MAY 2026  |
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| Welcome to our round up of May’s UK libraries news! |
GET CHILDREN READING – BE OPTIMISTIC |
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Frank Cottrell Boyce has just stepped down as Waterstone’s Children’s Laureate. In his last few days in the role he addressed two important events. One was the House of Commons Select Committee on Education which has been looking at “Reading for Pleasure”. The other was his farewell lecture. For the MPs he wanted to concentrate on the fact that it is accepted that there is a decline in reading for pleasure amongst young people. He ascribed that to a number of factors including “screens”, austerity, Covid and poverty – including furniture poverty -“No child is going to have a bedtime story if they have not got a bed.” To try and resolve the problem he has been involved with a scheme called Reading Rights run by Booktrust and trying to “bring shared reading to the forefront of new conversations across early years policy, health, education, culture, and local government”. He used his Laureate Lecture “The Kids Are Not Alright” to reinforce the message. Booktrust had done a survey which indicated that between 2021 and 2025, daily reading shared among families with children fell to 49%. However the proportion of children aged 0-8 who liked or loved reading rose from 66% to 80%. So there is some good news. He expressed excitement at young ones showing a keenness to read to be read to more, but warned that screen time and inequality need to be addressed to return youth literacy rates to previous or higher than previous years. Back in Parliament, after Frank (and publishers’ and booksellers’ representatives) had spoken to the MPs they heard from people in the library sector – CILIP, Libraries Connected, the Chief Cultural Creative and Leisure Officers Association (CLOA) and The Community Managed Libraries Association. Regrettably the Library Campaign was not able to give evidence. The consensus from those who did speak was that there needs to be work across the “reading for pleasure eco-system”. They highlighted libraries as places with space and accessibility and that designs are now more welcoming for people with different backgrounds, including the neurodivergent. All of the speakers advocated for a library card to be given to every child at birth and for the forthcoming national libraries strategy to be accompanied by (or include) a national strategy for reading, with libraries at the heart of it. You can read the full transcript of the Commons sessions here. |
| OUTCOMES – OFFICIAL We’ve mentioned before the Local Government Outcomes Framework. After months of consultation, it’s finally official! It lists 15 “outcomes” that local councils will be measured on by government. That’s important. What gets measured gets done. And under the outcome “Neighbourhoods: people feel safe and included in their local community and are satisfied with their local area as a place to live’’ there are three concrete measures to be used – rather a job lot – fly tipping, access to green spaces and adult visits to libraries! Increasing such visits to libraries is, of course, one of the big strengths of Friends groups. Make of it what you can. |
INSOURCING |
 You may have seen a petition on the Organise platform initiated by an outsourced library worker called Kathy. I is part for TUC campaign to get public services bough back in-house. We don’t know where Kathy works but the biggest outsourcing of library services went to GLL a co-operative social enterprise which runs libraries in Greenwich, Bromley, Dudley, Lincolnshire and Wandsworth. GLL has a good reputation for the services it offers to the public but less good for its employment practices. The Library Campaign would prefer to see all library services run by the local authority which they serve. The main reason for this is accountability and allied to that is the ability to call into question decision on budgets, employment practices etc. |
The petition was being presented to ministers earlier this month but that won’t be the end of the story. You will have your own views on whether to sign – you can find more information on the petition page. |
JUST SAYING…As everyone (including TLC) slaves over the final version of the national libraries strategy, two handy articles appeared in the non-library press. Something you don’t see often. |
First Richard Ovenden, Director of Oxford’s Bodleian Library, was in the Financial Times. He welcomed the strategy as an “opportunity to rethink”. It should, he said, focus on “standards and equity of provision” – and take a serious look at under-funding. It should seek ways to boost libraries’ engagement with AI – while countering disinformation. And it should see “libraries as a whole”. What they do covers so many important government areas. The DCMS needs “greater clout to join up strategy”. We liked his quote from 17th century French writer (and librarian!) Gabriel Naudé: “A pile of books is no more a library than a crowd of soldiers is an army.”  |
Second is a timely piece in the Municipal Journal by Rebecca Gediking, Library Services Director at GLL(see story above). The title says it all: “Libraries as a strategic partner for local government”. She runs through all the stuff we know libraries are good for: digital inclusion, health, community wellbeing, economic growth. Naturally she stresses the things GLL is doing. But her approach is just what all those new local councillors need to understand: “Rather than building new services around specific priorities, libraries offer an established route into communities… “ And “Libraries already deliver against a wide range of council priorities… the opportunity is to use them more deliberately as part of how councils deliver. Libraries are not an added extra. They are already doing the work.” |
DINOSAUR DEBATE |
We hope they’ve been reading the articles mentioned above in Northumberland. The council is looking to make “significant changes” to save a thumping £344,000 from the libraries’ budget of £2.6m. An equally thumping 5,000-plus people have responded to the consultation. “We did have a lot of engagement”, the council acknowledges. It wants to reduce staffed hours at “a number” of its 29 branches. It promises, rather ominously, “no full closures”. But it is thinking, even more ominously, of somehow blending library staff with customer services staff. One councillor declared: “The world has changed with the internet. We have got a problem that we might be left with a dinosaur that we don’t know what to do with.” Oh dear! At least one community is gearing up to argue back. Prudhoe residents are pointing out that their library, due for a big reduction in staffed hours, is “an enjoyment and a place to get together… it’s a meeting place and it’s a good community. They call this a town but we have very little left.” Another resident said: “We’re setting up huge problems with screens. Young people won’t be able to read or socialise properly because it is all done online.” A very topical point. Just who is the dinosaur here? |
MacLIBRARY OF THE YEAR |
