Libraries Change Lives
Celebrating the value of libraries to people and communities
About the award
The CILIP Libraries Change Lives Award is established as one of the leading accolades in the library and information world.
The Award highlights and rewards good practice in any innovative library and information projects which:
- Change lives
- Bring people together
- Involve user communities
- Demonstrate innovation and creativity
- Develop staff and services
We welcome entries from any sector of the library and information world. They could be reading projects, learning projects, or projects that promote information. They must be shown to have affected people’s lives for the better, whoever those people might be.
The judges will choose three finalists and all receive:
- National recognition
- Enhanced credibility with fund holders and decision makers
- The opportunity to celebrate your success with staff, users and partners
- Prize money to put into your project
The overall winner will receive a trophy and prize money of £5,000. The two other finalists will receive a certificate and prize money of £2,000 each. The Award ceremony will take place at Umbrella 2009 on Wednesday 15 July, 2009.
The Libraries Change Lives Award is run by CILIP and its Community Services Group.
The purpose of the award is to recognise positive achievements and promote outstanding library based initiatives which:
- Celebrate the value of library and information services to the individual
- Enrich the lives of individuals
- Help strengthen local communities
- Add value to the community served
- Contribute to equality of access
- Demonstrate good practice
- Consult and involve the end user
Enter the Award
Entries for the 2009 Award are now closed.
The judging process
The judges are representatives from CILIP's Community Services Group.
They meet early in the new year to decide a shortlist of three projects based on the information submitted. To do this they have a schedule where they allocate points to each criterion. The points are cumulated and each judge draws up a list of potential shortlisted entries. At the meeting the judges compare scores, and then enter into debate about which three projects should be shortlisted. The judges then visit the shortlisted projects (by prior arrangement) during May to decide the winner.
The judges' decisions are final. They reserve the right to withhold or withdraw the Award at their own discretion.
Criteria
A project must be:
- UK based
- current and have delivered the service for at least 12 months up to 13 February 2009.
- a partnership of two or more groups, one of which is a formal library or information service
The judges will assess the entry looking for the following:
- Compatibility with the purpose of the Award
- Quality of library/information service involvement
- A clearly defined statement of objectives
- Evaluation that shows objectives are being achieved
- A well defined target user group and involvement of individuals from target group
- A clearly defined description of the partners and their roles
- Demonstration of sound financial planning
- Demonstration of good practice
- Demostration of imagination and innovation
- The project’s ability to be adapted and used elsewhere
- How the project changes lives