Library/publisher digital skills sharing project wins EDGE 2013 Award

UK  National charity The Reading Agency and The Publishers Association’s director of publisher relations Emma House have together won an EDGE 2103 Award for their ground-breaking digital skills sharing project, which brought six teams of publishers and librarians from around the country together to address the urgent need for public libraries to embrace new technologies in order to take their vital support for readers online.

The ten-month project, which saw the six teams working together on new digital approaches, became the joint winner of the EDGE 2013 Virtual/Digital Award at a special ceremony held in Edinburgh on 28 February 2013. EDGE 2013 highlights and rewards good practice in innovative library and information projects, recognising positive achievements and promoting outstanding library based initiatives which celebrate the value of libraries.

The new resources and skills gained from this award-winning digital skills sharing project will enable library authorities across the country to benefit from publisher expertise in the creation and strengthening of libraries' digital marketing. The project – which was funded by the Arts Council England Library Development Initiative – has been overseen by The Publishers Association and The Reading Agency, and drew on the support of the charity’s Reading Partners consortium which brings publishers and library services together to create successful and exciting events and activities for readers. Please see ‘Notes to editors’ for full details of all the publishers and library services involved in this project. Further background information may be found at: http://readingagency.org.uk/digitalskills/

Richard Mollet, Chief Executive of The Publishers Association says: “We are delighted to have won the EDGE 2013 Award, and to have led and been part of this digital skills sharing project. Through this programme, publishers have gained an improved understanding of the vital role that libraries can play in reaching new readers in the digital age.  We look forward to continuing this collaboration.”

Sandeep Mahal, who leads The Reading Agency’s Reading Partners work, says: “In the current fast-changing climate we have shown how libraries, with support from their publishing partners, can be innovative and successful during a challenging time for the sector. We’re delighted to have won this EDGE Award: the digital skills sharing project has been an important catalyst for library staff to develop their skills and to engage with users in new ways via digital platforms. Its positive, practical collaboration to build new audiences for reading has been both imaginative and ambitious, and we are particularly grateful to our publisher partners for their continuing support.”

·         The EDGE 2013 Virtual/Digital Award award was sponsored by BT Scotland. Joint winner with The Reading Agency and The Publishers Association was the Scottish Poetry Library, for its website work.

Accepting their EDGE 2013 award are: Emma House, Publishers Association director of publisher relations and Sandeep Mahal, who leads The Reading Agency's Reading Partners consortium. They are shown with Susan Mooney, head of service, community safety, City of Edinburgh Council and Bill Thompson, head of partnership development for BBC Archive Development who presented the award. Photo by Lloyd Smith Photography.