Latest news with #ScottishLibraryandInformationCouncil
Glasgow Times
10-05-2025
- Business
- Glasgow Times
Glasgow institutions awarded funding for library projects
The Scottish Library and Information Council (SLIC) has granted a share of £34,000 to six libraries and information centres across Scotland, including three in Glasgow, to support pioneering projects in 2025. Since 2013, the SLIC Innovation and Development Fund has awarded more than £400,000 to more than 40 projects. Read more: Former STV presenter to compete in international beauty competition (Image: Supplied) Now in its 13th year, the Innovation and Development Fund has previously helped develop new resources, inspired original research, and enhanced staff training. This year, the fund will support projects including an AI toolkit for staff training, a chill-out space for students, and a podcast studio. Glasgow Clyde College's Cardonald Campus Library will use the funding to create a quiet place for students to take breaks, complete with a mindful selection of books and air-purifying plants. The project is designed to encourage reading for pleasure, thereby increasing literacy skills while promoting student well-being. The University of Strathclyde's Department of Computer and Information Sciences is hoping to develop an AI toolkit and set of guidelines for Scottish libraries. This will be used to educate and empower library staff to make optimum use of emerging generative AI tools for information-related tasks and activities. Meanwhile, Glasgow Women's Library will extend its Adult Literacy and Numeracy (ALN) project, which supports women in understanding, reading, and writing words and numbers. The library aims to use the project to increase the knowledge of potential learners, partner organisations, and the general public. It also hopes to make the wider ALN project more accessible to women who struggle with literacy, or whose first language isn't English. (Image: Supplied) Read more: Concerns raised about drug use at historic Glasgow site Alison Nolan, chief executive of SLIC, said: "Scotland's libraries and information centres continue to evolve, creating vibrant, future-facing spaces that meet the needs of the communities they serve – and the Innovation and Development Fund is a vital catalyst for that continued progression. "By backing bold, creative projects, we're not just supporting innovation but helping services redefine their offering in a rapidly changing world. "These six initiatives demonstrate the power of libraries to lead on digital skills, wellbeing and inclusive learning in both urban and rural communities." More information on the Innovation and Development Fund is available on the Scottish Library and Information Council's website.
The Independent
12-02-2025
- Entertainment
- The Independent
McDermid praises ‘inspirational' libraries ahead of campaign launch
Bestselling crime writer Val McDermid has returned to her childhood library in Kirkcaldy, saying she she would not be where she is today if it had not been on her doorstep. The author, who is best known for her Wire In The Blood series and Karen Pirie novels, was visiting the library in Kirkcaldy Galleries ahead of the launch of the Love Libraries campaign. The campaign, which begins on February 14 and runs until October, is designed to encourage more people to join libraries and make use of what they have to offer, and focuses on the benefits librarians bring to communities throughout the country. I would not be where I am today if this building had not been on my doorstep Val McDermid, crime writer Val McDermid, who is a lifelong advocate of libraries, reflected on the role they played in her own life. 'It's great to come here today and see so many children finding ways to tell stories and experience stories,' she said. 'Coming back to this building, I remember how much it meant to me. 'I would not be where I am today if this building had not been on my doorstep. 'My parents couldn't afford books but they understood they were the passport to better life chances than they'd had. 'But it's not just writers who have their doors opened to the wider world by libraries. 'Engineers, lawyers, builders, artists, geographers, mathematicians, musicians – the list is endless. 'Libraries open windows that let us all fly.' The Love Libraries campaign is organised by the National Library of Scotland and a range of partners, including: the Scottish Library and Information Council; the Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals Scotland; the Association of Public Libraries Scotland; and the Scottish Confederation of University and Research Libraries. The campaign is part of the National Library of Scotland's centenary programme, and Val McDermid is one of the library's official centenary champions.
