Libraries NI mark decade
LIBRARIES NI has celebrated 10 years of serving Northern Ireland’s com mun ities. During the last decade, Libraries NI has helped local libraries make the shift to com- munity hubs, offering a range of services to meet local needs. As well as developing new services, there has also been signifi- cant investment in library buildings, with five new builds and 30 refurbishments. The service has also introduced 14 new mobile libraries, helping to ensure greater reach into communities. Libraries NI has put together a series of initiatives to strengthen libraries’ roles with- in the communities they serve, including educational and learning programmes and invested in new technology to ensure librar- ies remain an important and relevant part of people’s lives. Libraries NI Chief Executive Jim O’Ha-
gan said: “It is very encouraging to see the positive change which has occurred since Libraries NI was established in 2009. The changing nature of the service means that libraries are now woven into the daily life and habits of people and communities across Northern Ireland. Libraries are in the heart of communities offering welcoming facilities, helpful and supportive staff and access to a range of free services.”
Tracy Meharg and Jim O’Hagan with Rhythm and Rhymer Alana.
Since its formation, Libraries NI has welcomed more than one million partic- ipants to its parent and toddler Rhythm and Rhyme sessions as it looks to instill a love of reading from an early age. This type of activity has helped Northern Ireland’s library service to engage with users and Tracy Meharg, Permanent Secretary at the
Department for Communities DfC said: “DfC is heartened to celebrate 10 years of Libraries NI. Libraries make a positive contribution to people’s lives, helping to build communities and support people through educational, social and creative community hubs which benefit people of all ages and backgrounds.”
BookTrust challenge over lack of diversity
THERE is huge under-representation of British people of colour amongst children’s authors and illustrators, according to new research from Book- Trust. It found that fewer than two percent of published authors and illustrators were British people of colour. The BookTrust Represents research, published at the end of April, found that while 5.6 per cent of authors and illustrators pro- ducing children’s books in 2017 were people of colour, a total of just 1.98 per cent were British.
The report also found that over a 10 year period from 2007 to 2017, white authors and illustrators had twice as many books published per person compared to non-white authors (four compared to two). Jill Coleman, Director of Children’s Books at BookTrust, said: “We know there is lots of positive work happening to help level the playing field but there is still a long way to go. “Children need and deserve to see themselves in books, and to have access to a rich and diverse range of voices. If they do, it can be life-changing. BookTrust
April-May 2019 INFORMATION PROFESSIONAL 13
Represents is a three-year initiative to sup- port and subsidise authors and illustrators of colour to promote their work and support them to reach more readers through events in bookshops, festivals and schools, as well as offering training and mentoring for less
experienced authors and illustrators.” BookTrust Represents aims to boost the number of authors and illustrators of colour from its current level to at least 10 per cent by 2022.
Read more at
https://bit.ly/2UGXXWZ.
News
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