Editorial

Here’s bumper edition of the Public Libraries News, being a summary of the last few weeks rather than just one. This is due to me taking a couple of Sunday mornings off and an unfortunate food allergy attack. Wishing you all the best at this most busy time of year for public libraries.

Changes by local authority

National news

  • Arts Council England grants platform glitches continue – Classical Music. “The self-styled national development agency for culture pauses applications for National Lottery Grants amid technical challenges” … “ongoing problems with its grants platform Grantium” … “The delays come as ACE confirms the current National Portfolio investment programme will be extended up to 2028 – two years after the initial deadline.”
  • Book of gender critical essays pulled from National Library display after staff complaints – Scotsman. Librarians can censor too. “The Women Who Wouldn’t Wheesht, which opposes former first minister Nicola Sturgeon’s gender self-ID law, is understood to have received four nominations in a public vote.”
  • Chief of UK’s professional body for librarians defends Drag Queen Story Hour as ‘inclusive and creative’ – Scene. “The head of the Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals (CILIP) has spoken out in defence of Drag Queen Story Hour, describing it as a “creative, centuries-old storytelling tradition” that fosters inclusivity and literacy, following criticism from a government minister. Louis Coiffait-Gunn, CEO of CILIP, issued a robust response after Gordon Lyons, Minister for Communities in Northern Ireland, labelled a recent event held at Holywood Arches Library in east Belfast as “not appropriate for children” and said it “should not have taken place”.”
  • Ed Jewell reflects on one year as Libraries Connected President – Libraries Connected. “Funding has never been far from the surface in many of the conversations I have had” … one head of service says “we can’t be in this situation forever, we need to collectively look at the bigger picture, we need bold, creative solutions that look beyond current arrangements and systems of working” … “Some of the most uplifting conversations I have had have been with those people who are coming in to use our libraries” … “Some of the most interesting conversations I have had this year, though, have been with the people who do not use us.”
  • Five for Friday – Interesting things about mobile libraries – Artefacto. Five facts, and more, about mobiles.
  • Libraries Connected Volunteer Diversity Survey 2025 – Libraries Connected. “This survey aims to help us understand the diversity of people volunteering in public libraries. Your responses will directly inform a Volunteering Management Strategy, which will guide how we support and strengthen volunteer involvement across the library network. “
  • Libraries in Wales turn the page with £900k digital platform – Wales 247. “A pioneering all-Wales library digital platform that brings together all 22 Welsh authorities on the same system for the first time has also recently launched. The £900,000 project – led by Cyngor Gwynedd – is helping libraries join up digitally, making it easier for people to access services more conveniently.”
  • Requesting library data via Freedom of Information – Library Data. “The ideal situation for library data would be for services to adopt an open by default policy for data, and publish in standardised formats under an open licence”
  • Summer Reading Challenge 2025: Are you taking part? – CBBC.
  • Summer reading challenge launched across Wales libraries – Deeside. Story Garden. “The Welsh Government has provided funding for the scheme through the Books Council of Wales, which draws over 33,000 children and young people annually.”
  • This accessible, local service is saving Brits £1,473 a year – Better. “by utilising services such as book loans, digital resources, and free Wi-Fi or hotdesking spaces, showing that libraries don’t just enrich lives—they deliver real financial benefits.” … “A study of 2,000 UK adults reveals the wide-ranging social, emotional, and financial value of libraries in communities, encompassing everything from helping people find employment and connect socially to learning new skills and supporting parents. The survey found that, despite common assumptions that library use is declining, half of UK adults report having visited a library within the past year, including 1 in 10 who have used one in the last week, demonstrating the enduring relevance of these spaces.”

International news

Australia – Fears over the future of Canberra’s public libraries – ABC News.
  • New Zealand – On homeless people in libraries – News Room. “Libraries are no longer elite bastions of order and quiet, hidey-holes for restful reading and reflection. They now exist on the frontline of homelessness, social exclusion, mental health, and the epidemic of loneliness.” … ” library lifers now face an ethical, often unspoken, quandary. I’m all for everyone using libraries, including outcasts, tramps, itinerants, and the homeless. So proclaims my socialist self, the one who migrates to the library from a heated home, well-stocked kitchen, and my own bathroom. Yet when confronted with certain uncomfortable realities, another less generous voice querulously asks: surely there is a limit to the democratisation of these repositories of knowledge”
  • Syria – Preparation underway to open one of the largest libraries in NE, Syria – ANHA. ““Shler Publications,” headquartered in Qamishlo, Jazira, is set to open a public library after eight years of dedicated work in NE, Syria. According to Raman Hassi, an administrator at Shler Publications, the library building has been fully renovated and will include the publishing house’s office, a silent reading room, a hall for study and discussions, a children’s corner, and a cultural café.”
  • Turkiye – Library completed in Turkey’s quake-hit area with donations from Japan – NHK. “The library has roughly 1,200 books. It is expected to help quake-affected children further their studies. The facility was constructed using more than 4.47 million yen, or around 30,000 dollars, in donations raised in a collection drive launched across Japan’s southwestern region of Kyushu right after the quakes. The campaign was organized by a group represented by Murat Ensici, a Turkish resident of Fukuoka Prefecture in the region. He said he is grateful to many people for making the donations warm-heartedly.”
  • USA Trump has fired the head of the Library of Congress, but the 225-year-old institution remains a ‘library for all’ – so far – Conversation. “Following Hayden’s dismissal, Trump appointed Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche, his former personal lawyer, as acting librarian of Congress.”
    • Boston Public Library aims to increase access to a vast historic archive using AI – NPR. “AI companies help fund these efforts, and in return get to train their large language models on high-quality materials that are out of copyright and therefore less likely to lead to lawsuits.”
    • How a public library’s summer game took over a Michigan city – NPR. “Summer for thousands of people in Ann Arbor, Mich., means scavenging for hidden codes around the city and voraciously reading books to collect points. It’s part of an enormously popular game that’s been a triumph for the public library that runs it. “This summer, we have 16,000 active players and more than half of them are adults,” says library director Eli Neiburger. Not bad for a library that serves about 150,000 people. It’s such a local sensation that one couple even got married while playing what’s known in town as “The Summer Game.”” … ” Users earn points by solving puzzles, learning about local history and exploring neighborhoods. Points can be redeemed in the library shop for T-shirts, umbrellas and other merchandise, such as a very popular stuffed plushie animal that’s updated every year. “
    • Meet Me at the Library: Reclaiming Public Libraries as Civic Infrastructure – Next City. “Join Shamichael Hallman, author of “Meet Me at the Library,” for a webinar on how public libraries can help bridge divides and foster stronger, more connected communities.”

Local news by authority