Putting Libraries and Reading at the Heart of Council Priorities

2026 is The National Year of Reading! This UK-wide campaign is designed to inspire more people to make reading a regular part of their lives. 

Public libraries play a crucial role in promoting reading for pleasure and will continue to do so throughout this year.

Today we’re shining a spotlight on the work The Reading Agency (which is supporting public library engagement during the NYR) is doing in partnership with local authorities to develop local reading strategies. 

Putting Libraries and Reading at the Heart of Council Priorities

The Reading Agency is a UK charity working to inspire personal and social change through the proven power of reading. We do that in collaboration with partners through our projects and programmes, as well as through our research and evaluation services.

Over the past three years, we have been working with three library authorities to shape a new cross-authority approach to reading strategy development that positions libraries and reading at the heart of local government policy. . 

Instead of being  library service focused, it looks outwards, positioning libraries and reading within the wider context of community need and linked Council priorities such as public health, skills and learning, and community cohesion to deliver an approach that is library led but Council wide and Council powered.

The approach

Our reading strategy development offer comes out of local-level mapping with an action plan responding to community needs and with libraries and reading at its core. We first tested the approach with Islington Library Service, and have since adapted our methodology for different contexts, working with the London Borough of Camden and Wiltshire County Council. 

The methodology includes:

• A detailed local-level needs analysis and mapping of existing Council strategies and community initiatives to identify key audiences and themes for further exploration. 
• Interviews or focus groups with a diverse range of Council services and community partners, supporting residents of all ages, to understand their priorities and the ways that reading might fit into the delivery of key aims.
• Consultation with residents to understand the needs and priorities of local communities and ways of increasing access and uptake to reading-related activities.
• Research on the benefits of reading in effecting change for individuals and communities, related to key priorities.

Using findings from these sources, we collaborate with the library service and any other steering group members to produce a set of recommended aims and objectives, as well as a high-level action plan for delivery and evaluation of the strategy.

Value and relevance

The approach challenges the boundaries of the traditional library reading strategy model, positioning libraries’ work with reading not just within the service but as a tool for delivering priority outcomes for the whole local authority. It places reading and libraries at the centre of the agendas driving Council delivery, strategic thinking and investment plans, whilst also delivering new partnership opportunities and a raised profile for the library service.  

It’s also outcome focused and rooted in the real and measurable difference that libraries’ work with reading can make for individuals and communities in terms of growth, regeneration and personal and social change.

We’re excited about the potential of our cross-authority strategy model to make a real difference to the positioning and impact of libraries’ work with reading in the wider local authority context. With the advocacy and amplification potential of the National Year of Reading, what better way to embed the power of libraries and reading with local authority partners than through a shared reading strategy.

Local impact and the strategy in practice

“Our aim was to reposition libraries both within the Council and in the wider community, showing the impact we can have through collaboration. With reading at the centre, we wanted a strategy that addressed inequalities and demonstrated real value to other services and organisations. Partnering with The Reading Agency gave the work credibility, and forming a cross-sector group to develop and deliver the strategy has been transformational.”

• Fiona Tarn, Head of Libraries, Camden Council 

“Following our Library Peer Challenge, we developed a Library Strategy and the natural next step was a Reading Strategy. Reading transforms lives – building skills, tackling inequalities and empowering people of all ages. This work has sparked cross-departmental conversations, strengthened partnerships and given us a structured, strategic way to showcase our reader development work. It’s repositioned libraries at the heart of Council priorities.”

• Jessica Phillips, Library Stock & Resources Manager, Wiltshire Council

National Year of Reading

The National Year of Reading is a great platform to advocate the case for reading and the vital work libraries are doing to promote engagement with reading, this year and every year. The Reading Agency has been appointed to work with sector partners to deliver and support public library engagement during the National Year of Reading. As part of that work, we have produced Why Reading Matters: A Local Authority Toolkit to help libraries and their partners make the case for reading as a powerful tool for local change. 

Funded by Arts Council England, the toolkit brings together headline evidence, adaptable key messages, real-world examples of library activity and practical templates to help support local advocacy, partnership conversations and future funding opportunities during the National Year of Reading and beyond.

Together with our partners, we’re proving that libraries and reading can sit at the heart of local authority strategy – driving impact, inclusion and long-term change. Find out more about our work at readingagency.org.uk.