Libraries should capitalise on appeal as community hubs, report recommends
Promoting libraries as social spaces could help overcome access barriers, a new report finds. Carried out on behalf of the Departm…
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ACE invests further in disability book project
Arts Council England (ACE) has confirmed further funding for the next stage of the Reflecting Disability project. The project, led…
British Library installs ‘immense’ solar heat system as it aims for net zero
The British Library has unveiled a solar heat project to help maintain the temperature and humidity conditions needed to preserve…
ACE outlines plans to support independent bookshops
Arts Council England pledges to develop a 'compelling case to government' around the value of independent bookshops to cul…
Library Campaign lodges complaint against Croydon to DCMS
The Library Campaign has submitted a formal complaint to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) against London Borough…
‘No easy answer’ for library funding, warns Bryant
Local authority spending on public libraries fell by 47% in real terms between 2009/10 and 2022/23.
Libraries call for government talks over ‘closure crisis’
More than 180 council-run libraries in the UK have either closed or been handed to volunteer groups in the past eight years.
National Centre for Children’s Literature to close
Scottish venue which opened in 2019 in the building which helped inspire author JM Barrie to write Peter Pan has been losing money…
Gender-critical authors demand apology from Scottish literary chief
The Chief Executive of the Scottish Book Trust has been called on to apologise after describing two gender-critical authors a…
Taking poetry to the people
Professional boxer and former Young Birmingham Poet Laureate Matt Windle has been working with a group of ‘hard-to-reach&rsq…
Cancelled Glasgow festival receives unexpected donation
Glasgow book festival Aye Write, which was cancelled last month after Creative Scotland turned down its funding application, has r…
Charity launches appeal to send mobile library to Ukraine
A crowdfunding appeal to buy and deliver a mobile library to Ukraine has been launched by the charity representing public librarie…
Birmingham launches library cuts consultation
Plans to switch library provision in Birmingham to a mixture of council and community-run hubs to save money have been put out for…
Glasgow literary festivals cancelled
Two literary festivals in Glasgow have been cancelled after a funding application to Creative Scotland was unsuccessful. Glasgow L…
Derby Council to put community libraries out to tender
Organisations interested in running 10 community libraries in Derby have been given a month to register their interest. Following…
Climate emergency: Stories are as important as science
Think back to summer 2022. What do you remember? If Claire Malcolm remembers one thing, it is the fear and foreboding she felt whe…
Libraries ‘worth at least £3.4bn’ to economy
Libraries across England generate at least £3.4bn in value a year to the economy through the services they provide, a study…
How to curate a festival
Belfast Book Festival is celebrating its 13th edition this week, bringing together Ireland's storytelling talent. Sophie Hayle…
Birkbeck proposes cuts to creative teaching
Birkbeck, University of London plans to cut 140 roles this academic year, including up to 11 staff in the department of English, t…
Edinburgh to appoint music-writer-in-residence
The city of Edinburgh will hold a competition to select a music-writer-in-residence. The appointee will chronicle the recovery of…
Permanent free entry to children’s book museum
Seven Stories, the national centre for children's books, is making entry free for good. The museum removed admission fees on a…
Scheme takes aim at declining theatre commissions
Fifteen plays will be commissioned under a new scheme to address a "devastating" decline in opportunities during the pan…
Digital ‘no substitute’ to traditional libraries
Most adults think digital services are an inadequate replacement for traditional libraries. More than half (57%) expressed th…
£95m British Library project gets go-ahead
The British Library has received the green light for a £95m redevelopment project of its Boston Spa site in West Yorkshire.&…
