Wednesday 8 September saw the eagerly awaited announcement of the four Gloucestershire libraries shortlisted for the 2021 Vaisey Prize. Those packed (albeit socially distanced) into the Parliament Room at Gloucester Cathedral heard an entertaining introduction from Nick Poole, CEO of CILIP (Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals) before Debby Thacker, Chief of Judges, revealed the names listed below (in alphabetical order).

All pictures below are copyright Kate Bodoano

Bishops Cleeve, plus Winchcombe, Quedgeley, Matson and Tuffley, for their county-wide Summer Reading Challenge (SRC). This included a Vulnerable Children Project, getting packs to Looked After Children (children in care within the county) containing a new book, folder, stickers, medal, certificate, printed Reading Agency resources, a leaflet explaining SRC, a digital offer, and a leaflet on how to join the library. Also, for children accessing foodbanks, links were established with the Trussell Trust and independent foodbanks across the whole of Gloucestershire. 600 packs were given out.

Gloucestershire Libraries, for their HQ Digital Team. Whilst all libraries were closed during Lockdown, brand-new systems were devised, set up. trialled and rolled out in under 6 weeks, including Reserve and Collect, Off the Shelf, and Ring and Read. By July 2021, 6,282 new members joined the library.  

Gloucester Library, for their Cre8 Facebook page. This was created in October 2020 to support the local community and combat isolation in Lockdown. They wanted to continue to provide as many of the usual services as possible in digital format and promote to newcomers to the library. They promoted reading, mental and physical health, crafts, and Gloucester library in a range of different ways. Initiatives included outdoor scavenger trails in the local area, Cre8 craft packs, book displays, celebration days, book collections, Baby Bounce and Rhyme, Storytime, Lego Club, book quizzes, and craft activities with downloadable sheets. 

Matson, for their Libraries without Walls project. With the library closed for refurbishment, they set out to show libraries in a different light, setting up a Pop-Up Library at four different sites, working with different partner community organisations including the Baptist Church, Redwell Centre, Phoenix Centre and The Venture – White City.

Matson Library was the eventual winner of 2021 Vaisey Prize

Just two days before the winners of this year’s Vaisey Prize were announced, Reg Lee from Cheltenham Radio interviewed Liz Vella, librarian for children and young people at Gloucestershire Libraries. Their chat is available here as a Cheltenham Radio podcast; the picture below was taken during the recording.