Friends of Penrhyn Bay Community Library

Established in 1971, Penrhyn Bay Library has a long history of providing a vital service to the local community. The building is a small one (91 square metres of customer floor space), but it has attracted a surprisingly high number of visits - just under 15,000 in the year 2011-12 (and over 27,000 issues)! It was saved only due to the strong opposition from the local community towards the propose

d closure. A public consultation took place in 2012. This further confirmed the need to retain the library as a source of books, information sharing and a community hub - with some significant changes and improvements! Namely, extended opening hours, improvements to the building and an increased range of facilities on offer. As things stand, the library is currently on track towards a pilot modernisation scheme. Provided that the proposed improvements are put in place, from 2013, it will be the first library in Wales to be run under the new community library model. A steering committee has been established, which has taken on the task of fundraising, co-ordinating volunteers and raising public awareness in order to secure a future for the library. A considerable amount of work has already been carried out to build a bridge between the community and council, but more still needs to be done! It is imperative that the public is aware of and continues to offer support for the library's cause in the coming months to ensure the continuation of the library.