Membership

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A man is engaged in conversation with a woman at the Libraries Connected annual seminar.
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As the membership body for public libraries, our members’ interests inform everything we do. Our members give us credibility, insight and authority as we represent the library sector to government, the media and other important partners. By putting members at the heart of our work, we can be sure we are addressing and meeting their needs. It also means we can respond flexibly to emerging priorities and take urgent action when needed.

Membership is open to local authorities with responsibility for statutory public library services, or organisations commissioned to operate them in England, Wales, Northern Ireland and the Crown Dependencies. Member library services pay an annual fee and have access to additional projects, discounts and funding, while their staff can join our networks, events, training and project groups.

“The mutual support and career development provided by Libraries Connected membership is invaluable.”

Head of Service

Membership benefits

Anyone who works for a member library service can:

  • Attend training, webinars and in-person events such as our Annual Seminar 
  • Participate in our online networks and member’s platform 
  • Access commercial opportunities and funding 
  • Participate in projects, research, publications and media opportunities  
  • Be nominated for the Libraries Connected Awards 

Senior managers in member library services can also:

  • Receive our weekly bulletin with sector news and funding opportunities
  • Join national and regional member networks
  • Join project and Universal Library Offer working groups, the board of trustees and run for President

Our member platform

If you work for one of our member library services, you can use our member platform to book events, manage your mailing preferences, post notices, and keep up to date with the latest news and opportunities. To access the platform you will need to create an individual profile.

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Making the most of your membership

If you're a library worker, your library service is probably already a member of Libraries Connected. That means you can access most of our member benefits, including our online networks. To check if your service is a member or for more information on membership, please contact us.