Henry Smith MP has visited Crawley Library to give his support for a new partnership between Central Sussex College and West Sussex County Council Library Services.

This innovative new partnership will see Crawley campus-based students benefit from significantly enhanced services to support them in their studies.

Henry said;

“I am pleased to see yet another example of Crawley Library being outward looking – open to new ideas and collaborative working within the community to deliver better services. I’m delighted that they are working with the College on this new project.

“It was a pleasure to join a number of Central Sussex College students, as well as WSCC Library Lead Manager Peter Sugden, WSCC Information Services Manager Lesley Sim, College Principal Sarah Wright, and Executive Director of Business Development at the College Andy Forbes, to discuss how this partnership will benefit students in our town.”

Sarah Wright, Principal of Central Sussex College, said;

“Central Sussex College is thrilled to have been able to negotiate this new partnership with West Sussex County Council which gives students greater access to improved learning resources in close proximity to the campus, whilst freeing up space within the College to allow us to provide enhanced self-study and social facilities as well.

“Feedback so far from students has been extremely positive and I hope that the partnership will have the additional benefit of increasing our students’ use of local library services for the future.”

Lesley Sim, Information Services Manger at West Sussex County Council, added;

“We are delighted to bring the collections together, offering a wider choice of books to both students and residents. It’s a great opportunity for us to engage with young people, to support their studies and their wider lives.”