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Look north for 2026’s Library of the Year, in the British Book Awards section run by The Reading Agency.Edinburgh won for a collaboration between Oxgangs Library, Saughton Library (HMP Edinburgh) and the council’s mobile service. The Secret Santa project gave a gift-wrapped book to every inmate – “a simple but powerful act of empathy at a lonely time of year for many”. Delivered, of course, by the Library Elf. Two other Edinburgh libraries reached the regional finals for their work with children and teens. To cap it all, the Independent Bookshop of the Year was Book Lovers, the UK’s first-ever specialist romance bookshop – in Edinburgh! The DCMS also chalked up two first-evers. The libraries minister, Baroness Twycross, attended the awards event. And DCMS gave £1,000 to all the regional winners. The picture is of Dr James Ripley, Librarian at HMP Edinburgh, collected the trophy at the British Book Awards 2026 ceremony in London on 11 May. He was joined by Dr Emily Pickard, the City of Edinburgh’s Lifelong Learning Library Supervisor. The pair organised the scheme. |
LIBRARIES CHANGE LIVES Libraries Change Lives is CILIP’s annual advocacy campaign “capturing and celebrating the impact of libraries, putting the sector on a public platform where libraries, library staff and library users can showcase the value of their service – both locally and nationally.“ It runs from 1-7 June and the theme is literacy and reading. This might be short notice but there is a downloadable toolkit here as well as an appeal for case studies. Advocacy for libraries is going to be needed for some time to come (if not for ever) so we are sure they will take contributions even after the week is over. |
ESSEX RESERVATION CHARGES – REFORMED We reported earlier this year that Essex County Council was going to introduce a charge for reserving books online (i.e. doing them from the comfort of your own home with no staff help.) This came into effect on 22 April. However two weeks later ReformUK took control of the Council in the local elections. One of their first announcements was that the charge will be scrapped. This was confirmed at the first meeting of the new Council, the day before this email goes out. Local campaigners SOLE (Save Our Libraries Essex) have welcomed the decision but also said they would be on watch for the reintroduction of any charge. Another announcement by the new controlling group was that they are challenging local government reorganisation (LGR) of Essex (into five unitary authorities.) SOLE has been campaigning for a unified library service even if that happens. The new Deputy Leader has made a statement commenting that if LGR happens the library service would be split into five. Maybe SOLE can convince him that a unified service, run by a ‘Joint Board’ as allowed by the Public Libraries and Museums Act 1964 is an answer. |
REAL BOOKS ON THE RISE? Monmouthshire libraries have made an interesting comparison with the book and music industries. Just as, in a world of digital music downloads and streaming services, vinyl records are on the rise in popularity, especially with younger people, so too are physical books. They note a side effect for libraries here: more young people joining and then discovering that their library is about more than just books. All very encouraging. More here |
FACEBOOKROUND UP |
Towards the end of last month, Friends of Heysham Library took a moment to thank their many followers and supporters, drawing attention to the fact that in 2018, they conducted a poll in which they asked locals how often they visited the library, and the number one response at that time was “didn’t know there was a library in Heysham”. Five years later, and after much hard work by this industrious group, respondents showed more awareness of what their local library has to offer, and that they visit “a few times” became the top response. Their post also reminded their followers that: ‘Every time you like a post, borrow a book, or even just pop into the library to use the free WiFi, you are keeping this public service open and available.’ Buckinghamshire Friends of Burnham Library have been partaking in ‘Seedy Saturdays’ where locals can swap, buy, and sell plants and seeds as well as a pop-up cafe inside the library itself. Their post stated that “if you have a garden and a library you have everything you need’. Friends of Whitchurch Library, Bristol, have what seems like a very inspiring event coming up in the form of a ‘Summer Community Day’. The event will take place on July 25th, and amongst stands for community groups to share what they do and network, there will be faceprinting, games, and live music for attendees. On the Isle of Wight, The Friends of Ryde Library are holding an event that other library groups could take some inspo from and will surely have had local children excited in anticipation. They are hosting a train-themed double and LEGO event, which will involve toy train tracks being placed down all around the library itself for the afternoon. North Northamptonshire’s Friends of Oundle Library were raising attention to their new Eventbrite page, which is a free online service for listing and managing events, so very useful to know about for library friends who perhaps haven’t hosted an event before or would like an easier way to organize one. This busy group has also been reminding its social media followers that their knitting group will not be stopping for summer and that the library itself has a great selection of knitting and related books to inspire those in attendance over the next four months. The ‘Spin a Yarn’ meet-up runs every Monday. We’d love to hear what kind of events your friends group is planning or indeed any challenges you may be facing and wanting to make others aware of so please do get in touch and ask for your Friends group to be featured! |
| AND FINALLY… |
THE BISCUITORIUM |
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It can be irritating to see a few books in a phone-box described as “a library”. But it’s maybe acceptable to see the concept get an airing in terms such as toy library, Library of Things etc. What, then, to make of Fortnum & Mason, London’s poshest food shop, with their new …er biscuit library? It’s in their, also new… er, Biscuitorium. The latter seems to be a new physical space in the shop. The former is an online tool that finds your perfect biscuit according to your tastes. Rather like the book-matching tools found, for instance, on library e-book sites. But without, we hope, the use-and-return service model. |
| Please get in touch with us if your local library is under threat, you have a Friends group that you wish to promote or you would like advice about how to start a Friends group for your local library – currently under threat or not. Feel free to ask any questions about what Friends groups get up to. We have now created an archive of our previous newsletters, which you can view here – check it out if you haven’t already and share the link as it’s also a place for new subscribers to sign up. If you are new to getting our monthly newsletter this is a way to see what we’ve been getting across since we started this newsletter in Autumn 2022. |
