The library at Grimethorpe was the third of the three units of analysis to be utilised in this research and was based across the courtyard from the GEVH80. Because public lending libraries have been part of local communities since the mid-19th century they are a familiar presence to most people. Ask what a library is and the most likely answer would be a place where you can borrow books. However, as part of The People’s Network, the last Labour government’s initiative to help people overcome the digital divide, these public spaces have become home to computer hardware and Internet connections. In 2002, Grimethorpe library was connected to two Internet ready computers mid-way through the fieldwork period. Again, the policy emphasis was on providing people with public access - very much in line with Learndirect but on a much more informal basis.
At the time of the research Grimethorpe library was open on a Monday and a Thursday between 9:30am and 5:30pm. The brevity of opening hours seemed to go against government policy on creating public access and this was one of the first issues discussed with Polly (the librarian at Grimethorpe Library). When asked if she thought this was odd she replied ‘No, not really. If people
don’t use the library then of course the opening times will be affected.’ Polly
went on to explain how the Library had recently moved from the centre of the village to the Acorn Centre. Prior to moving the library had been open between 9:00am and 5:00pm, five days a week, but due to a lack of use this had since fallen to two days.81 Having said this, Polly was quick to point out
80 See Appendix 4 for a plan of the Acorn Centre and location of the Grimethorpe library.
81 In 2013, under the Coalition government spending cuts the library has been marked for closure.
the library’s patronage had not changed even though the opening times had. On enquiring who from Grimethorpe used the library Polly responded:
What kinds of people come in here? A very mixed bag, I find, socially. I think generally looking, not so much the young I think. We seem to have a big gap, babies with mums, then maybe a couple of school children. Then we seem to have a good bit of a gap in between, we seem to start again, maybe, looking at people, back up to the retired or older person.
Whereas the GEVH used the word of mouth as advertisement, the Learndirect centre and the Library were both given a great deal of coverage in the national media. Considering if this had helped to get people from Grimethorpe to come in and use the computers and the Internet, Polly pointed out how some people had been looking forward to being able to use the equipment. For example, she mentioned how one elderly gentleman had used the Internet to research his family tree and another lady had searched for job opportunities. However, Polly felt a lot of people from Grimethorpe were still unaware of the newly installed facilities. Although it was made apparent that over the coming months a number of events would be taking place at the library that highlighted the new technology. These included ‘Internet awareness sessions’ with an emphasis on using the Internet to support hobbies and interests, conducted by experts from Barnsley’s central library
This raised the issue of helping people with learning to use ICT and the Internet. Polly was quite capable of showing people how to use the computer and the Internet and would invariably help those who requested assistance, but only if time from other duties allowed. In a similar vein, she was very clear that her role at the library was not that of a teacher. When questioned about this, particularly around how people wanting to learn about ICT and the
Internet were dealt with, Polly simply directed them to the Learndirect centre. Although public access libraries have a reputation for their informal manner and helpful staff, the small library at Grimethorpe was beset by two major problems in relation to physical access to ICT and the Internet. These are
based on the lack of opening times and the shortage of staff. Further discussions of Grimethorpe with Polly established a person who had a firm grasp of the social and economic problems affecting the community caused by the closure of the pit. However, work duties and library opening times constrained what Polly was able to do or wanted to do with the local community in relation to helping people access ICT and the Internet. This position may have been unique to Grimethorpe, but the lack of active engagement between libraries and digitally excluded people was not. For example, research by Dutch and Muddiman (2001, p.183) suggested libraries needed to move beyond their ‘passive preoccupation with access to formulate a more active engagement with non-ICT users so the public library will indeed become open to all’. This would have been difficult given the circumstances at the Grimethorpe library.