Latest news: Lancashire Evening; Gawain and the Green Knight and other Northern Tales.
Thursday 18th February starting at 7pm at Ramsbottom Library & Adult Learning Centre, Lancashire Evening; Gawain and the Green Knight and other Northern Tales.
Join us for a special evening of local tales and food with professional storyteller Tom Goodale who will tell traditional stories, myths and legends.
Tom has had a lifelong interest in stories ever since reading the tales of the Trojan war as a young child. Having lived all over Britain he has a particular interest in tales from these Isles along with the myths and legends from the Greeks, Romans and the Vikings. Having travelled all over the world Tom has an eclectic collection of stories from the places he has visited.
If you’ve ever wondered about the mysteries behind the tales such as how Odysseus escaped from Circe, what Thor did in the land of the frost giants or even is Arthur still sleeping in a cave somewhere, then maybe you could find the answers at our Lancashire Evening on Thursday, 18th February starting at 7pm at Ramsbottom Library & Adult Learning Centre, Carr Street, Ramsbottom BL0 9AE
Admission is by ticket only costing £5 which includes a Potato Pie supper. You will need to pre-book and purchase your ticket prior to the event – telephone: 0161 253 5352 or Email: ramsbottom.lib@bury.gov.uk to book your place.
Latest news: 96% of users are satisfied with Bury Library Service and Bury Libraries & Adult Learning Service achieve Matrix Standard
At regular intervals library customers are asked to give a few minutes of their time to complete a questionnaire on library services. This survey is used across all libraries in the country to test users’ satisfaction with all the services a modern library has to offer.
The answers to all the questions contained in the survey form, along with any additional comments made are compiled and measured to get an overall assessment of customer satisfaction. The surveys are analysed with the results monitored and reported by the Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy (CIPFA) who champion high performance in public services.
The most recent survey was carried out in October last year and the results are just in – 96 % of users are satisfied with Bury Library Service, which is an improvement on the previously high result of 95%.
Diana Sorrigan said: “It is fantastic that our satisfaction level is showing an increase. I appreciate that customers sometimes feel they are always filling in forms but collecting this type of information is really important for us to ensure that we are continuing to provide an excellent service for our users. We need to know what residents think about our services and more importantly suggest ways in which we can improve them; suggestions are always considered and if possible, implemented”
However, the Library Service does not wait for the annual survey to ask users what they think about services; there are suggestion forms in all libraries, to allow residents to contribute their views at any time and on any aspect of the service. These can also be submitted on line via the online library catalogue if preferred. All comments are taken on board and used wherever possible to improve services; information about how library services are performing is also available on report back boards in libraries.
Bury Libraries & Adult Learning Service achieve Matrix Standard
For the third time in succession Bury Libraries & Adult Learning Service has been successful in achieving accreditation for the national matrix standard. This is a nationally recognised quality standard for organisations that deliver information, advice and/or guidance to students, on learning and work.
Feedback from the Assessor was very positive and recognised that Bury Libraries and Adult Learning Service provides excellent support and learning opportunities for all students but especially for those with learning difficulties and disabilities: ‘a friendly, welcoming and professional service that goes the extra mile to provide clients and learners with the opportunity to explore their specific needs’.
The role the Service plays in delivering opportunities for improvement to communities was also highlighted and demonstrated the success that the combined service is providing:
“The personal commitment, enthusiasm and professionalism of all individuals involved has removed difficult barriers and enabled clients to engage and become learners and in some cases move on into further and higher education. The approach has had a major impact on the community and their quality of life.”
Diana Sorrigan Assistant Director (Arts, Libraries and Adult Learning) said “This is a great achievement and all credit to our staff, as this recognises the excellent service they provide. Our service is client focused and all our staff promote a can do attitude which enables clients and learners to meet their needs. We want to encourage everyone to take up the opportunities our service offers”
The Mission of Bury Public Library Service is...
" to help individuals and local communities to achieve their full potential by providing reading and learning opportunities, access to digital skills and services and fair and inclusive access to a range of educational, cultural and recreational materials and opportunities ".
The library service continues to offer a wide range of items for loan; books, videos, CDs and DvDs, and remains an excellent source of information on a wide range of subjects.
People's Network funding has resulted in improved access to computers and online resources at nearly all of the library service's facilities.
Our Customer Charter (128Kb, 4 pages, .pdf) details the ways in which we aim to provide the best possible service to our customers.
Details of how library stock is selected can be found in our Stock Management Policy 2008 (96kb 15 page pdf).
Online resources
To view all the online resources that Bury Council Libraries subscribe to please see the Online library services page. A selection of resources is highlighted below. Most of these are available both within the libraries and from home.
Ancestry.lib
This is a huge collection of databases including UK Census records from 1841 to 1901, the GRO Index of births, marriages and deaths from 1837 onwards and many more. Ancestry library edition is only available within Bury Council libraries.
Ancestry library edition
Britannica Online
The Encylopaedia Britannica is arguably one of the world's most famous publications. Published since 1768 it has developed into a huge source of reference information. Britannica Online offers even more than the 30 plus volumes of the renowned print version; it offers the full Encyclopaedia Britannica, dedicated Junior and Student versions plus journal and magazine articles.
Britannica Online - Junior Edition
Britannica Online - Student Edition
Britannica Online - Adult Edition
Oxford English Dictionary Online
Oxford English Dictionary web site.
The OED online is the full text Oxford English Dictionary which can be accessed both within Bury MBC Libraries and from outside the libraries with a Bury MBC Library card. If you are in a library click on the text alongside the logo above to go directly to the search screen. If not then please see our Oxford English Dictionary page.
People's Network Enquire Service
People's network enquire website.
The People's Network Enquire service is an online, real time 'chat' facility which runs 24 hours a day nearly every day of the year. If your local libraries are closed you can use this service to get the answer(s) you're looking for. Click on the text alongside the Enquire logo above to connect to a librarian and submit your question(s). For more information on the Enquire service please see the People's Network Enquire page.
Renew your books online
You can now renew your books online by logging into the My Record section of the online library catalogue and extending your loans there.
Help us to help you
Do you have a comment to make about the library service or a suggestion on how to improve our services to you? If so, please let us know by completing and submitting our online suggestion form.
Interested in an Adult Education course?
Find out which courses are available on the Adult and community education page.
