Library Services Help Youngs Achieve Their Potential

A new vision for library services aimed at young people was explored at the Fulfilling Their Potential conference this week. Beverley Hughes, Minister for Children, Young People and Families gave a key note address, urging local authorities to ensure libraries are treated as essential partners in helping young people achieve their full potential.

"Libraries are uniquely positioned to reach out those young people who typically find our services hard to access - young people in care, young people with disabilities or young people from traveller families, who the typical one-size-fits-all approach to public services will do little to help," the Minister said.

The conference, organised by The Reading Agency and hosted by Chelsea Football Club's Education Department, highlighted how helping young people play a central role in designing library services is part of a new vision. "From a young person's point of view this new vision creates safe, welcoming spaces staffed by friendly, knowledgeable people you can trust, people who can offer a wide range of interesting things to do and help you develop new skills," said Miranda McKearney, Director of The Reading Agency.

Ben Towers, aged 14 and a member of Derbyshire Libraries' Book Pushers group welcomed the new vision, saying it would enable the library to become "a place for kids to be kids and have fun, and enjoy themselves while hopefully learning at the same time. So they see learning not as a chore but as something to enjoy."

Sue Wilkinson, Director of Policy and Advocacy at MLA said, "The conference today has demonstrated how libraries are changing to meet the learning and social needs of young people, providing them with the opportunity to develop their skills and have fun in their pressurised lives."

Book Bars, a 2007 initiative part-funded by the Lottery's Young People's Fund, will breathe life into this vision as it creates 20 prototype teenage library services. The Book Bar idea was developed by young people in Derbyshire and includes the idea of volunteer Book Waiters who will serve their peers with refreshments and book recommendation ideas.

National library change programme

These developments are part of Fulfilling their Potential, a national library change programme which is a flagship element of Framework for the Future, the government's strategy for modern libraries. It is run by The Reading Agency, with funding from the Museums Libraries and Archives Council.

The programme includes a range of resources and tools to support libraries in improving their services to young people aged 11 - 19. An Improvement Framework enables library staff to assess their current level of provision and to identify priorities for improvement. At the heart of Fulfilling their Potential is a commitment to involving young people in the process. From selecting books and other materials to training staff and designing library spaces, young people are getting actively involved in creating modern library and reading services which meet their needs.

Working in Partnership

The Conference recognised that the new vision depends on the support and participation of a range of partners at a local, regional and national level. Locally, youth workers play a key role in helping libraries to connect with young people within their communities. Regionally, organisations like the Regional Youth Work Units deliver effective training to library staff to communicate effectively with young people. Nationally, The National Youth Agency, the Society of Chief Librarians and the Association of Senior Children's and Education Librarians play a key role in ensuring that changes in young people's library services are supported at a strategic level.

The delivery of the Conference in partnership with Chelsea Football Club is a good example of partnership in action. Suzi Raymond, Education manager at Chelsea Football Club said: "As a club Chelsea take their role in the community very seriously and we were delighted to join The Reading Agency and the Government to support this outstanding initiative. We believe that sport, in particularly football, can have a huge influence in helping deliver educational and other social inclusion initiatives. Our players continue to support the Premier League Reading Stars initiative and each year the Club helps to encourage thousands of learners to develop their literacy skills and enjoyment of reading" -- www.mla.gov.uk