Over 30 public and school libraries across Scotland have been awarded Scottish Government funding to deliver a range of innovative projects including initiatives to tackle climate change and promote sustainable development – but none of them are in Edinburgh.
The Public Library Improvement Fund and the School Library Improvement Fund are annual awards set up by the Scottish Government and administered by the Scottish Library and Information Council. This year nearly £400,000 has been awarded through the two funds.
Sustainable projects backed by the Public Library Improvement Fund include East Renfrewshire Culture and Leisure’s The Root Cause Project, which received £14,240 to transform an outdoor space at Thornliebank library into a sustainable community allotment and multi-functional space.
Funds for school libraries were awarded to projects championing anti-racism and anti-discrimination.
These included Prestwick Academy Library and Ayr Academy Library’s project Read Woke Primaries to curate a wider range of contemporary fiction written by, and about, people from minority groups.
Culture Minister Jenny Gilruth said: “Libraries play a key role in our communities and our schools and projects funded through these awards will help to improve the services they can offer.
“Promoting sustainability is integral to our Net Zero ambitions to tackle climate change and our public libraries are an important focal point for conversations and taking action.
“And as part of our wider approach to creating anti-racist environments in school, it is great to see school libraries engaging our young people on the importance of belonging, inclusion and social justice.”
Pamela Tulloch, Chief Executive at the Scottish Library and Information Council, said: “As we begin to rebuild our society following the pandemic, school and public libraries are an essential part of the recovery process to ensure our future social and economic well-being.
“We’re particularly proud to provide funding awards to projects that promote sustainable development in public libraries and champion anti-racism and anti-discrimination across school libraries as examples of how libraries can make a valuable contribution to Scotland’s social fabric.”
The total amount for projects from the two funds comes to £398,142.
Public Library Improvement Fund awards
| Leisure and Culture Dundee – Libraries Fintry Tool LibraryAmount awarded: £1,404 |
| East Lothian Libraries Libraries at PlayAmount awarded: £5,500 |
| East Renfrewshire Culture and Leisure – Libraries The Root Cause Project – Amount awarded: £14,240 |
| High Life Highland – Libraries Books and Beats – Amount Awarded: £5,500 |
| Inverclyde Libraries in partnership with Barnardo’sPlay Together – Amount awarded: £17,600 |
| North Ayrshire Libraries What’s Your Story – 22 for 22Amount awarded: £29,800 |
| Culture Perth & Kinross – Libraries Culture & Heritage ConnectionsAmount awarded: £14,800 |
| South Ayrshire Libraries Jock Tamson’s BairnsAmount Awarded: £9,200 |
| South Ayrshire LibrariesClimate for ChangeAmount Awarded: £26,610 |
| Stirling Libraries in partnership with Stirling University Making a Difference – Amount Awarded: £46,568 |
| West Dunbartonshire Libraries Towards a Sustainable Future – Amount Awarded: £21,435 |
| West Lothian Libraries in partnership with Heriot Watt University Eco-Ableism – Amount Awarded: £6,000 Total: £198,657 |
School Library Improvement Fund awards
| Aberdeen School: Dyce AcademyProject: Hear a Story / Tell a Story – Award: £4,000 | |
| School(s): Aberdeen City Libraries / Harlaw Academy with Holocaust Educational Trust Erika’s suitcase – Award: £8,000 | |
| Angus School: Arbroath Academy plus othersProject: OPEN – a book, your eyes, your world – Award: £1,630 | |
| Borders School: Arbroath Academy plus othersProject: OPEN – a book, your eyes, your world – Award: £1,630 | |
| School: Eyemouth High Project: Get Woke – Award: £8,150 | |
| Dumfries and Galloway School: North-West Community Campus NWCC Project: Bringing Diversity, Racial Equality to the NWCC Young adult Book Group – Award: £8,150 | |
| East Lothian School: Musselburgh Grammar Project Award: Digital Storybag – Award: £4,900 | |
| School: Lethams Mains Primary with EL Council – Project Award: The Borrowers Bus – Award: £9,000 | |
| Falkirk School: Bonnybridge Primary – Project: Bonnybooks: For a’ Jock Tamson’s Bairns – Award: £24,940 | |
| Fife School: Bell Baxter ClusterProject: Racial Equality Transition ProjectAward: £9,000 | |
| School: Carleton PrimaryProject: The Same Page – connecting families to promote diversity and equality. – Award: £5,500 | |
| Glasgow S -Award: £11,120 School: Barmulloch Primary & ALNProject: Digital and Family Learning HubAward: £13,000 School: Lourdes SecondaryProject: Inclusive Storytelling for Healthy Minds – Award: £15,870 | |
| Moray School: Forres Academy Project: Equality, Inclusion, Diversity, and a Mentally Healthy School – Award: £3,750 | |
| North Ayrshire School: Auchenharvie cluster and Strathclyde UniProject: Keep the Heid’n’Read Even Mair! – Award: £16,400 | |
| Perth and Kinross School: Breadalbane Community Library/Breadalbane AcademyProject: Read It Racism – Award: £4,220 | |
| South Ayrshire School(s): Prestwick Academy Library and Ayr Academy Library (in collaboration with 9 primary school libraries)Project: Read Woke Primaries – Award: £44,000 | |
| South Lanarkshire Schools: St Andrew’s and St Bride’s HighProject: Equal Voices using anti-racist and diverse texts in extra-curricular group discussion – Award: £5,125 Total: £199,485 |
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