Need to contact us?

Have a question, want some information, have a concern or just want to leave feedback?

Our contact details are:

Waltham Forest Libraries
Silver Birch House
Uplands Business Park
Blackhorse Lane
Walthamstow  E17 5SD

Tel 020 8496 3000
Fax 020 8496 3508

Email wf.libs@walthamforest.gov.uk

Customer Feedback

Your comments and complaints and our responses in 2007 / 08

Waltham Forest Libraries aim to provide the best quality service so that everyone in our diverse community can use and benefit from our local libraries.

We welcome all comments on the services that we provide, good or bad, as it helps us to learn about what you want and expect from us.

Library stock

  • We received some complaints regarding book stock at our newly refurbished Hale End Library. To rectify this we added an additional 58 shelves and a paperback spinner to provide space for an additional 2,000 books.
  • Customers play a vital role in helping us to identify gaps in our stock through their reservations and stock selections. For example we have increased our stock of books in Urdu, added more classic titles and developed recently published popular titles together with a greater range of non fiction books.
  • Across Waltham Forest libraries we have purchased an additional 43,990 items during April 2007 – March 2008.
  • Following requests to extend our service we have upgraded our system to increase the number of books a library user can borrow from 8 to 15.

IT

  • Residents have also told us that they would like to see more computers available in the libraries. Extensive information resources are now available electronically. These are used not only by school children and students, but also by the older generations, for whom we have run some very successful ‘silver surfer’ courses.
  • To develop our service we now have free wireless broadband access for everyone to use at Walthamstow, Leytonstone, Hale End and North Chingford libraries.

Accessibility

  • We want to ensure all our users have full access to the facilities within our libraries. We were aware of a problem with the counter at Walthamstow Library and were able to reassure a customer who is a wheelchair user that it is being redesigned.

Customer Care

  • Our aim is that our customers should have an enjoyable experience in our libraries. We have provided customer feedback and support to our front-line staff to ensure they remain aware of their need to be helpful, polite and well informed about our services.
  • We also received praise for library staff who have been particularly helpful, for example assistance given to a customer who was using the IT facilities in the library to search for a job.

Consultation

  • Following the refurbishment of three of our libraries, some of our customers felt that they were not consulted sufficiently. We are now ensuring that library users are included in the planned development of Lea Bridge and Leyton Libraries.
  • The first meeting of the Hale End Library User Group took place in March 2008. The group will be meeting quarterly to contribute to the continuing development of this newly refurbished library.

Buildings

  • Following complaints about the provision of seating in our refurbished libraries we have provided a greater choice such as bucket chairs and upright chairs together with larger tables.

We want to hear from you, whether you are a regular user or not. If you do not use one of Waltham Forest’s libraries, how can we encourage you to join?