Mike Hedges AM welcomes £2.7m for libraries, museums and archives in Wales

Libraries, museums and archives in Wales will benefit from over £2.7million of Welsh Government funding to develop and enhance their services, Economy Secretary Ken Skates has announced today.

Mike Hedges said…. ‘This is good news for the library sector and for those interested in ensuring that our past is preserved. It also enables upgrading of facilities for library users to read digital media on their own devices. I urge Swansea East residents to make use of their local libraries’.

The new Transformation Fund builds on the success of the Community Learning Libraries Programme for libraries, extending it to museums and archives for the first time. This capital funding will see a number of libraries and museums transform their services to significantly improve the visitor experience, offer new services and develop their sustainability and resilience.
The Cabinet Secretary for Economy and Infrastructure, Ken Skates, said:
“I am pleased to announce this funding of over £2.7 million for our museums, archives and libraries. These important cultural services are developing ways to engage more people to participate in culture, improving their creative and learning offers, and enabling people to reach their potential through new opportunities.
“Transforming the cultural and learning experience to open up opportunities to participate in culture is central to this funding. I want as many people as possible to experience the varied and stimulating cultural collections and learning experiences which are available in museums, libraries and archives across Wales.
“The Welsh Government is dedicated to supporting these important services and facilities and I’d encourage and recommend everyone to pay them a visit and discover, learn and to enjoy the richness of our culture.”
The Fund will modernise five libraries in Denbigh, Holyhead, Knighton, Pontypridd and Townhill, establishing new community hubs where customers can access a range of services such as housing or community facilities, alongside an extensive range of library amenities.
Funding is also provided for Ammanford library to for the creation of a Creative Store (Stordy Creadigol) in partnership with other service providers, offering a high-tech ‘maker space’ where people can learn a range of creative and cultural skills.
Six museums will receive transformation funding to increase public access to their facilities and collections, ranging from tactile signage for Tenby Museum, to creating new educational facilities at Oriel Ynys Mon and installing new lighting as part of the redevelopment of Ceredigion Museum to improve the visitor experience.
Welsh Government funding will also support the digital offer from museums, archives and libraries, including the National Digital Library Service, which allows customers to access free e-books, e-zines, e-audio books, e-comics, and reference sources, wherever and whenever they want.
Archive services across Wales will benefit from funding to address the challenges of preserving our digital heritage, and to improve online access to information about archival resources.