Library+ works with existing security and CCTV systems and people sign-up to be able to have access using their library card and a PIN number. People have to sign up to an additional agreement and have an induction.

Being accessible for longer and being able to offer a range of facilities during extended hours will help ensure the library remains an integral part of the local community.

Thimblemill Library user Claire MacRorie said: “It’s absolutely brilliant for us shift workers especially when we cycle past here every day when we go to work. So when we come back from work, we can call in because we’ll now have the pass to use outside of working hours.”

Amie Byrne from ASIRT charity said: “We run a weekly club, we’ve been here for four years running our homework club. Library+ has enabled us to have a little bit more independence so we’re able to get in and out the library at times that suit us and the families we work with, so we are able to use the space whenever we need to.”

Ellie Shaw from New Baby Network CIC said: “I’ve been using the library now to run family groups, baby groups for about five years in the community room and quite often it was difficult to gain access during the weekend or during lunchtime. This now opens it up and means that we can get in at any time that suits the families that we support.”

Sandwell Council applied for and successfully secured £495,000 funding from Arts Council England’s Libraries Improvement Fund (LIF) to support the roll-out of this technology to Thimblemill Library in Smethwick and, later this year, to another 10 libraries across the borough.

The grants are administered, awarded and monitored by Arts Council England. Funding has been provided by Department of Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS).

Thimblemill Library is well-placed to pilot Library+ as it has a record of pioneering key initiatives: it is the UK’s first Library of Sanctuary, providing a place of safety for all, particularly those fleeing violence and persecution. It is also a registered Place of Welcome where volunteers run free, weekly coffee mornings which include housing advice and support from the council’s Neighbourhoods Team.

The library is much-used by the local community, with 70% of its users living within one mile of the building. It has a well-established and very active Friends Group, as well as a number of partners delivering services from the library, with over 35 community groups and partners running sessions at Thimblemill.

Many libraries across the country use this model of service delivery, with the majority using Open+ to enable a library to open with or without staff needing to be present. Open+ is the brand name of the product produced by Bibliotheca, which provides the self-service kiosks in Sandwell Libraries.

The funding from Arts Council England’s LIF will support the roll-out of this technology to ten other libraries within the borough later in the year:

• Bleakhouse
• Brandhall
• Cradley Heath
• Great Barr
• Great Bridge
• Hill Top
• Langley
• Oakham
• Rounds Green
• Stone Cross

The standard opening hours for Thimblemill Library are:

• Monday: 9am-1pm; 2pm-6pm
• Tuesday: 9am-1pm; 2pm-6pm
• Wednesday: 9am-1pm; 2pm-6pm
• Thursday: 9am-1pm
• Friday: 9am-1pm; 2pm-6pm
• Saturday: 10am-4pm
• Sunday: Closed

The hours from which Thimblemill Library will be accessible to Library+ users are from 8am until opening time and from closing time until 10pm – excluding Saturday evenings which is when cultural events take place at the library. The library is normally closed on Sundays but will be open to Library+ users from 8am until 10pm.