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About Us
Our six full-time libraries, two part-time community libraries and the Books on Wheels home delivery are managed by Awen Cultural Trust, a registered charity, in partnership with Bridgend County Borough Council.
We also support and stock two libraries in venues which are staffed and managed by Halo Leisure and have a large book reserve. Our local and family history resource in Maesteg houses a significant collection of research materials.
Awen Cultural Trust’s purpose is to ‘make people’s lives better’ and through our libraries we are committed to improving the literacy of people of all ages; supporting reading for pleasure through initiatives such as the Summer Reading Challenge; enhancing wellbeing and tackling digital exclusion through events and activities; and providing unbiased access to sources of trusted information. We were the first library service in Wales to remove fines for overdue books.
Awen Libraries conduct annual Adult and Children’s surveys. The 2021/22 survey results highlighted the importance to our customers of the staff, the activities, the space and the resources (books, PCs, printers etc.) we provide. In the adult survey, 64% named the staff as a strength; others named the space, the atmosphere or the environment of the library and over a quarter of those who were surveyed reported the negative impact removing the library would have on their mental health.