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Free literary festival attracts top talent Tower Hamlets’ literary festival, the Writeidea, attracted a crop of distinguished writers and performers including writer Tariq Ali, journalist Owen Jones, comic Shazia Mirza and novelist Jake Arnott. Did you know? Idea Store Watney Market, which opened in May 2013, was the first public eco-building in Tower Hamlets. www.towerhamlets.gov.uk/ideastore Feature Back at the heart of the community Have you ever wondered what goes on in the modern, hi-tech buildings which house the borough’s Idea Stores – the council’s hubs for library, learning and innovation? Shalina Hussain reports. LIBRARIES throughout the world are struggling to make themselves relevant to today’s society – where books and information can be accessed online and on the move and computer games are fast becoming the preferred pastime of children and young people. Tower Hamlets was one of the first local authorities to take action, closing some of its libraries and replacing them with Idea Stores –community hubs that put a library, café, adult education classes and computer access under one roof. After a borough-wide consultation, residents in their thousands told the council that they wanted bright, new buildings in local shopping areas, combining lifelong learning and cultural attractions – along with all the services normally associated with libraries. Coupled with retail principles, the £30 million investment to create the first five Idea Stores has paid off. Mayor Lutfur Rahman said: “Idea Stores have managed to return libraries to the heart of the community. “Bucking national trends, Tower Hamlets’ revolutionary library service, which was developed in consultation with residents back in 2000, has seen visitor numbers nearly quadruple and lending numbers break records.” Promoting health and wellbeing The new Idea Store online directory has up-to-the-minute information services and groups and organisations in Tower Hamlets and beyond. The directory has been developed with health partners and offers on mental health. The council has five Idea Stores – in Gladstone Place, Bow; Whitechapel Road; Chrisp Street, Poplar; Churchill Place, Canary Wharf; and Watney Market. Idea Store Watney Market in Commercial Road is the latest addition to the family, opening in May 2013. Putting the old libraries into shiny new buildings probably would not have had much impact in the long run. Visitors go away inspired by the philosophy as much as by the architecture of the Idea Stores. They are now inspiring the future development of libraries across the world. The Netherlands, Denmark, Sweden, the about health specialist sections Heritage In addition to providing public access to historic collections relating to the borough’s past, Tower Hamlets Local History Library & Archives’ in-house exhibition programme has gone from strength to strength, peaking with the retrospective of local artist and activist Dan Jones’s paintings, which attracted more than 3,000 visitors. Coming up in 2015 will be a celebration of the 50th anniversary of the formation of the London Borough of Tower Hamlets. United States, South Korea and Germany have all looked to Tower Hamlets as an example of the best way forward. With more than two million yearly visits to five Idea Stores and two libraries, the service is now third in London and fifth among the most visited UK libraries. In 2015 Idea Store and libraries, despite nationwide financial constraints, will continue to offer value for money services. The council is committed to keeping long opening hours, with most sites open seven days a week. To find out more visit www.tower hamlets.gov.uk/ideastore Idea Stores have seen visitor numbers nearly quadruple.” Mayor Lutfur Rahman For children and parents Idea Stores’ innovative programme for children and parents offers 17 weekly reading-based sessions for babies and children in each Idea Store and library. A record-breaking 4,070 children (up 22 per cent on 2013) took part in the national Summer Reading Challenge last year. Learning Idea Stores offer a range of learning activities with more than 10,000 enrolments a year (up 18 per cent over the last three years). The service has been graded as good by Ofsted and is working towards being outstanding. Eighty per cent of teaching observed is assessed as good or outstanding. Some of the learners won the London Regional Award for Learning through ESOL (English for speakers of other languages) and the National Award for Learning in Families and Communities. Ninety-seven per cent of the students rate their experience of learning as good or excellent. ESOL has formed an increasing amount of Idea Store provision over the past five years, with literacy, numeracy and work skills supporting the most vulnerable residents to gain the skills to find or keep a job. Reading for everyone The annual reading festival, Writeidea, received a grant from the Arts Council in 2014 and visits were up 22 per cent on the previous year. The reading offer has expanded to include ebooks (loans up by 21 per cent in the first three quarters of 2014) and a wide range of newspapers and magazines available for portable devices. Print books, which are added weekly, include bestsellers and prize winners, as well as books for ESOL students and emerging readers. 2 – 8 FEBRUARY 2015 N E W S F R O M T OWER HAMLETS COUNCIL AND YOUR COMMUNITY 9


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