Stockton-on-Tees Borough Council

Ethnic Library Services

We make every effort to take our Library services to all people residing within the Borough of Stockton. Our services for the Asian community are presently provided from Stockton Central Library and Thornaby Library in Westbury Street. The service is a 'shared service', provided jointly by Stockton Borough Council and Middlesbrough Borough Council. The staff employed spend half a week in each Authority.

In the Borough of Stockton we offer books for adults in Urdu, Punjabi, Pushto, Hindi, Gujarati, Begali, Farsi, French Arabic and Chinese. Some story books for children are dual language with the text both in English and an ethnic language.

Newspapers and periodicals are provided in the major Asian languages in both libraries, as are recorded music, DVD's and videos from the Indian sub continent.

Leaflets in ethnic languages and information on where ethnic people can get help and advice are available through the Library Service. An Asian Advice Service operates weekly from Thornaby Library in Westbury Street with a dedicated Asian advice worker.

Activities provided by the two Ethnic Minorities Librarians are varied and include visits to schools, craft and story telling sessions, celebrations of national and international events, displays and talks. Coffee mornings are held at the two libraries for Asian ladies to learn about the library and other services offered by the Borough Council as well as other statutory and voluntary organisations.

The two specialist staff, Mohammed Hafeez and Mrs Rukhsana Aslam, can speak Urdu, Punjabi and Hindi and are well qualified to meet the culturally diverse needs of local ethnic people. They show groups and individuals around the two libraries and the Open Technology Centre, explaining the services available.

Contacting the Ethnic Library Service
How to Contact Ethnic Services For more information about the services or should you have any comments/suggestions to improve them, please contact our Ethnic Librarians:

On Mondays Mohammed Hafeez at Thornaby Library, Westbury Street, Thornaby. Tel. (01642) 528150
On Tuesdays Mrs Rukhsana Aslam at Thornaby Library, Westbury Street, Thornaby. Tel. (01642) 528150
On Wednesdays Mohammed Hafeez at Stockton Central Library, Church Road. Tel. (01642) 526522
On Thursdays Mrs Rukhsana Aslam at Stockton Central Library, Church Road. Tel. (01642) 526522