Arts Alive in North

Cambridgeshire Libraries

Lynda Martin

James Nicol

Nathan Jones

Summary

Arts Council award of £99,850 towards the delivery of

high quality arts experiences selected by the community

in 8 libraries across north Cambridgeshire (areas of low

arts engagement)

This builds on the successful Library Development

Initiative partnership project delivered in Fenland

Partners are AdEC (Arts Development East

Cambridgeshire ) and CS3 (Cultural Consortium for

Cambridgeshire and Suffolk)

LDI summary

Four Fenland Libraries

Library Friends Groups commissioned arts activities from CS3 with the support of AdEC

Diverse range of high quality activities in libraries (many a sell-out) – including theatre performance, comedy, creative writing, Manga workshops, photography

Building community (and arts organisation) recognition of libraries as flexible spaces for community use

Recognition that Libraries are trusted spaces for arts activity

Raising the level of aspiration and expectation in areas of the county often overlooked for arts events

Activity

Chatteris, Littleport, March, Ramsey, Sawtry, Whittlesey, Wisbech and Yaxley libraries

Timescale – completion by mid June 2016

Two rounds of commissioned arts activity of £3,800 for each library (i.e. £7,600 in total for each library)

Strong links to local communities for decision making and skills development

Building strong links between libraries and arts organisations

Budgets for marketing, project management, evaluation and equipment

Process

Steering Group in place to guide the project

Each library has a community decision making group

This group will be supported by Library staff and AdEC to design an arts brief linked to their locally defined outcomes

The brief will be openly circulated with bids for activity managed through the CS3 consortium

Bids will be collated into a costed menu

Community groups will choose the activities for their library Round 1 - Spring 2015

Income from ticket sales or sponsorship will be expected to build future sustainability

Process repeated for Round 2 of activity building on experience – for Autumn 2015

Links to other activity

Any activity will complement and link with “Creative People and Places” plans

Links with District and Town Council plans (such as festivals and local history)

Links with existing library activity such as “Summer Reading Challenge”, “Reading Aventures”, “ImagiNation”, book festivals, music tasters, reading groups and EngAGE events

Links with other arts activity such as the Young Fenland Cultural Consortium

Links with partners in the buildings such as Sawtry Village College, Children’s Centres, and a multitude of other users

Marketing via print, news releases, Shape Your Place and social media

Evaluation

Numbers of new people engaged with arts activity and feedback from events

Comparison with Arts Insight data and Active People Survey data

Success and sustainability of local commissioning model

Integration of new arts activity in libraries Impact of the activities on library use (new customers,

new opportunities and partnerships)Design of library and Community Hub spaces for arts

activityFeedback from community groups, AdEC, CS3 and

library staff

Learning so farThe time it takes for community consultation and

decision making

Managing ambitions upwards (rare opportunity to “give” funds)

Finding the right mix of people if there isn’t a Library Friends Group or partners group

Supporting and managing concerns over expectations from community groups

Need to create even more flexible library spaces

Value of leaving the commissioning process to Arts experts

The community energy that this releases for more activities

Library staff “letting go” but supporting where necessary