What is NEWSPAL?
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NewSPAL is a charity, set up by and for users, to ensure that the Surrey Performing Arts Library collection can be maintained and developed in the long term.
In 2017, Surrey Libraries, in the face of significant budget cuts, were planning to break up the collection, then held in the Surrey Performing Arts Library (SPAL) at Denbies Wine Estate, near Dorking. Surrey Libraries proposed to close SPAL, discontinue having specialist staff, and there would be no budget for replacement or development of the collection. Drama and music were to be moved to other separate libraries and individual books would be spread around the county's public libraries. A group of SPAL users, with support from two national organisations, formed a charitable incorporated organisation to bid to secure the future of the collection at a single location and in the charity sector, free from the pressures facing Surrey County Council. Under NewSPAL's plan the collection will continue to provide resources for schools, students, amateur performers, music and drama groups, and individual borrowers in Surrey and the neighbouring counties, and will develop its service nationwide. |
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The future of the collection looks bright. There are plans to open a new library in Woking, more centrally placed in the county. Increased online access will enable users to peruse the catalogue, reserve stock, request loans and pay for them, in the knowledge that, once reserved, the material will be available for the period you require.
The SPAL collection, built up over more than forty years and the winner of multiple awards, was moved by Surrey Libraries to Ewell in August 2018 as a cost saving measure, but future funding for the collection remained in doubt. With help from the Friends of the Surrey Performing Arts Library (FOSPAL) and the support of amateur music and drama groups from across the county and beyond, NewSPAL will now be ensuring that there will be future investment in the collection and that users will continue to benefit from the essential added value that specialist library staff can offer.
Our Vision
NewSPAL has secured the agreement of Surrey County Council (SCC) to establish a new library and performing arts service based on the current SPAL collection. The collection will be transferred from SCC to NewSPAL when NewSPAL's new library in Woking is ready to start operating. Five of the seven trustees of NewSPAL are from user groups (the other two are from Making Music and from IAML, the International Association of Music Libraries).
This will be a charity overseen by users for users. We will:
The collection and service will no longer be subject to the financial pressures faced by SCC, but we will have to make continuous efforts to raise the necessary funds, especially in the early stages as the new library is set up and as we start to attract new users. If you can help, please make a donation and read more about our fundraising campaign.
This will be a charity overseen by users for users. We will:
- keep the entire collection together, including multiple sets, single books/scores, and other resources (e.g. DVDs)
- establish a new home for the collection in Woking
- purchase new online cataloguing software and the IT system developed by Nottingham Performing Arts Library Service (NPALS), which allows users to see the collection and its availability 24/7 online, and make reservations, payments, etc.
- employ dedicated specialist staff
- set opening hours and charges - in consultation with users - at levels to allow the charity to break even
- raise charitable funds for stock renewal and new investments
- promote the library through strong marketing within Surrey, but also beyond its borders, offering direct hiring
- offer lower rates for Surrey residents/groups
The collection and service will no longer be subject to the financial pressures faced by SCC, but we will have to make continuous efforts to raise the necessary funds, especially in the early stages as the new library is set up and as we start to attract new users. If you can help, please make a donation and read more about our fundraising campaign.
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