National Libraries Day 2016

Don’t forget that this coming Saturday is National Libraries Day.

If you’re still looking for last minute ideas try the National Libraries Day site.

If you’re running an event add it to the site here. You can also find events in your local area via that link too.

If you’re tweeting, the hashtag has changed and is now #librariesday. In previous years the hashtag has trended on National Libraries Day and it would be great to see this happen again.

Following on from National Libraries Day there’s also a lobby of Parliament happening for public libraries – everyone is welcome to come along. Take a look at the Speak Up For Libraries site for more details.

 

 

National Libraries Day 2014 is almost here #NLD14

It’s less than a month away until the 3rd National Libraries Day. This year it’s on Saturday 8th February. It’s an opportunity to celebrate all the great things libraries in the UK do, highlighting why they are so important, no matter what type of library they are – public, academic, business, health, specialist libraries, or any others. It will also be a great chance to sell the benefits of libraries, to both non-users and also those who hold the purse strings and can make a difference to how well funded libraries are. Even though the majority of activity will take place on National Libraries Day itself, in previous years library staff, users and supporters have also run activities and events in the lead up to it.

We’d love to know what you’ll be planning this year, so that we can help you promote it before and on the day itself.

If you’re not sure how to celebrate National Libraries Day why not take a look at the National Libraries Day site – it’s got plenty of fantastic ideas on there. Also, don’t forget to add any events to the map on the National Libraries Day site.

We’re also keen to get people involved in doing something based on the Library A to Z – the aim of the A to Z is to highlight that even though books are a core feature of library services, libraries are so much more than this – whether this “so much more” is as a result of the benefits of reading, or beyond this focus. For example, this is a snippet for the letter E:

Entertainment
Escape
Ebooks
Employability
Equality
Everyone (is welcome)
Education
Excitement
Events
Exhibitions
Enquiry service

Take a look at our original blog post for more details. If you do create anything for it please let us know.

Another way you can get involved is to help One Man & His Beard with a music video for his National Libraries Day song. All you need to do is send him a photo of yourself holding your library card ( weneedlibraries@gmail.com ) as soon as possible.

So, whatever you’ve got planned for your local library don’t forget to let us know.

Finally, if you’re on Facebook, you can also join/like the National Libraries Day event on there, and if you’re on Twitter, the hashtag to use is #NLD14.

Contributions wanted for We Need Libraries video

Musician One Man and His Beard, who performed at the Speak Up For Libraries lobby in 2012 is looking for library lovers to contribute to his We Need Libraries video for release on National Libraries Day 2014. What he’s after is photos of you holding your library card.

Send your photos to him at weneedlibraries@gmail.com by 5th January 2014.

We think it’s a great idea and we will be sending ours.

National Libraries Day – why did some authorities refuse to celebrate?

Residents in Kent resorted to doing their own thing to support National Libraries Day,

Earlier this month library authorities and library users celebrated the very first National Libraries Day.  Events took place across the country and it was great to hear so many people went out and celebrated their local library service (some photos are available here).  The extent of the celebrations showed that there is still a lot of support out there for the public library service, despite claims of its demise and irrelevance.  Amidst a background of library closures, it was great to see so many people and organisations come together in celebration.

However,whilst many authorities across the country threw their support behind National Libraries Day, some were reluctant to join in the celebrations.  One of several councils who refused to support the event was Kent.  What made this particularly concerning was that not only is Kent one of the largest authorities in the country, it is also headed by the Secretary for the Society of Chief Librarians – one of the supporters of the event.

In advance of the event, Voices for the Library lodged a Freedom of Information request to find out why the authority refused to put on any events under the National Libraries Day banner, or to even mention it on their website or Facebook Page.  The following was disclosed as a result of the request:

 

National Libraries Day Freedom of Information request

As well as the above information, we also received a copy of the now infamous staff briefing distributed across the county in advance of National Libraries Day:

 

KCC National Libraries Day staff briefing

As an organisation that seeks to highlight the value of libraries and librarians, we are deeply concerned about the actions taken in Kent.  National Libraries Day is an annual national initiative created to celebrate the vital contribution libraries make in our communities, enriching our society and providing the tools to help individuals prosper.  As a result we were very disappointed to learn that Kent and a number of other authorities including Gloucestershire, Croydon and Kensington and Chelsea (amongst others) refused to encourage the celebrations.  We hope next year that those authorities that did fail to participate this year will have a change of heart in 2013.  After all, if we can’t celebrate and promote library services on National Libraries Day, when can we celebrate them?

Why do we love our libraries? This is why…

To view at its best, please click the ‘SIDEBAR’ tabs on either side.

http://storify.com/ukpling/love-your-libraries.js[View the story “Why do we love our libraries? This is why…” on Storify]

Don’t forget that tomorrow is National Libraries Day #nld12

Almost a year ago Save Our Libraries Day was held in the UK. It was a day of action and protest to highlight public library cuts and also a day for library users to celebrate their local libraries.

