CILIP, the UK’s Library and Information Association, has welcomed the commitment in the Labour Party’s 2019 General Election manifesto to secure the long-term future of public libraries.

The Manifesto commits a potential future Labour Government to support improved funding and library standards - two key areas on which CILIP and others have been lobbying through the #VoteLibraries campaign (http://votelibraries.uk).

Specifically, the Manifesto makes the following commitments:

“We will ensure libraries are preserved for future generations and updated with Wi-Fi and computers. We will reintroduce library standards so that government can assess and guide councils in delivering the best possible service”, and;

“We will invest in the towns and communities neglected for too long, with a £1 billion Cultural Capital Fund to transform libraries, museums and galleries across the country.”

Responding to the Manifesto announcement, CILIP CEO Nick Poole comments, “This is a real win for CILIP, our partners at the EveryLibrary Institute and for everyone that has been campaigning to raise libraries up the political agenda. Public libraries are the heart of their community and they are in urgent need of reinvestment after 10 years of public sector cuts.”

“CILIP has been among those leading calls for public library standards for England. The lack of standards has led to a two-tier library service, with people in poorer areas losing out. We stand ready to work with any future Government to put standards in place quickly and effectively.”

CILIP has worked with the US-based EveryLibrary Institute to develop #VoteLibraries – a targeted campaign to improve political engagement with libraries and their transformative impact on peoples’ lives. As part of the campaign, they have worked with media star Bobby Seagull to develop a 10-point ‘Manifesto for Libraries’, which calls on all political parties to recognise the value of librarians and information in all sectors.

Notes to Editors

CILIP is the UK’s Library and Information Association, representing librarians and information workers in more than 20 industry sectors. For more information about their work see http://www.cilip.org.uk.

Libraries Deliver is the joint 2-year campaign led by CILIP with The EveryLibrary Institute to improve political engagement with libraries. For more information about the campaign see http://librariesdeliver.uk or follow the campaign on social media at @LibDeliverUK.

#VoteLibraries is the joint CILIP/EveryLibrary Institute 2019 General Election Campaign, seeking to harness public support for and political engagement with libraries. For more information on the campaign and to sign the Pledge see http://votelibraries.uk.

To arrange to interview CILIP CEO Nick Poole about this media release, please contact Ayca Ilcen at ayca.ilcen@cilip.org.uk

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