Find out what reading activities are going on in Lancashire
Lancashire County Library and Information Service
Photo: Lancashire County Library - General view of library
Lancashire has 74 libraries, 11 mobiles and 18 other service points meaning we are well equipped to serve the needs of our diverse county which includes two cities, a number of post-industrial towns, smaller market towns, coastal resorts and outlying rural communities.
Our libraries
We are involved in a programme of refurbishment for our libraries which aims to make these dynamic places where connections between past, present and our individual futures can be made. Our newer libraries have been developed with reader development principles firmly in mind and they offer a flexible, modern space that is ideally suited for events.
Reading development
We arrange an annual programme of reading development events which includes World Book Day and National Poetry Day. During the National Year of Reading we exploited the size and scale of the county through an authority wide promotion, 'Lancashire Reads' and have plans to replicate some of the learning from this.
We run a range of regular promotions including specially selected 'Books of the Month', displays of bestsellers and a variety of genre and topic based promotions.
As a service we support over 200 reading groups, these include general reading groups, children's 'Chatterbooks' groups, teenage groups and specialised groups including cult fiction and historical groups. We provide special collections to the groups and make events available to them.
Inclusive provision
Lancashire has a community in excess of 1.1 million and we are keen to work with all areas of its diverse makeup. We provide large-print materials, dual language, foreign language and audio editions of books and where possible ensure these are included as a part of promotions to ensure equal access.
Children and Young People's Reading Development
We are keen to encourage a love of reading amongst even the youngest children and are active and engaged participants in the BookStart scheme. We aim to offer a range of inspiring activities and events to aid children's love of books and reading and organise our own annual children's literature festival 'Shout About Books' in October and run the country's longest-running book award for young people.
Haslingden library has a specially designed 'Headspace' area which has been created in conjunction with young people. This offers a dedicated space as well as opportunities for young people to have a real say in the running of their service. The consultation methods from this are being used to inform our policy and provision for this age group.
For more information on Lancashire libraries visit
www.lancashire.gov.uk/libraries or contact:
Jake Hope
Lancs County Library & Information Service
East Cliff
PO Box 162
Preston
PR1 3EA
Tel: 01772 534 751
email: Jacob.Hope@lancashire.gov.uk
