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'Love and libraries' themes for Book Week Scotland
Book Week Scotland 2014, a national celebration of books and reading, will focus on the twin themes of love and libraries.
The week, organised by Scottish Book Trust, will feature a diverse programme of book-related events, projects and activities from 24th to 30th November.
A key theme of Book Week Scotland 2014 will be that of "love", with Scots given the opportunity to celebrate, document and proclaim their love affair with books and the people who write, publish and deliver them. Central to this will be libraries. Book lovers will be asked to post, email or drop off their positive stories directly to their favourite library as part of the Love Letter to Your Library campaign. Authors and celebrities will also reveal their own favourite library and what it has meant to them during the week.
Book Week Scotland will also shine a light on the place that libraries occupy in communities. Five large artworks will be unveiled in libraries in North Ayrshire, East Dunbartonshire, East Lothian, Edinburgh and The Shetland Islands during the week, with the aim of making the chosen libraries visible and valued in their local areas. The artworks will be inspired by Scottish poet and novelist Jackie Kay’s love letter to libraries, Dear Library. This project is a continuation of the Artworks on Libraries project from Book Week Scotland 2013.
Sophie Moxon, deputy director of Scottish Book Trust, said: “It is well known that a love of reading brings lasting social and emotional benefits, helps build families and, at its most powerful, transforms lives. We also know that a love of reading is one of the great levellers in society, representing an opportunity for everyone to have an equal chance at success.”
She added: “But reading is also just finding a book that you enjoy and losing yourself in it. Or snuggling up with your child and a picture book for the pure pleasure of being close to each other. We will celebrate all these aspects of reading during Book Week Scotland, and we will provide opportunities for everyone, at every stage of the reading journey, to get involved.”
The Reading Pledge campaign will encourage people to make a commitment to reading, whether it be picking up a book they’ve been meaning to read, sharing a book with their child each night or passing on a much-loved book to a neighbour. People can choose from a list of pledges or create their own, share them on social media and then carry out the pledge during the week.
600 free book-related events will pop up in a diverse range of locations across Scotland, including popular writers and illustrators appearing at a major programme of events held in libraries, funded by The Scottish Library and Information Council (SLIC).
In addition, 150,000 free copies of a short story and poem collection written by Scottish people, Scotland’s Stories of Home, will be distributed throughout the week via libraries, bookshops and other outlets. Schools will also receive an e-publication featuring Scottish pupil’s stories of home. Three free picture books, comprising the shortlist for the Scottish Children’s Book Awards 2015, will be gifted to every Primary 1 pupil in Scotland.
Young children can also engage with Book Week Scotland by tuning in to watch poets Roger McGough and Valerie Bloom bring poetry to life during a special free author webcast on 27th November at 11 a.m and Steve Cole, author of Astrosaurs and Cows in Action, will tour schools around the country during the week.
The week will end with the Scottish Book Trust revealing the nation’s favourite ever character from Scottish books. Book lovers of all ages can get involved by voting online from the shortlist of 50 characters, or by suggesting their own favourite.
