WELCOME TO PORLOCK COMMUNITY LIBRARY
MORE THAN JUST BOOKS!
Porlock Community Library is situated in the Old School Centre. It is one of 15 Community Library Partnerships (CLP) created by the Somerset Library Service and run by Porlock Parish Council. It is manned by a team of volunteers and supported by a part time member of staff. It is also part of LibrariesWest, a consortium of seven library authorities, giving our members access to over 150 libraries in South Gloucestershire, the Bath area, Somerset and Dorset and their catalogues.
Initially, our ability to operate as a “fully fledged” library was limited as CLPs had very little access to Library Service operating systems. This, thankfully, has now changed and we are able to offer the same service as the libraries which are still fully funded and managed by Somerset Council.
How Do I Join? Please print off this Library Membership Form and then pop into the library with your completed form and some form of id, which includes your current address. We should be able to enrol you straight away and give you your membership card. Joining the library is free, you can borrow up to twenty books at a time which can usually be renewed either online at LibrariesWest or by visiting the library. You can also browse the LibrariesWest catalogue and order books either from the consortium or through the Inter Library Loan scheme. Please note, there is a small charge for books which have to come from other libraries. But, please don’t think that all your library card allows you to do is borrow books!!
What Else Is On Offer? There is wi-fi, public computers, apps for ebooks, e-audiobooks, magazines, daily newspapers (home and abroad), learning a language, borrowing an ipad for up to six weeks - it has mobile data installed so no need for broadband - trace your family history using the library version of Ancestry, borrow a blood pressure monitor and the best part, it is all FREE. The library also offers a printing and photocopying service, up to A3, for which there is a charge. Also, through LibrariesWest, borrowers can access Open Educational Resources.This service provides an ever growing, vetted collection of more than fifty million open access, peer-reviewed articles, non-fiction books and other open materials. The collection includes resources for not only students, but anyone, including resources for small businesses, entrepreneurs, students, health & wellness, just to name a few. Traditionally, these open access resources were scattered and challenging to find. LibrariesWest brings them together to create one easy location to find anything you need.
Our Events - we are continually trying to create new events and more Community involvement - the Citizens Advice Bureau are in the library on a fortnightly basis to give independent, confidential advice (look out for their posters around the village). Volunteers assist with running events, for example, The Library Poets, Plato Study Group, Lego Club, Scrabble Club, Digital Help, Family History Research, Storytime, Seasonal Singalongs and a Police Surgery. There are also author talks and the national library event - The Summer Reading Challenge in the school holidays with special craft events.
Our Aims - are to build upon the existing library service model, by providing events and other services, so the library can function as a ‘community hub’. The performance of Porlock Community Library is measured, as for other libraries, on a number of factors: numbers of visitors and books borrowed, public network computer usage and events held either within the library or as outreach projects - in particular with our local school.
Our Volunteers - the number of volunteers fluctuates but there is always a nucleus who keep the library open. Although, we are always keen to add to our team. There are several benefits to being a library volunteer, which only takes up 2.5 hours of any one's time (volunteers work in pairs). It’s a great way to interact with the public, it can be challenging, but .... the more challenging it is, the more worthwhile it is, it lets you do something which directly benefits the village and, if you miss working, it enables you to still have a “work” ethic.
A Short History - the library moved to its present location at The Old School Centre in 1996 having been situated at the other end of the village for a number of years. Until 2014 it was run and staffed solely by the Somerset Library Service. However, it was decided by the County that the library was not sustainable and would, potentially, close. Step forward a group of local people who had other ideas! There followed discussions with the Library Service and it was decided to create a community-led village library offering a hub from which to provide a range of additional activities and events.
So, in early 2014, the then Somerset County Council (SCC) Library Service and Porlock Parish Council worked together to test the concept of creating a community-led library. It was eventually agreed that the library would remain, run entirely by volunteers, with guidance from Minehead Library. In June 2014 a collaboration agreement was signed with Porlock Parish Council for a one year pilot, this was extended annually until 2018 when the Library Service, again, looked at the future of several libraries.
Porlock Community Library can be very proud that due to its success, it was used as a template for 13 other small libraries to become Community Libraries under the umbrella of their individual parish/town councils in partnership with Somerset Library Service. It is manned by a team of volunteers and supported by a part time member of staff.
We are always looking for new ways to improve the service the library offers and any suggestions would be welcome or if you would like to be a volunteer. Please, contact us: email porlib@somerset.gov.uk, pop into the library, phone 01643 862763 (library hours) or have a look at our Facebook page - Porlock Community Library.
