Libraries’
Universal
Reading Offer
Reading is changing
• 23% of 9-16 year olds now
prefer reading electronically
• E-books account for 14% of
publishers’ sales
• Summer Reading Challenge
website had 312,000 visits,
+60% on 2012
Libraries are changing
New challenges, new strategy
“We must think about the future. Let’s not implement
cuts in a way that ends up with a uniformly grey, dull
offer to the public, without any real social impact. We
must hang on to the sparkle in the new look reading
service we’re creating. There is a huge public demand for
our reading groups, author events, rhyme times, reading
challenges, festivals.
The URO helps focus our collective energy on a few really
big things to keep the sparkle going”
Tony Durcan, Society of Chief Librarians
Vision
• Reading for pleasure enhances people’s literacy, life
chances and quality of life. It is vital for our prosperity
• Libraries aim to be a force for social change through
reading. They bring people recreation and pleasure,
learning and literacy, health and wellbeing
• Libraries will work collectively to develop their
contribution to everybody’s reading life
• Libraries will develop as hubs drawing communities
together to bring reading alive, physically and digitally
• Libraries will work with the public to co-deliver reading
The offer
• Social reading activity
• Author
events/performances
• Reading challenges
• Public involvement/coproduction
• Online reading, activities
• Accessibility services
Economic
impact and
value for
money
Learning,
skills and
employability
Libraries’ reading
work helps local
authorities
achieve key
outcomes
Health, well
being and
quality of life
strong and
safe
communities
(including
participation)
Logic Model framework
Toolbox to deliver offer efficiently
Prioritised shared toolbox to deliver baseline offer to public
•
Chart shows how different
strands in the strategy
work together to create a
shared offer across the
library network.
•
The five prioritised
calendar spikes have
emerged from
consultation process – five
focal points in year for a
shared library network
push on reading
•
There will be an
additional enhanced
menu of activities,
capturing other nationally
brokered programmes
used by under 60% of
authorities, and additional
calendar spikes e.g.
literary prizes
How to use it
• Local service visioning,
planning, advocacy
• Basis for regional reader
development plans
• Enhance local offer by
linking to national
developments – e.g.
publisher resources linked
to WW1
http://readingagency.org.uk/
about/libraries.html
Summer Reading Challenge
Next steps:
• GFtA bids
• Get into school improvement plans
Youth innovation
Next step:
Cabinet Office
funding to grow
Summer Reading
Challenge
volunteering
Digital
Next step:
Exploit publishers’ resources at www.readinggroups.org