London Libraries Conference

What should every child find in their library?

That was the question we took to the London Libraries Conference, Reading for the Future, as part of our work to refresh the Children and Young People’s Promise.

The conference, organised by London Libraries, brought together people working across London’s public libraries and highlighted the creativity, innovation and partnerships taking place across the sector.

We created our very own ‘Wheel of Future’ to get people thinking about what children and young people should be able to find and experience in their local library. Attendees could spin the wheel to see which area of the Promise they would share their ideas about, and if they were really lucky, their wheel spin would land on a tasty prize or our elusive Libraries Rising badges. They then added their ideas to a Post-it Note.

Spinning the ‘Wheel of Future’

We had lots of delegates keen to spin our ‘Wheel of Future’ and share their ideas. The seven areas on the wheel came from the cornerstones of the original Promise, giving us a chance to find out which areas still felt relevant and what might be missing. We asked what children and young people should be able to Discover, Create, Belong, Experience, Learn, Get Involved and Engage with through their local library.

Ideas included book exchanges, graphic novels, large print books, art workshops, digital activities and podcasts for young people, alongside events, reading programmes and improved summer reading challenges.

Attendees shared lots of ideas about creating a sense of belonging, from better understanding children and young people to finding more ways to connect with them and work with partners such as early years services, family hubs and the NHS. They suggested opportunities for children and young people to learn from each other, including teens teaching younger children, AI and coding, and CV building. They also explored ways for children and young people to get involved, including book buddies, co-production and helping to design activities and services.

Why we’re refreshing the Promise and Journey

We’ve been awarded funding from Arts Council England to review and redesign the Children and Young People’s Promise, including the Children’s Library Journey and its self-assessment tool.

The Promise was created in 2013, followed by the Children’s Library Journey in 2015. Since then, children’s lives and the role of public libraries have changed significantly. Digital technology has transformed, the pandemic has reshaped relationships with public spaces, and libraries are supporting children and families in increasingly diverse ways.

Having not been revisited for almost a decade, it’s time to refresh the Promise and the Journey, and importantly, to include children and young people in these conversations.

Through co-creative activities and conversations with children, families and library staff, we want to understand what is working (and what’s not!) and what is missing. The ideas shared at the London Libraries Conference were the start of this conversation, with the aim to create a Promise and Journey that is relevant to children and young people whilst being useful and realistic for libraries.

A huge thank you to London Libraries for bringing the sector together and giving us the opportunity to be part of such an inspiring event and to everyone who stopped by our Wheel of Future to share their ideas.

Want to get involved? Share your ideas here