Crediton Library is preparing for a significant change in the way people can use the building, with new technology set to allow registered members through the doors even when library staff are not there.
Crediton is one of 11 Devon libraries selected for Open Plus, a system designed to extend access beyond conventional staffed opening hours.
Rather than replacing the existing library service, the technology adds periods when eligible members can enter using their library card and PIN, borrow and return books, use computers and Wi-Fi, print documents or simply use the building to read, study or work.
What exactly is Open Plus?
Open Plus is effectively a controlled self-service mode for the library.
Registered users can gain access when the building would otherwise be closed to the public. Libraries Unlimited says members can continue to use many of the things available during normal opening hours, including the shelves, self-service borrowing machines, computers, Wi-Fi and printing facilities.
It does not mean Crediton Library is becoming permanently unstaffed.
Devon County Council decided earlier this year to maintain the existing staffed opening hours across its library network as part of a wider investment programme. Open Plus is intended to provide additional access on top of those hours.
11 LIBRARIESFirst rollout
Crediton is among the first Devon libraries selected for Open Plus.
18+Adults can register
Users need a current library membership and must complete an induction.
STAFFED HOURSBeing retained
The technology adds access rather than replacing normal staffed sessions.
How will you get in?
It will not simply be a case of turning up after closing time.
Libraries Unlimited says Open Plus users must be 18 or over, have a current library membership and complete a briefing before being allowed to use the system.
Once registered, access works by scanning a library card and entering the member’s PIN at the door.
The induction covers how to enter the building, emergency exits, what to do if something goes wrong and which services can be used while staff are absent.
Children and young people under 18 can accompany a responsible adult, but cannot register independently for Open Plus.
Worth knowing
Open Plus membership is separate from ordinary library membership. Having a Crediton Library card will not automatically give someone access during unstaffed periods – adults will need to register and complete the induction first.
What changes — and what doesn’t?
The important distinction is between staffed hours and building access.
During normal opening hours, Crediton Library will continue operating in the familiar way, with staff available to help visitors.
Open Plus creates additional periods when eligible users can enter without staff being physically present.
NOW
Normal staffed opening
Library staff are present to help visitors, alongside the usual borrowing, computers and other services.
WITH OPEN PLUS
Extra self-service access
Registered adults can use the building during additional hours when staff are not there.
Devon County Council says individual extended timetables will be introduced at each participating library rather than applying one identical set of hours everywhere. The authority said customers would be told the proposed switch-on arrangements nearer the time.
Why is Devon doing it?
The technology forms part of a much larger rethink of Devon’s library service.
In April, the county secured £200,000 of government Libraries Improvement Funding to expand Open Plus after a trial at Cullompton.
That was followed in May by a broader £2 million investment and improvement programme for Devon’s 50 libraries.
The council’s Cabinet chose to retain existing staffed opening hours following a public consultation that attracted more than 25,000 responses, while also investing in books and digital resources and expanding technology to make buildings available for longer.
Crediton was subsequently named among the first 11 libraries due to receive the system.
The IMPORTANT BIT
Longer access does not mean fewer staffed hours.
The current plan is to keep Crediton’s existing staffed library service and add periods of self-service access around it. Open Plus is an extension of access, rather than a replacement for library staff.
What can people actually do without staff there?
Quite a lot.
Libraries Unlimited says Open Plus users can:
- browse and borrow books using self-service machines;
- return library items;
- use public computers;
- access free Wi-Fi;
- print;
- read, study or work;
- and use the library for some group activities.
There are obviously things that still require staff assistance, so Open Plus should be thought of as extra access to the building and its self-service facilities, rather than the complete staffed library service running unattended.
When does Crediton get it?
Crediton is in the programme running between July 2026 and March 2027, but the official public information currently available does not give a permanent Crediton-specific Open Plus timetable.
Devon County Council has said each library needs to close temporarily while the system is installed and tested, and that users will be told about local arrangements in advance.
Once the Crediton system is ready, library users who want the extended access will be able to register and complete the required induction.
