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This year, councils across the UK implemented cuts as they faced financial hardship. 

Birmingham City Council agreed to reduce services alongside a 21% increase in council tax over two years, while Denbighshire Council’s cabinet approved measures to slash library operating hours by 40% to save £360,000 annually.

In Caerphilly County Borough, Coffi Vista closed after the council argued it was subsidising the premises at £100,000 per year and New Tredegar’s Winding House was mothballed. 

The borough’s 18 libraries, however, have remained open. One of those is Bargoed Library on Hanbury Road. 

A grand building and a fitting home for knowledge, the library is a Grade II listed Baptist chapel redeveloped into a library alongside an information centre. 

Bargoed Library manager Damon Christopher, 38, has been working in libraries across the borough for 20 years and has seen the impact they can have. 

Damon said: “I can see the impact on our communities from having those resources and self-educational opportunities available.”

Damon follows the model established by Andrew Carnegie, an industrialist and philanthropist who helped develop the American public library system. This focuses on inspiring communities through attainment, culture and education rather than simply offering books.”

He continued: “I honestly believe that the valleys were built on the back of miner’s institutes and libraries giving people the opportunity to access resources to self-educate in what could be construed as an oppressive society. And I think there’s opportunity to do that these days.” 

“We love the library”

Bargoed Library runs classes, cost-of-living help, employment services and provides a space for community groups.

One of the groups is Soul Creative Circle, which ran weekly art sessions for women to promote wellbeing – it has since stopped operating due to funding issues.

Facilitator Liz Thomas, 39, started the group in the summer of 2023, thanks to funding from Caerphilly Arts, and said: “I started working here because I’d seen the space and I knew how beautiful it was,” adding that the free space meant she could keep costs to a minimum. 

Between eight and 14 women attended the meeting each week and Liz has received feedback that the sessions are “life-saving” and “life-changing”.

And though the library space was free, the sessions still came to an end after funding was discontinued – highlighting how stretched funding is at the moment. 

The library also provides services to keep children entertained and help them learn. 

Coding sessions take place on Saturdays and seven-year-old Arlo Bowman-Wood attends regularly.  

The sessions teach children to use code using blocks, microbits to create animations and even learn languages such as Python. 

When coding was introduced at Arlo’s school, his time at the library proved invaluable as he was well ahead of his classmates. 

When his classmates asked him “How did you do that?” the response was simple. He said: “Because I’d done coding before…at this library.” 

Arlo’s mum, Joss Wood, 39, from Fochriw, joked that coding wasn’t up her street and said: “ It’s very difficult for my brain to comprehend anything about it.”

The library is an important part of their lives, Joss continued: “We love the library,” adding that it’s their favourite place to visit – except for the beach. 

“A really supportive service”

The sessions, from rhyme time to STEM club, are largely run by library staff. 

They have a wealth of experience and knowledge which forms an important part of the wider library machine. 

Damon said: “Most of our staff are Masters or PhD educated, but choose the vocation of helping people.”

Some take up extra positions such as an LGBTQI and autism lead, which is facilitated by support from the Library department. Damon continued: “Our library service makes sure that our staff are really well trained. They’re very supportive of their lives and their passions.”

Emily Clark is a library assistant from Oakdale who has worked part-time at the library since graduating from university.

She said: “I do stem Lego Club on Saturday. I get them to start thinking about engineering and physics.”

For Emily, a perk of the role was the variety but the main thing is “engaging with the customers”.

She continued: “It’s really valuable for me, in terms of developing skills, but It’s also really nice to see how they benefit from using the space.

“I went to quite a privileged university so that’s why I wanted to also work in a library – so I could help people and support them because I know that other areas around the UK get a lot more support.”

Emily added: “I think a library is a space where you can boost people’s confidence.”

“A coffee and a welcome”

As the cost-of-living crisis took hold, libraries became an integral part of the council’s raft of welcoming spaces – they were a respite for people who were struggling to heat their homes to come and have coffee, tea and a break.

Richard Haydn-Heath, 49, lives in Bargoed and uses the library to have “a coffee and a welcome”. 

He said: “If I need help or it’s cold, they put the fire on. Any books I want they order in for me, can’t fault them.”

Richard lives alone and comes into the library to play dominoes or cards. He said: “You get to meet people.”

Many libraries now offer access to essential banking services after branches closed on the high street. 

Barclays, which closed its Bargoed branch in April 2023, can support customers with budgeting advice, help setting up their app and basic services such as transfers.

“A godsend to the community”

In January, Library Connect, the charity representing library services in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, said that 20 library services had joined their support programme for at-risk services. 

The initiative, set up in light of the “financial crisis affecting local authorities” in England and Wales, aims to help councils in sustaining “effective, inclusive, and sustainable” local library services despite dwindling resources.

Budget cuts threatened to affect library services and looked set to become a reality for residents under Nottingham City Council and Denbighshire Council.

Libraries in Caerphilly had been beset by cuts during austerity but remained open. Damon said: “We may have cut hours but we’ve done it in a clever way. And we’ve kept all of our branches open for all of our communities.”

This is more important in some communities than in others according to Damon, who said: “We have 18 branches spread over the valley, some in isolated spaces such as Rhymney – which is a godsend to the community.

“Having worked there, if Rhymney library wasn’t there, there wouldn’t be anything there. There is a community centre, yes, but [the library] was a lynchpin to culture within the community and always has been.”

And then, of course, the library allows people to take out books – something Damon did as a child and still does now.

He said: “I could go to the library every Saturday when I was little and get books out that there was no way I could afford.” 

He continued: “The resources are completely free. That’s amazing.”