Libraries news

Oldham Libraries has been judged one of the strongest services in the country after Arts Council England awarded it the rare "Met Strong" rating under the national Libraries Development Framework. The verdict, quietly published just before Christmas, means the borough's 12 branches, mobile service and home-delivery team have all been found to meet or exceed every quality benchmark the council inspects.

The seal of approval lands as 2026 is declared the National Year of Reading, and staff are using the moment to invite lapsed borrowers back. Fines for overdue books were scrapped last year, and every primary pupil can now borrow up to 12 titles on an automatic "school library card" linked to their class. Librarians say the twin moves have already pushed adult membership up 11 % and child loans up 18 % compared with winter 2024.

Behind the scenes, the buildings themselves are changing. A £564,375 grant will update heating, lighting and lifts inside the joint Central Library and Gallery Oldham complex before the end of 2026, while Northmoor Library has secured £168,000 for a full interior refit that will add a community café and 3-D printing suite. Royton Town Hall Library reopened in September after a £1.2 million restoration that revealed the original 1887 tiled foyer and installed a lift for the first time.

Archivists face a more delicate shuffle. The entire Oldham Archives collection-800 metres of boxed records, maps and photographs-will close to the public next summer so staff can decant it to a purpose-built strongroom inside the redeveloped Spindles Centre. No documents will be lost, but researchers needing original deeds or census returns are advised to finish visits by July.

Even the digital side is widening. Surplus tablets and laptops donated through the "Donate IT Oldham" drive are being wiped, re-set and loaned out for six months at a time, with data showing 62 % of borrowers so far have never had home internet before. The scheme runs alongside the annual Summer Reading Challenge, which this year saw 4,300 children read six books each, earning medals presented in school assemblies rather than the now-crowded central library.