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
Art To Go is an art lending programme in place at an Iowa City Public Library (ICPL) since 1965. It’s a great example of one of the many unconventional ways libraries can enrich the lives of the communities they serve. The collection, which has about 400 items, is available to any patron with an ICPL … Read more
These days, people aren’t just checking out books at the library – increasingly, they’re making things there. Brian Pichman from the US-based The Evolve Project, which aims to change the way people see libraries, discusses the new collaborative and creative uses of libraries being successfully trialed around the world, including maker spaces and fab labs, … Read more
The Evolve Project is a US-based open collaborative platform that aims to change the way people see libraries. In this case study, Brian Pichman describes how The Evolve Project improved young library users’ engagement with the library’s children’s space by changing its design and putting in new technology and programming that encourages them to learn and … Read more
In May 2013, the Seattle Public Library launched its Books on Bikes pilot project as part of the Library’s Innovation Campaign, an internal project to develop innovative ideas. Books on Bikes is an outreach project that aims to bring the library to the people with teams of two Library staff biking to events and introducing people … Read more
Living Library gives direct access to someone else’s experience, by allowing people to ‘borrow’ a person for a conversation. This might be someone who has significant personal experience or a particular perspective to share. Living Library can be used to confront stereotypes and prejudices, to explore diversity, and to stimulate conversations that otherwise might not happen. ‘Loans’ take the form of … Read more
Discover what lies ahead for libraries, and what we can do to help them develop. This major research project commissioned by Arts Council England intends to help set out the value, role and purpose of public libraries with clarity. It points out ways that libraries can respond to change in order to remain at the … Read more
Part of the third phase of the Envisioning the library of the future research project, this report examines what people value most about libraries, and how this can be used to continue to place libraries at the heart of their communities. The report identifies the importance of the library space, including its look, feel and … Read more
Part of the third phase of the Envisioning the library of the future research project, this report summarises the results of a survey carried out to discover what people think about libraries. The survey asked respondents five open questions about their use of public libraries, as well as their views on their value, purpose and … Read more