Libraries services – use them or lose them!

East Sussex County Council is at an advanced consultation stage for its project to improve library services in Hastings by means of a major refurbishment of the existing central library at the Brassey Institute and the next door premises at 12 Claremont which would bring together the children’s and adult library under one roof. With falling library visitors seemingly a long term trend, it is important that Hastings people focus on why they need library services in the 21st century and express their views as to how these facilities may be used more effectively – use them (or lose them!). The Music Libraries Action Group (MULAG) has a vision that deserves consideration, thinks Chris Cormack.

The Brassey Institute is a handsome building which has been dedicated to public access since its opening in 1880. This development aims to increase the available space by opening up areas that have have not been accessible for many years. By incorporating the next door premises at No 12,  common lifts and stairways can be fitted next door to open up larger modern flexible space in the main building

The design reinstates original features and repairs the historic fabric of this grade 2 listed building. For example, an original rooflight reappears over the first floor allowing greater natural light into the building. The building was originally designed to be naturally ventilated, and to maximise the use of natural daylight. Where possible the new design will recreate the natural ventilation. The reinstatement of rooflight and some of the rear windows will help improve both natural ventilation and daylight.

Lewes, Eastbourne and Hastings, up until the beginning of the new millenium, enjoyed a quality music library service, staffed by knowledgable professionals, enabling music lovers to browse; it was a separate room well stocked with music for all manner of instruments, vocal scores for many types of music (classical, musicals, folk, pop, etc) and a wide range of CDs. These were suddenly withdrawn; a lot of stock was sold off and the residue sent to a central depository requiring materials to be ordered rather than browsed.

This gave rise to Mulag, the Music Libraries Action Group, which had limited success in reversing the process.  Music libraries were reinstated in Lewes and Eastbourne, but the people of Hastings must wait until ‘a new library’ was built enabling library services in Hastings to be reviewed as a whole. Now we face a refurbished and extended library rather than new one, consultations are in process as to the nature of this review of services and we are invited to view the details and comment on the New Hastings Library and Register Office.

Many musicians in Hastings are envious of the ‘Underground Theatre’ in Eastbourne library, which is ideal for small-scale concerts and meetings of local societies. In central Hastings there is a lack of venue space seating say 50 to 100 people and the redesign of the library is an ideal opportunity to remedy this. It has been suggested that meeting space can be created by rolling back bookstacks on runners, but is this adequate or practical?  The availability of space for the previous music library service is questionable because the present plans require space for the birth, marriage and death registers and sub-letting space to Learn Direct (which previously took over music library space). MULAG contends that there is not sufficient space for the library services for adults and children while space has to be found for the Registration Service and Learn Direct.

Mulag proposes that the Registration Service could usefully be relocated elsewhere in town (possibly in the town hall where the information bureau mostly duplicates library functions and could be relocated to Claremont) and that a rolling series of weddings ceremonies at Claremont could be a nightmare of extra traffic in the narrow lane. The Learn Direct facility might be more logically located in rooms connected with Sussex Coast College or the University of Brighton in Hastings.

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