Welcome to your library – Camden Libraries, Leicester Libraries, working with London Libraries Development Agency
‘Welcome to your library’ is a project to increase opportunities for active engagement and participation by refugees and asylum seekers in public library service planning and delivery. By doing so, it aims to improve access to, and the quality of services for everyone. Two of the participating library services (Leicester and the London Borough of Camden) are successfully developing work experience and volunteering opportunities for refugees.
The project is funded by the Paul Hamlyn Foundation, and co-ordinated through the London Libraries Development Agency. It began as a pilot in 2003 in five London boroughs (Brent, Camden, Enfield, Merton and Newham), and in 2005 extended nationally. The library services in the national phase are LB Hillingdon (with Healthy Hillingdon), Leicester, Liverpool, LB Southwark and Tyne and Wear (a consortium comprising Newcastle, Gateshead, North and South Tyneside and Sunderland councils.)
Article in the Guardian, 2 May 2007
www.welcometoyourlibrary.org.uk
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Large (Leeds Always Reading Group for Everyone) – Leeds School Library Service
This service provides loans of fiction books in large print format for visually impaired children who are educated alongside their sighted peers in mainstream schools in Leeds. The main aim of the project is to enable children who are visually impaired to read fiction books themselves. Where their vision is more limited stories in audio format are provided. This contributes to the raising of reading levels and also increases their enjoyment of reading books and listening to stories.
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Read Yourself Well– East Ayrshire Library, Registration and Information Services
East Ayrshire Library and Information Service have set up a project called ‘Read Yourself Well’, a Bibliotherapy scheme that provides an alternative non-drug or complimentary treatment to help people think differently about psychological problems. Recent research has shown that 10% of appointments with GP’s involve some degree of mental health difficulties. The scheme employs a full-time Bibliotherapist, who arranges three confidential meetings with clients to discuss their problems and recommends books and self-help materials from a list specially chosen for their quality by health care professionals, carers and people who use the service. This alternative, drug free form of therapy has proven hugely successful in supporting and educating people with mild mental health problems. Testimonials and feedback has shown the the project has a huge impact on clients enabling them to move forward and enrich their quality of life.
East Ayrshire Council's page on Read Yourself Well
Article on the BBC website, 17 April 2007
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