LibraryOn awards £1m to 27 public library projects in England

LibraryOn, a not-for-profit initiative to increase the number of people who use public libraries, has awarded £1.09m to 27 public library projects across England. 

Supported by Arts Council England and facilitated by the British Library, the LibraryOn fund enables library services to boost their digital presence and make it easier for new and existing users to access and discover their services online. 

Launched in March 2023, the LibraryOn grants programme invited library services and consortia to apply for between £10,000 and £70,000 of capital expenditure. The judging panel consisted of experts from across the library sector, including representatives from Arts Council England, Libraries Connected, CILIP and Good Things Foundation. 

The grants vary from website developments, library apps and virtual tours to artificial intelligence and search engine optimisation to improve user experience. 

In the North of England, 11 projects were funded, including a new website for Sunderland Libraries to revitalise customer experience; a digital advertising campaign in Sefton; an animation and VR project working with young people in North Lincolnshire; a new library app in Kirklees; and upgraded events booking for Gateshead. 

The Midlands received funding for two projects, including a website refresh, virtual floor plan, photography and library app for Stoke-on-Trent; and a library app for Leicester Libraries. 

London had five successful applications, including a collaboration between the Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB) and Camden libraries; an online discoverable catalogue in Lambeth; and an interactive website project for Newham. 

The South East of England received funding for five projects, including creating online assets such as photography, film and animation for West Sussex; virtual tours and photography in Surrey; and Suffolk reimagining its website’s user experience. 

In the South West of England, four projects were supported, including online space booking for Libraries Unlimited; a new website in Gloucestershire; and an online history and archive project for Southampton. 

Awards were also given to three consortiums, meaning 20 services from around the country will benefit from initiatives such as a website providing personalised book recommendations from libraries; a film and photography project, reflecting findings from user research, where people said they would be more likely to visit a library if they could see what the spaces and events looked like; and upgrades to websites to increase understanding of how local and national library sites work together for users. 

Liz White, head of public libraries and community engagement at the British Library, said: “We’re excited to see this grant award for library services in areas across England, balancing investment in core offers with a wide variety of opportunities for digital innovation, user research and shared learning about ways of working. This reflects our ‘north star’ goal to increase the number of people using public libraries and raise awareness about their enduring value and importance.” 

Luke Burton, director, Libraries at Arts Council England, said: “We are delighted to see such an exciting range of digital projects and improvements being funded through the LibraryOn grant scheme, which is supported by the Arts Council’s overall £3.4m award to the British Library. The team has been progressing the development of the LibraryOn platform at pace over recent months and allowing digital improvements and potential future integrations are critical to the next steps of demonstrating the value and uses of a single digital presence for public libraries in England. I look forward to seeing all of these projects progressing.”