Reading

Molly Bews, Newport

Molly has established relationships with numerous marginalised and socially excluded communities. She has broken down barriers to access by listening and responding to their needs.

Charles Molloy, London Borough of Camden

Charles has spent the last year developing and delivering a Play Reading Discussion Group that celebrates playwriting, creating new opportunities for residents to connect with one another and develop their communication and language skills.

Schools Library Service Team, West Sussex

The Schools Library Service team has shown a commitment to working closely with local primary schools, ensuring that children across West Sussex have access to the best possible school libraries and a wide range of diverse and inclusive books.   

Sue Carmichael, Kent

Sue has developed a welcoming and inclusive environment for adults with learning disabilities over many years.

Frances Osborn, Essex

Frances has led on the Prison Reading Strategy by developing new services, improving existing services, and fostering a culture of reading within the prison.

Ellie Champ, William Stafford, Elizabeth Richards, Yvette Moore, Sarah Smith and Holly Kilminster, Warwickshire

This team has delivered a Chatterbooks for Reluctant Readers programme, going over and above to promote reading for pleasure and support local schools.
 

Information and Digital

Natasha Nelson, Shibu Raj and Muireann McMenamy, London Borough of Newham

This team has delivered on a set of initiatives for Newham's residents aimed at reducing inequality and maximising opportunities for inclusion.

Emily Parker, Bath and North East Somerset

Emily has revolutionised the library's accessibility and reach by offering comprehensive digital services and adapting resources for virtual use, ensuring inclusivity for all users.

Mohammed Salloo and Rebecca Thomas, Kirklees

Mohammed and Rebecca have developed the library digital offer in an imaginative way by broadening access to digital support, increasing digital confidence and widening access to digital equipment through a loaning and donation programme.

Lily Troup, Adam McGee, Apryl Markham-Uden, Kaleigh Garrod, Mary Grogan, Paul Taylor, Kerry Lingwood and Nick Little, Norfolk

The Digifest Steering Committee has developed an innovative programme which provides access to digital skills and technology for families and children to reduce the digital divide and inspire future careers and learning. 

Mary Burgess, Cambridgeshire

A passionate advocate for libraries and local history information, Mary has created new ways to make Cambridgeshire's collections accessible. 

Nicola Curtis, Kent

From scratch, Nicola has developed a digital offer at Gravesend that started in 2016 with Code Club, evolved into Coderdojo in 2018 and added 'Autism Friendly' sessions in 2019.

Children's

Schools Library Service Team, Hull

This team has invested significant, knowledge and passion into improving reading outcomes of children and young people in all of their schools.

Dominique Sequoia, Libraries Unlimited

Dominique puts children's literacy and family wellbeing at the heart of everything she does, improving services and outcomes for local families with her innovative approach.

Claudia Lander, London Borough of Sutton

Claudia has met the council’s demand to reimagine underfunded services, demonstrating that libraries can meet financial challenges and remain relevant to children in Sutton.

Alice Long, Norfolk

Alice's co-creative, inclusive approach in welcoming neurodiverse children and young people into Watton Library not only made the library more welcoming for these children but gave them an invaluable opportunity to make new friends and improve their lives.

Jane Mellors, Hannah Pegg, Jo Brown, Hertfordshire

Jane, Hannah and Jo have brought the voices of young people to the fore in the development and delivery of library services in Hertfordshire.

Bernice (Bernie) Bird, Vale of Glamorgan

Bernie goes above and beyond as a volunteer and has developed a varied and innovative programme of events and activities for children and their families.

Vision and Print Impairment

Daniel Lowe, Central Bedfordshire

Daniel has gone above and beyond to make the library's stock selection processes more inclusive by stocking large print, giant print and braille children's books.

Gemma Mccaffery, Hillingdon

Gemma showcased exceptional dedication and perseverance in transforming Hillingdon's Library service into a vibrant, inclusive, and accessible hub, enhancing offers for visually impaired residents and ensuring an engaging experience both in branches and online. 

Rebecca Hewitt and the Clitheroe Library Team, Lancashire

The Clitheroe library team have shown inspiration, passion and a forward thinking approach to working in partnership, securing Clitheroe library as the North West venue for the 'Braille 200' celebration event.

Grace Lama, Hertfordshire

Grace’s skills, commitment and wish to improve their libraries’ services increased their ability to reach the blind, vision and print impaired community through accessible resources.

Matt Cocker and Chris Atkinson, Manchester

Matt and Chris have worked with Henshaws to create meet-ups in Manchester Central Library for visually impaired people who had not met each other before, most of whom who had never visited the library.

Muhammad Haque, The London Borough of Barking and Dagenham

Muhammad is passionate in ensuring that all people, especially those that have sight impairments, are able to feel welcome in libraries and use the resources in a comfortable way.

Health and Wellbeing

Rachel Adams, Jared Jones and Tara Foxon, East Riding

Rachel, Jared and Tara have been innovative and proactive in creating projects for East Riding residents that offer a wide range of free health benefits, ultimately saving the NHS valuable time and resources by reducing reliance on GP surgeries.

Sarah Baker and Charlotte Strong, Nottinghamshire

Sara and Charlotte have used the wellbeing power of wool to unite library customers across the county in a circular economy of kindness.

Sarah Hammond and Lucy Kennedy, Kent

Sarah and Lucy have worked and developed the Thanet Know Your Neighbourhood project, going the extra mile to make this project a success whilst still working in their busy everyday posts. 

Jenny Dean, Lisa Nuttall, Katherine Gibson, Michelle (Shelly) Shine, Stockport

Jenny, Lisa, Katherine and Michelle have been instrumental to the Bredbury Bookworms project which promotes mental wellbeing and enhances the local environment.

Caroline Wild, Hertfordshire

Caroline went above and beyond to ensure a library customer received the help they needed when previous offers made by other local agencies were refused or withdrawn. She quite literally saved the customer's life.

Jake Tilling and Karen Seymour, Oxfordshire

Jake and Karen have led the Making Every Contact Count (MECC) programme in Oxfordshire for the last five to six years, taking them from very little engagement with customers around health issues to having trained 44 MECC Champions (one in every branch) and nearly 10,000 interactions per year.

 

Culture and Creativity

Chris White, Libraries Unlimited

Chris has transformed Exeter Library into a cultural powerhouse, curating an innovative and accessible events programme that engages and reflects the diverse needs of the community.

Sally Edson, East Riding

Sally is transforming the mobile library service, bringing vibrant cultural events and engaging visits to all corners of the East Riding including the most remote rural communities.

Jemma Conway, Emma Ford and Sally Thompson, Barnsley

Jemma, Emma and Sally have led on a fantastic array of innovative events and creative activities championing Barnsley Libraries across local communities. 

Anna McMahon, Cambridgeshire

Anna has shown imagination, tenacity and leadership to bring about change within the service, building valuable partnerships and increasing and diversifying our offer to library users.

Zoe Williams, Gail Mallett and James Ryan, Manchester

Zoe, Gail and James developed a creative space in Wythenshawe Forum Library which is already a thriving, youth focussed venue bringing cultural and creative opportunities to peoples doorsteps.

Mary Painter, Blackburn with Darwen 

Mary's passion for her work, in particular local heritage and making collections accessible to users far and wide, is infectious and her positive ‘can do’ approach and sunny nature are a constant inspiration to colleagues and customers.