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What is a Discovery Centre?

DISCOVERY CENTRE

When Aldershot turned out in defence of the West End Centre, there was talk around of something called a Discovery Centre.  Cllr. Eric Neal indicated that this was something that might be on offer for the town from Hampshire County Council.  At the time, the focus was entirely on saving the West End Centre, and little attention was paid to the idea.  However, the idea has not gone away, and the ACS was invited recently, to visit the recently opened Discovery Centre in Winchester, to find out what it is all about.

We were welcomed by Mr Yinnon Ezra, Director of Recreation & Heritage, on a bright evening in mid- September, and were given the opportunity to admire from the outside, the building in which the centre has been created.  This is grand looking,Grade ll listed building, being the Old Corn Exchange, and more recently, a traditional library. Mr Eszra explained that library usage throughout the county, has declined considerably, and it was clear that something would have to change if the libraries were to continue to function.  The other element that was causing concern was that it was mainly older people that were using the facilities, when it was actually intended as a community resource. The title ‘library’ seemed to have connotations for younger people, meaning boring, unwelcoming, and being out of touch with the needs and aspirations of the younger generation.

What they now have has cost £7.5 million pounds, (£3.5 million raised by selling the site that was elsewhere in the city, housing the reference library, and money was given also by the Winchester City Council) for which they have added a modern, very simple extension, that sits very well on the side of the old building, and a completely refurbished interior, with clever use of relatively inexpensive lighting and colour concepts.  The completed  centre offers a café and shop interspersed with displays of modern novels and children’s books – an area we were told that buzzes with interaction and chatter; a CD zone which is very popular with young people; a circular main library zone with a mezzanine floor and gallery; a children’s library with internet access, story telling etc.;  internet access for adults; 50 learning stations to enable people to do research and their own work; a space run by the City Council, used for a number of purposes in partnership with the centre staff, ( at the time of our visit, there was an exhibition of pictures by local artists); and a gallery which can be used for all kinds of exhibitions or other purposes.  It also has a well-equipped room in which computer courses are held, and two further rooms (which can become one large room,) and these are used for all kinds of community activities and learning. Hugely important are the toilets! Lastly, there is a performance space, with changing rooms, retractable seating, a sprung floor, state of the art lighting and sound, and plenty of insulation!  Programmes reflect other activities in the centre. At the cafe end of the building, books are on moveable units to allow for flexible use of the space.  Book loan is done on a computerized, self-scanning basis, and there is only one counter, where the staff are able to help visitors, directing them to the appropriate place. 

What HCC have aimed to do, is to show that municipal places do not have to be boring – that good design can be achieved without huge expense.  The extension was designed by HCC ‘in house’ architects, helping to keep the cost of development down.  The centre has Grade l gallery status, which means that it meets all the criteria in terms of atmosphere control, security etc., so that pictures and artefacts can be loaned for temporary exhibition by the most prominent collections and galleries in the country, enabling important works of art to be seen away from the main cities. A Discovery Centre aims to give a library, an information source, and learning opportunities for the 21^st century – celebrating tradition and embracing the future.  In Winchester, there have been 7,000 new members at the Discovery Centre, 48% of these young people.  The number of book loans is up considerably, and there has been an increase of 300% in on-line usage.

The most important element in the development of this concept is the consultation that is entered into with the local community, to discover what it is that they want. Although there are core elements in common within all centres, each community has different ideas about some of the services that they would like to have in their centre.  Thus, the centre at Gosport is different from the one in Winchester, and any further centres may well be different from either of these.

This is a very impressive facility, which seems to be very successful in its aim to attract all elements of the community.  HCC are planning to build more of these centres, and Rushmoor is one of the sites that they have in mind.  Obviously, we would like it to be in Aldershot!  Cllr Neal is working hard to that end also.  If it was decided to consult with Aldershot people about wanting such a facility, where it would be, or what it would mean for other venues in the town, are questions that would have to be discussed.  We believe that it is a hugely desirable community facility, and would encourage everyone to make comments, ask questions, make observations, but above all, participate in any consultation opportunity. 

Our thanks go to Cllr Neal for arranging the visit, and to Mr Ezra and the centre staff for showing us round and explaining the background to the facility (also for the welcome refreshments).

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