Esther Waring
Esther Waring and her family put borrowing books as almost the last on the list of all the many services they use Honiton Library for. Esther says the library is an incredible community hub, used by local people for a myriad of different services.
"I've been a library user all my life and have used Honiton Library since we moved here in 2016," said Esther, 45, who works for a mental health charity and lives in the town with her husband and two sons aged eight and four. "I first went there to collect a handmade book about our house, a very old building, that had been created by a previous owner and held by the library for the next resident. We were so grateful for this as it's fascinating to know more about our home.
"I took both boys to Bounce & Rhyme, and my eldest to a French class hosted by the library. We enjoy all the treasure hunts and activities, like to browse the sale table for books, jigsaws, plants and crafts, and the community fridge is useful. I use the printing service for work, and have recently been holding community listening sessions in the library, talking to visitors about their lives and their views on healthcare as part of my job. The warm space the library provides has been great to meet community members from different backgrounds and staff have been really accommodating, providing a table for my leaflets and letting me know about the hot drinks they have available to help myself to.
"I occasionally help out with some adult education and was recently involved in a discussion group on parapsychology at Sidmouth Library. Having the welcoming space to hold this in the afternoons was amazing. The library was really supportive and made the whole space available so people could split into small groups to talk. Just being in a room full of books seems to help inspire thoughtful conversation.
"One of the research projects I'm involved with relates to blood pressure and it's really brilliant to know the library has BP monitors available to borrow. Before this was offered, I had to borrow a monitor from a family member to check my own or go to the surgery, which was not convenient. I don't have to monitor regularly at the moment, but knowing this service is available is reassuring. While I have been doing the community listening, I have seen lots of mums visit the baby weigh. I'm slightly envious of this as the service was not in place when I had my boys and it would have been so reassuring to be able to check weight between appointments.
"The children enjoy the holiday activities. I like popping in to look around, check the what's on information, and browse the new titles. It's a nice way to keep the children occupied for a while as they like looking at the children's books and displays. My youngest likes the world map and working out where the different animals might live.
"Strangely, borrowing books is probably not the thing we use the library for most! The library is a real community hub. The staff are so welcoming, supportive and knowledgeable. It honestly feels more like a social service than a simple borrowing one. People come for emotional support, connection, a warm space, and help with some of life's most challenging times. For me this has included pregnancy books (I borrowed books on hypnobirthing), help with new parenthood, support as my children grow and learn, banking and financial support – Honiton has lost most of its banks now so there's outreach currently available at the library which saves a long trip to Exeter for the complex conversations. I also see people use it for IT access, printing, benefit forms, job searches, coursework, homelessness support, reducing isolation in older age, communal activities like the jigsaw or colouring, a hot drink or soup, food poverty relief, bereavement support…or just a rest after shopping! It's a whole-life service and while the books are wonderful, it's the friendly library staff that makes it invaluable."
