5pm.