Many library users and campaigners visited libraries and showed the Government and local authorities that libraries were still important and valued, despite the threat of cuts and closures. Campaigners organised read-ins, storytelling, author events and others just made sure they used their library on that day in some way. It gained national media coverage and was a great success at highlighting the situation our public libraries were facing.

This year, as a follow on, an official National Libraries Day is being held tomorrow and it’s being supported by a wide range of library based organisations.

Unlike Save Our Libraries Day, tomorrow is a celebration of all types of libraries throughout the UK, including public, academic, school, business and specialist libraries. Many organisations running these services have planned events to support the day and are listed on the National Libraries Day site.

Some local campaigners and library users are also organising their own events, not only to celebrate libraries, but also to highlight the fact that local authorities are continuing to cut library services – in fact, it seems as if the cuts situation is even worse than last year. The cuts and closures have not gone away and are likely to continue.

It really is a great opportunity tomorrow for library users to not only celebrate their libraries, but also highlight the fact that if we continue down this route with service reductions and budget cuts there won’t be many libraries left to celebrate!

So please show that you care about and value your library services and make sure you use them tomorrow.

Reading Agency announce details of ‘The Library Book’

Details are emerging of ‘The Library Book’ a celebratory book on libraries due to be published in support of the very first National Libraries Day on February 4th.  The book will feature writers such as Stephen Fry, Alan Bennett, Zadie Smith, Kate Mosse and Caitlin Moran amongst others, describing libraries real or imagined, past, present, and future – why they matter and to whom.  All royalties from the book will be donated by the contributors to The Reading Agency to support their work in inspiring people to read more.

Editor Rebecca Gray, who volunteers in her spare time on a mobile library for homeless people, said:

‘What’s really come through in this project is how libraries liberate people, shape them, allow them to educate themselves. So many people are passionate about libraries – not just for the books, but for the space – and freedom – they provide. I’ve so enjoyed working with The Reading Agency and all these wonderful writers on this book.’

Miranda McKearney, Director of The Reading Agency added

“What a wonderful way to celebrate National Libraries Day!  The generosity of Profile and the contributing writers will help drive two crucial programmes: our popular ‘six book challenge’ schemes for children and adults – meaning that, despite the cuts, libraries can continue to use them in their communities.”

The book will be available on National Libraries Day, priced £9.99.

To find out more about the first National Libraries Day you can sign up to the official events page on Facebook and, if you are on Twitter, follow the official Twitter account for regular updates.  An accompanying website is also due to be launched shortly.

Voices for the Library in the Press

The Telegraph’s Martin Chilton mentioned Voices for the Library in yesterday’s piece Library campaigners helped by Nick Cave. The article highlights the success and celebrity endorsements of campaigns against public library cuts in places such as Gloucestershire, the Isle of White, Brent, Kensal Rise, and Oxfordshire.

For more information on National Libraries Day in February 2012, please see our National Love Libraries Day page. You can also find links to local campaigns on our website’s Campaigns page.

National Libraries Day

A national day to celebrate libraries has been launched and Voices for the Library are proud to support it. National Libraries Day will take place in early February 2012. It will be the finale to a week of events that will celebrate libraries and librarians, and highlight the importance of reading.

Children’s author and libraries campaigner Alan Gibbons announced the launch:

“We are delighted to launch National Libraries Day, a week of events in early February leading to a day of celebration of reading, libraries and librarians around the United Kingdom. A reading child is a successful child. A child who goes to the library is twice as likely to be a good reader and that child becomes a literate adult, a lifelong reader. There are 320 million visits a year to our libraries but we can make them even more popular.”

“We see National Libraries Day as a positive day of celebration to promote the whole culture of reading for pleasure, information and engagement whether you read your traditional books or on your laptop or e-reader. It is time to make reading a universal culture. We want people to go to their local school or public library and use their School Library Service. Use it. Join it. Love it.”

A group of leading literacy, reading, library and education organisations, including Voices for the Library, met at the Chartered Institute of Library & Information Professionals and agreed to support the day. Planning is at an early stage but National Libraries Day activities will include encouraging people to join and use their library, and providing promotional materials and support so local communities can run events such as read-ins, poetry sessions and parties across the country. It is hoped that all sorts of libraries across the country will get involved including public libraries, in schools, colleges and Universities.

“National Libraries Day follows the tremendously successful Save Our Libraries Day, which took place on the 5th February.” said Annie Mauger, CILIP’s Chief Executive, “Save Our Libraries Day was successful because individuals and communities that deeply care about their libraries got out there and made a noise. People love libraries; National Libraries Day will be an amazing opportunity to show how deeply they care.”