In 2012 the Summer Reading Challenge, run by The Reading Agency in partnership with libraries, was called Story Lab and was part of the Olympics’ 2012 Festival. The Summer Reading Challenge is the UK’s biggest children’s reading promotion. Children are encouraged to read six library books of their choice over the summer holidays. They join the Challenge at … Read more
Launched in November 2011 the Ant Club has been developed by the Booktrust to provide resources to support the development of children’s language, reading and writing during the early years and infant phases of education in schools. There are currently 1,192 schools taking part. This report presents the findings from the evaluation of The Ant Club intervention that … Read more
Time To Read – a partnership of people working in 22 library authorities in North West England – shares its experience of commissioning a video to promote reading and libraries.
Librarycamp is a free unconference with the agenda set by attendees on the morning of the event – a Do-It-Yourself conference. In this case study, Sue Lawson of Librarycamp UK talks about how to organise unconferences for people interested in improving libraries, and shares useful tools and resources for anyone in any field interested in bringing … Read more
At DOK, Holland’s ‘Library Concept Center’ in Delft, exploring new innovation is at the core of what they do. In this article Doklab founder and director Erik Boekesteijn introduces the DOK library and the innovative work at Doklab. DOK can best be described as a media center that combines three unique collections: music and film, literature, and art; and is … Read more
It’s not every day that libraries make the front page, but the opening of the new Library of Birmingham was one of the big culture stories of 2013. In this case study, Kate Feld interviews Sara Rowell, Partnerships and Marketing Senior Manager at the Library of Birmingham, about the launch of this spectacular new building … Read more
Literature organisations and libraries share a commitment to the power of reading and writing to achieve positive social change. It is in this spirit that this toolkit has been devised to help literature organisations and libraries build good partnerships. It has been published as part of a piece of research commissioned by Arts Council South East from New Writing South … Read more
Cityread London is an annual celebration of literature that aims to bring reading to life for the whole capital. Each April, Cityread asks Londoners and visitors to pick up the same book and read it together. A month-long programme of book groups, film screenings and other events takes place across London. It is the only programme that … Read more
Since 2008 Manchester Library and Information Service has used social media including blogging, sharing photos/videos, tweets and Facebook to promote resources and activities and reach new audiences. Written by Sue Lawson from Manchester Library, with contributions from Linsey Parkinson (Heald), writer and marketing consultant, this case study describes how social media has helped Manchester Libraries to … Read more
Since 2004, the Children’s Writer-in-Residence programme funded by the Associates of the Boston Public Library, has been providing emerging children’s writers with financial support and a quiet space needed to complete one literary piece of work. This programme is a great example of a library serving as an arts incubator. By providing an office and a … Read more