About us
Who we are
Libraries Connected is the membership body for public libraries in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. We are funded by Arts Council England as the Sector Support Organistaion.
Libraries are at the heart of communities, reflecting and responding to local needs.
They get more visits each year than any other cultural service, with a reach that extends right across income brackets, ages and ethnicities. They play an important role in promoting well-being and community cohesion by producing a range of cultural activities with their local communities, and providing many with access to vital online services.
Maintaining and building on the power of libraries is the heart of our mission. Our Universal Offers are key to this and cover the six key areas of service which our stakeholders see as essential to a 21st century library service: Culture, Digital, Information, Health, Learning and Reading. Underpinning these offers are our Six Steps Promise for the visually impaired and our Children’s Promise which aim to ensure that these offers remain accessible for all.
Our vision is an inclusive, modern, sustainable and high quality public library service at the heart of every community in the UK.
We will:
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Represent the public library sector to communicate the value of libraries
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Connect partners to local libraries by brokering national relationships with a wide range of organisations and individuals
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Improve library services by developing and sharing best practice, providing training for library staff and facilitating a network of library leaders in the UK
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Drive innovation and new thinking on the role of libraries in a modern society.
Libraries Connected is a charity that will build on our previous work as Society of Chief Librarians (SCL). We are now partly funded by Arts Council England as the Sector Support Organisation for libraries. This funding provides increased capacity with a new team of staff and trustees to work alongside our members. However, we are proud to remain a membership organisation, made up of every library service in England, Wales and Northern Ireland.