2015
Library of the Year IN ASSOCIATION WITH: THE READING AGENCY
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Claude Ramsey Library in Greenwich uses its position in a leisure centre to appeal to light or reluctant readers
Dudley Libraries is shortlisted here for the third year in a row, after it increased visitor numbers yet again in 2014
Exeter Library, thanks to healthy investment, has turned it into a modern flagship library, adding services that go beyond book loans
WINNER: ORKNEY LIBRARY & ARCHIVE
THOSE WHO DEFEND public libraries against the ongoing savage cuts from local authorities make much of their vital role in community life. Nowhere is that more evident than on the remote Scottish archipelago of Orkney, where Orkney Library & Archive binds together far-flung islanders with books—and much more besides.
It has just two static libraries and one mobile one, but delivers far more than that would imply. Its libraries host events and reading and writing groups, and provide important space for community groups and societies, while its roaming service includes book depositories on ferries, which enable people to read and borrow books while they travel between islands. The service dates back more than three centuries, but it is also one of the most
KEY STRENGTHS
technologically savvy in the UK. A very early adopter of social media, it now has more than 16,000 Twitter followers, and offers e-books for loan and free Wi-Fi in its buildings. Orkney’s libraries have not escaped cutbacks, but its small and dedicated team has responded to them with great resourcefulness. In both its libraries and its outreach, it offers something for all demographics and interests, including visitors as well as islanders. The Bookseller judges noted that Orkney, and
its fellow shortlistees, make compelling cases for investment in libraries, not cuts. “The service here has a real sense of personality and charisma, and it knows its people inside out,” they said. “There is a strong vision of what it wants to achieve and it totally nails it.”
A long-standing service that caters to 21st-century needs Hard-working outreach activities to bring books to islands Host of digital services including lively social media and e-lending Dedicated and energetic team create welcoming library environments
Sunderland City Council Library Service responded to budget cuts by getting books into people’s hands via “street librarians”
Wigan Library earned a customer satisfaction rating of 99% last year, rewarding its diverse range of activities
The Reading Agency is a leading independent charity whose pioneering work brings the joy of reading to the widest possible audiences across the UK, in partnership with the public library service. The charity’s mission is to create and deliver innovative reading opportunities that inspire more people to read more, encouraging them to share their enjoyment of reading with others and celebrating the difference that reading makes to all our lives. The Reading Agency is funded by the Arts Council.
www.readingagency.org.uk
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