STAFF at Blackpool Central Library are revelling in new-found glory after receiving a national award for the quality of their services and customer care.

Far from being just a "lend a book, give it back" service, bosses at Blackpool library are delighted to have proved to a national council that it offers much more.

The Guidance Council Quality Standards award is the result of a partnership between the library and "now!", a government initiative to offer more information about learning and work opportunities for people aged 19 or over.

The now! network covers North and West Lancashire, and was launched at Blackpool Central Library last April in conjunction with the Guidance Council, which works to prove that people are working to a set of quality standards imposed by government.

Val Battison, Blackpool's youth and community librarian, said they undertook a rigorous three-month programme of self-assessment to prove they offer a range of services and show that people are making use of them. She said: "We had to provide evidence that we meet requirements for staff development, induction training for advisers, and whether our premises and equipment matches the standards."

She also said the idea that libraries simply rent books and music is outdated, as they now offer internet access, a CD ROM service, information leaflets etc.

Val said: "The face of libraries is changing very much -- we are now affiliated with the national training body Learn Direct, so people can enrol with them but do the work here."

Central Library is also starting a massive reorganisation next month, involving expanding the reference library into a learning centre, and an extra 50 computers to be distributed between the area's 12 libraries.