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Lottery Windfall For Arts And Public Library Partnerships

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A flagship arts and libraries project has secured a lottery award and funding from CILIP to develop reading inspired creative partnerships between artists, public libraries and museums. The groundbreaking East Midlands' initiative is being heralded as a national model for cultural partnership. The prestigious £30,000 lottery award comes from the East Midlands Regional Arts Lottery Programme. The project is also being funded by the East Midlands Museums Service.

“Recent research indicates that there is tremendous potential for the arts and libraries to work together” said Debbie Hicks of The Reading Partnership, the library development agency leading the project. “The inspirational role of reading in people's lives and libraries’ special relationship with their readers offers a powerful springboard for a programme bringing together libraries, artists and museums.”

The nine public library authorities in the East Midlands will be putting into practice a range of arts activities using books and reading as a starting point. Ideas being developed include themed book promotions linked to cinema, gallery and theatre programming; library based artists' residencies and the development of artists' resources in libraries.

The project will result in the publication of an Arts and Libraries Tool Kit and a national seminar showcasing the work of the East Midlands region.

The project partners are excited about the potential the project offers to bring new arts work to new audiences. Bob McKee, Chief Executive of CILIP says "We’ll be developing lots of exciting ideas over the next year including the commissioning of different types of artists to produce work inspired by books and reading. The possibilities are endless especially when you take the potential of IT into account. Libraries are central to the communities they serve and therefore have the power to take exciting new art to the broadest possible audience."

The lasting impact of the project will be ensured by the development of practical tools so that the rest of the country can learn from the good practice developed in the East Midlands. Debbie Hicks points out: " We will be evaluating what we do very carefully, and creating a data base of the work produced. There will also be a dedicated web site. The Tool Kit will mean artists, museum and library staff everywhere can build on our experience."

Notes for editors

The Reading Partnership is a national library development agency funded by The Arts Council of England and endorsed by CILIP and The Society of Chief Librarians.
The 9 library authorities involved include Leicester City, Leicestershire, Rutland, Nottingham, Nottinghamshire, Northamptonshire, Derby City, Derbyshire and Lincolnshire.
The project is funded by the East Midlands Regional Arts Lottery Programme, The Library Association and East Midlands Museums Service.
Public Libraries and the Arts Pathways to Partnership Report to the Library Association and The Arts Council of England by David Liddle, Debbie Hicks and David Barton, CPI 1999 includes recent research into the potential relationship between libraries and the arts.
Libraries serve a broad and diverse community of users. 59% of the UK population have a library card, 47% borrow books at least monthly. The socio-economic break down of people borrowing monthly is: AB 16%, C1 34%, C2 23%, DE 27%.
The project programme will include a networking meeting in June, an Arts and Libraries Workshop in September followed by a series of 9 arts and libraries partnership projects. There will be a national seminar in September 2002 to showcase the East Midlands work.

For further information contact:

Debbie Hicks, The Reading Partnership, 0116 2216782, d.hicks@artservices.demon.co.uk

May 2001