Winner
Julie Spencer MBE
Senior Schools and Children's Librarian, Bolton Libraries
Someone who can captivate the interest of socially excluded people and develop their interest in reading is a valuable asset to the community and to the library and information profession.
During her career, Julie has taken an innovative approach to encouraging people to read. She has played a leading role in the first North West Libraries Regional initiative - now a vibrant consortium of 21 libraries. This has been the inspiration for other authorities throughout the UK to develop similar partnerships.
Judges were impressed with Julie's commitment to share good practice, demonstrated by her organization of the 'Everybody's Reading Conference' in 2002 and the production of the 'Time to Read' booklet.
Julie has harnessed her wide experience in mounting these campaigns. This combined with initiative, enthusiasm and a great deal of energy is what makes her such a worthy winner of the Tom Farries Personal PR Achievement Award 2002.