In photos: guests celebrate 100 years of The West Sussex Library Service and have a go at VR

The library service began on February 13, 1925, as the county council adopted the Public Libraries Act.

The special event at 15-19 The Martlets was a chance to learn about upcoming events for the milestone and to have a go at virtual reality.

Russell Allen, Head of Libraries and Heritage at West Sussex County Council, said: “Among the activities we’re doing throughout the year, we have a virtual reality programme, which will be travelling around all of our libraries. It’s an immersive experience that lets you jump in to five different story books.”

“We’re really looking forward to welcoming people into our libraries all year to have a go,” he said. “But also to celebrate our libraries being 100 years at the heart of the community.”

Speaking at the event on Thursday was Leader of West Sussex County Council Paul Marshall who thanked everyone for attending and congratulated and thanked the library teams on behalf of the council.

“It’s a real privilege to be here,” he said. “I particularly enjoyed the experience on the VR.”

He continued: “It’s remarkable to think of our predecessors as elected members taking the decision 100 years ago to commence a public library service, which has been consistently provided for all our residents right across our county. We know that the Victorians’ founding principles of public libraries were about bringing literacy and information to the masses as a powerful way to help people improve their lives through learning and civic engagement. Those things still remain central to the work that our libraries do today but have also evolved in so many ways over the past 100 years, not least with the tide of technological changes.”

Councillor Marshall said WSCC is proud of have had the first public library in the country that used computer systems to lend books to customers, which was Chichester in the 1960s.

He said libraries offer a lot of support, whether it’s helping families and older people, supporting those studying or looking for work, or helping people trying to grow their small business.

Duncan Crow, Cabinet Member for Community Support, Fire and Rescue, said: “One of my early tasks when I was appointed to the Cabinet in 2019 was to support the opening of this library as the new library for Burgess Hill.”

He said: “The excitement of our customers when visiting a new or refurbished library is testament to the high esteem in which residents hold their local library and indeed the staff, and the volunteers and everything they provide.”

He said: “I’d like to take this opportunity to thank the hundreds of staff, our volunteers and all those who have come before us who deliver the very best service for our customers.”

He added: “This morning’s been a real great opener for the year and I hope that from today we’re able to reach as many people as possible across the county to have fun with the VR, to participate in one of the many events planned and to celebrate everything our libraries do for us.”

The full list of upcoming events at arena.westsussex.gov.uk/centenary-events.