Biography
John Holden is Head of Culture at Demos. He has Masters Degrees in law and art history and his main professional interest is in the development of people and organisations in the cultural sector. He has been involved in numerous major projects including : a study of libraries for the DCMS with Charlie Leadbeater, a report on workforce development in Museums, Libraries and Archives for Resource, providing a series of recommendations to the Clore Duffield Foundation relating to cultural sector leadership; working with Creative Partnerships and ACE on redefining the rationale for CP; working with The Sage Gateshead on evaluation. He was a principal organiser of the influential Valuing Culture conference in June 2003, and is the author of Creative Reading, the Right to Art (with Robert Hewison), Challenge and Change, and Capturing Cultural Value. John is a member of the Management Committee of the Clore Leadership Programme, Chair of the Anvil Trust, and a FRSA.
Abstract
Nurturing creativity is a key element of education. For society, creativity is a major driver of economic growth. For individuals it can be a powerful means of realising their full human potential. Public libraries are often forgotten players in the creativity debate, but they are uniquely placed to help foster creativity among young people. They provide free access to learning and an opportunity for independent activity in a zone of freedom distinct from home and school. However, they face many challenges, and need to adapt in order to nurture the creativity of young people.