Co-operative pharmacies in Lincolnshire have offered to move three more libraries into their premises after the multiple saved a beleaguered library from closure.

Lincolnshire Co-operative hopes to incorporate library services into its pharmacies in Boultham, Welton and Nettleham and is awaiting the council's decision, the company announced last week (August 13).

Lincolnshire County Council said it was happy with its work with the Co-operative so far and would consider its offer as part of its ongoing consultation about library services.

Combining pharmacies and libraries creates an opportunity "to really get involved in the community", says Lincs Co-op's Alastair Farquhar	More on the Co-operative Pharmacy Tesco and independents join multiples' national services pilot Co-operative leapfrogs Boots in best big employers rankings Co-op pharmacists revealed as happiest with career MORE NEWS
	Lincolnshire County Council moved the local library in Waddington into a Co-operative Pharmacy during a pilot in November last year. The pharmacy had more space than was needed and therefore the move seemed to be the "ideal solution", Lincolnshire Co-operative head of pharmacy Alastair Farquhar told C+D on Friday (August 16).

Alongside a dispensary and a post office, the building now contains 4,000 books, a photocopier, a self-service machine, a seating area and computers. The pharmacy's delivery vans now deliver library books to housebound patients alongside medicine deliveries, said Mr Farquhar.

The additional service had created a "community hub" and had proved popular with patients, he said. The number of books borrowed had increased 10 per cent during the past nine months and opening times had been extended from 14 to 48 hours a week.

The library is staffed by a team of 16 volunteers who work two to three hours a day, and customers can use the self-service machine to check out books for the rest of the day.

"Pharmacy has to become more than a supply function. I think there are real opportunities [in] getting really involved in the community," Mr Farquhar said.

"We're already talking to the library about having joint public health campaigns, so we can make sure the display materials [and] the books all fit in with the campaign," he said.

The council was having to make some tough decisions about how to fund library services across the county and were "open to solutions", Mr Farquhar added.

Councillor Nick Worth, executive member for libraries, said: "We've already seen the success of our partnership approach in Waddington, which has brought the dual benefits of increased usage and lower running costs. Hopefully this can be replicated at other libraries."

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