The Reading Agency's Head of MarComms Hayley Butler and Research & Evaluation Manager Dr Carina Spaulding present to All-Party Parliamentary Group for Libraries, Information and Knowledge on 30 November 2021

1. The Reading Agency: Supporting libraries
and their users through the pandemic
HayleyButler– Headof MarComms
Dr Carina Spaulding – Research & EvaluationManager

2. About TheReadingAgency
Our mission is to tackle life’s big challenges through the proven
power of reading
Our programmes:
• are UK wide
• reach 1.9 million people
• are for all ages and all types of readers
• are co-created with our beneficiaries
• deliver robust evidence of impact

3. Programme Partners: Libraries
We have a special partnership with public libraries:
• Shared belief in the power and impact of reading
• Shared ambitions for local communities
• Shared commitments towards everyone’s right to access and
representation
• Libraries are seen as trusted, safe, non-stigmatising community
spaces

4. 4
How we have supported
communities during the
pandemic…
Read Talk Share – with funding from DCMS we rolled out
Reading Friends and Reading Well nationally – over
140k engagements and 311,783 books gifted in 2021
We have reached over 1 million through our children’s and
young people’s programmes in 20/21, including through
the Summer Reading Challenge

5. Of NoFixedAbode:
Buildingthe PublicLibrary Offer
• Context of research
• Call for information and evidence
• Workshop: Of No Fixed Abode: Building the Public Library
Offer
• Wider evidence base
• Scale of homelessness
• Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic
• Mental health and loneliness

6. The current publiclibrary offer:
peoplelivingwith no fixedabode
• Enabling engagement with reading
• ‘Free’ memberships
• IT, computer and internet usage
• Physical access and provision of toiletries, sanitary products
and clothing
• Support with social and cultural engagement
• Signposting to essential services

7. Key challenges
Engagement Access
Dismantling
Prejudices
Support with
Complex Needs

8. How canthe sector support people
livingwith nofixedabode?
• Universal access
• Skills development
• Mental health and wellbeing support
• Cultural and social engagement
• Engaging people with lived experience in the
development of library programmes and services

9. • Follow-up workshop in January 2022 with libraries and people with
lived experience
• Danny Lavelle will be joining the event to speak about the ways libraries and
reading offered sanctuary during a period of living in emergency
accommodation
• Identify priority areas for development and create action plan
• Continued partnership with Big Issue
• Practical approaches for library signposting to vendor opportunities
• Working with local partners to deliver evidence-based wellbeing and
social connectivity benefits for individuals and targeted communities
Next steps

10. 10
www.readingagency.org.uk
Contact: Hayley.butler@readingagency.org.uk or
carina.spaulding@readingagency.org.uk