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January 2012
Love your libraries on
February 4th Libraries across the UK will
be celebrating National Libraries Day on
Saturday 4 February 2012 with a range of
events for library users and supporters to
enjoy.
The day is a
celebration of the work done in school,
college, university, workplace and public
libraries to promote learning, literacy and
the enjoyment of reading to all. It is
supported by a range of
twenty-five organisations
including the Chartered Institute of Library
& Information Professionals, the Reading
Agency, the National Federation of Women’s
Institutes, library campaigners and
publishers.
Library users new and
old are being encouraged to go along to
their local library and find out about the
great services on offer – from book loans
and homework clubs to advice on starting a
business and how to get online. Regular
users are being asked to bring a friend and
give them the chance to speak to library
staff and find out exactly what services are
available locally.
National Libraries Day is a great reason to
visit the library – whether it’s for the
first time or you go every week. We want as
many people as possible to discover
something new about their local library and
sign up for some of the great opportunities
on offer. Even if people can’t make it to
their library, they can still get access to
a range of services through library
websites.
National
Libraries Day is devoted to all
types of libraries, library users, staff and
supporters across the UK. It takes place on
Saturday 4th February and the week leading
up to it.
www.nationallibrariesday.org.uk
Map and list of
events:
www.nationallibrariesday.org.uk/get-involved/add-your-event
Logos and posters are
available to download:
www.nationallibrariesday.org.uk/downloads
Our supporters:
www.nationallibrariesday.org.uk/supporters
On Facebook:
www.facebook.com/events/149328731838191
Keep up to date on
Twitter using
#NLD12 or follow
@NatLibrariesDay
For more details about
Canning Town library:
www.newham.gov.uk/EntertainmentandLeisure/Libraries/LibraryDetails/CanningTownLibrary.htm
To celebrate National
Library Day twenty-three of our most
outstanding writers have contributed to The
Library Book, published by Profile Books in
aid of The Reading Agency’s library
programmes. The authors describe libraries
real or imagined, past, present, and future
- why they matter and to whom. They include
Julian Barnes, Alan Bennett, Stephen Fry,
Lucy Mangan, Val McDermid, Caitlin Moran,
Kate Mosse, Zadie Smith and Nicky Wire from
the Manic Street Preachers.
Kate Mosse said, “The
brick and glass presence of libraries at the
heart of our towns and cities gives the
unequivocal message that books matter, that
imagination matters, that the principles of
free and fair access to literature and
education to all matter. The most democratic
of spaces, libraries are places where anyone
- regardless of age or sex or background,
their ambitions and opportunities (or lack
of them) - is welcome and on an equal basis
and for free. Libraries are home to the
readers of today and the writers of
tomorrow”
Lucy Mangan recalled
her childhood experience of libraries, “I
thought my dad was having me on when I was
six or seven and he told me he was taking me
to a building full of free books that I
could take home, read and then return and
swap them for more, forever. We trotted
along the road - libraries need to be local
so that paying a visit feels as natural and
easy as popping to the shops, not like a
big, extra effort to be confined to the
occasional day when you have the time - and
it turned out he was telling the truth. It
seemed like a miracle and it still does.”
Alan Gibbons,
children’s author and campaigner, originally
called for National Libraries Day to take
place, he said: “The ability to read is at
the heart of being a civilised human being.
Research from the Organisation for Economic
Co-operation and Development shows that
reading for pleasure is the single biggest
indicator of our social and academic
success, even more important than our social
class. Your local library is the place you
can choose a book, use a computer, find out
about local history, do research, attend
literary events, access community facilities
and so much more. Now here's the thing, it
is free to use. Libraries and librarians
make a huge difference.
National Literacy
Trust research found that that a child who
goes to a library is twice as likely to read
well as one who does not. So what are you
doing on Saturday, 4th February and the week
leading up to it? Can you hold a story
telling, a read-in, a poetry session, hold a
talk about the history of your town? Could
you have a party to celebrate reading? Pop
down to your local library. Make sure you
use it, love it, join it.”
From the Guille-Allčs
Library in Guernsey to Orkney Library,
events are taking place across the country.
In London at Canning Town Library on
Saturday 4th February library users will be
able to hear stories and songs from the
Children’s Laureate, Julia Donaldson. The
event starts at 2pm and free tickets can be
booked through the library. In
Leicestershire, visitors to public libraries
will be able to hire a DVD, CD or audio book
for free. At Blackpool’s newly refurbished
Central Library Carol Birch, 2011 Man Booker
prize shortlisted author, will be speaking,
and TV Book Club’s Matt Haig will be at
Newcastle’s new city library. In Filey,
North Yorkshire, Chinese New Year
dragon-themed activities will be taking
place with a treasure hunt and library quiz.
The RNIB National Library Service will be
running free ebook taster sessions for blind
and partially sighted people at Stockport.
January 2012
We have great plans for expansion. The
third collection is being voted for now
until 29 February 2012. Visit the Fiction,
Non Fiction and Children’s pages to view the
titles showcased and cast your vote.
The 4th and last collection (Spring 2012)
before the Award Ceremony on 30 May 2012
will be showcased from 1 March 2012 till 20
May 2012. The last 9 finalists will then
join the 27 other finalists from the
previous collections. Voting for the
overall winners will take place from 21 May
2012 till 30 May 2012. Details will be
posted at a later date.
Publishers can submit their titles for the
Spring 2012 collection until 1 February 2012
–
Click here to download Call for Entries Form
August 2011 National
Federation of Women's Institutes - Love
Libraries campaign...
The National Federation of Women's
Institutes (NFWI) are collecting signatures
for their Love Libraries petition as
part of their campaign. They are calling
on the Government to honour their commitment
to act as a champion of the library service,
and hope to collect 100,000 signatures and
trigger a debate in Parliament. They have
just launched an online version of the
petition, on the Government's e-petitions
website at the link below. If you would like
to support them, do send this out through
your networks and encourage supporters to
sign and pass it on:
http://epetitions.direct.gov.uk/petitions/1269
July 2011 A
new company is formed to make The People’s
Book Prize the number one literary
competition in the UK and across the world.
Click here to read press release
June 2011: Voting
starts for the winners of 2010/2011 season
Voting has now opened for the winners of the
2010/2011 season.
Click here to vote for your favourite
title in each of the Fiction, Non
Fiction and Children categories.
May 2011: Frederick Forsyth
CBE becomes Patron...
We are delighted to announce that Mr. Fredrick
Forsyth has become our Patron following in the
illustrious footsteps of our Founding Patron, the
late Dame Beryl Bainbridge DBE. Mr. Forsyth needs no
introduction and we all welcome his valuable support
in the pursue of The People’s Book Prize’s aims to
discover writers’ talent voted by the public, raise
the profile of libraries and celebrate reading.
May
2011: Happy Birthday TPBP
TPBP will start its third year and is going from
strength to strength. Our goal is to fulfil Dame
Beryl’s words at the launch in 2009: “I look
forward to the time when we mention this particular
prize as the greatest”.
June 2011: TPBP
Award Ceremony - 20th July
TPBP second Award Ceremony will take place on
20th July 2011 at The Worshipful Company of
Stationers and Newspaper Makers, Ave Maria Lane,
London EC4M 7DD at 7 pm on Wednesday 20th July
2010. For further information: Tatiana Wilson
Prize Administrator The People’s Book Prize – 23
Berkeley Square – London W1J 6HE Ph. 0207 6656605
www.peoplesbookprize.com
Finalists 2010
Winners for 2010/2011
Winners - 2009/2010
