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The Bookseller's Library of the Year Award returns
The Bookseller's Library of the Year Award is back for a second year, following Liverpool Central Library's win of the inaugural prize in 2018.
The award, which highlights the work the best libraries of all sizes do to promote reading, literacy, information and the love of books, is sponsored by Rakuten Overdrive and W F Howes, and run in partnership with The Reading Agency.
Judging this year will be Penguin General m.d. Joanna Prior; Fraser Hutchinson of The Reading Agency; Miles Stevens-Hoare, general manager of W F Howes; Rakuten Overdrive country manager Paul Davighi; and former librarian turned library campaigner Andrew Coburn, as well as members of The Bookseller team.
A shortlist of 10 outstanding libraries will be profiled in a special libraries focus in The Bookseller in July, with the overall award-winner also unveiled. The winner will receive a golden Nibbie, the coveted trophy of the British Book Awards.
Libraries are asked to produce their submissions by a deadline date of Friday 24th May. Details on the submission process and the key criteria on which libraries will be judged are to be found here.
Nigel Roby, chief executive of The Bookseller, said: "Libraries should be at the heart of our towns and cities. The British Book Awards’ Library of the Year celebrates the best work to support and encourage reading from across the country. Libraries and librarians deserve every plaudit we can give them."
Davighi said: "Rakuten OverDrive is once again pleased to be a supporter of the Bookseller Library of the Year Award. The award helps underline the important service that libraries perform in each of their communities every day."
W F Howes' Stevens-Hoare added: "We are thrilled to be supporting the Library of the Year competition this year. Working with libraries every day, we see first-hand the enormous contribution they make to communities across the country. We hope that the competition will help to raise awareness of the importance of our libraries, and shine a light on the work that they do. We know that there are many libraries deserving of this award and can’t wait to see the entries!"
