There are currently 39 public libraries in Gloucestershire. Pressures on local authority finances in recent years have resulted in eight of these becoming community libraries, albeit they still receive a small cash grant. While no county library has yet closed, all of them rely heavily on volunteers to maintain what is an important community service.
It was concern over this deteriorating situation that led to the establishment of The David Vaisey Trust and introduction of the annual David Vaisey Prize, designed to recognise and reward outstanding library initiatives county-wide which improved literacy by encouraging, for example, more borrowing, reading and book discussions. In parallel the Prize aimed to enhance community support by encouraging volunteers and fostering the use of libraries as a quiet space for all members of society.
In 2023, not least to encourage greater participation, changes have been made in the submission criteria and the Vaisey Prize has been re-designated the Vaisey Awards. Previously, libraries were required to describe the impact of an initiative that was already up and running. Henceforth, in a simplified process, proposals describing an intended initiative and the resources and time needed for its implementation will be considered. The Vaisey Trustees are particularly keen to encourage projects involving collaboration with other charities and organisations.
Each year the Trustees appoint a panel of five judges with expertise in the literary field which, under the guidance of their Chair, painstakingly assesses every submission. Each library that enters the competition receives £100. Entries are whittled down, first to a long list and, later, to a short list of those eligible for annual Awards running into thousands of pounds – depending inter alia on viability and potential. The judges visit each short-listed library before making their final decisions. The Awards will continue to be announced by a well-known figure from the literary world at The Times and The Sunday Times Cheltenham Literature Festival. Libraries may use any prize monies awarded at their discretion for literacy and reading-related purposes.
One library will also hold for a year the Willans Bowl, given by Cheltenham solicitors Willans LLP. In addition, Bodleian Libraries invite staff of this library to visit Oxford and include a tour of its libraries. The 2022Prize was presented by Damon Galgut. Click here for details of the winners, Tewkesbury library.
To recognise the importance young volunteers play in the work of county libraries, a Young Persons Award was introduced in 2020. After a fallow year in 2021, due mainly to Covid restrictions, the awards – up to three of them – were reintroduced in 2022; each winner is awarded £100.
The Trustees work closely with the Gloucestershire County Library Service and The Times and The Sunday Times Cheltenham Literature Festival . At the outset Chairman of the Trust, Jonathan Taylor CBE, former chairman of the Booker Prize Foundation, expressed confidence “that the David Vaisey Prize will demonstrate and reinforce the continuing vitality and relevance of the county’s libraries and the importance of reading. With success in Gloucestershire this project could be extended more widely.”
When the annual David Vaisey Prize was established in 2016, Jane Everiss, Head of Gloucestershire Library and Registration Services said: “We are pleased to work closely with the Trust to encourage initiatives in libraries where reading has a real impact on people’s lives. We are equally pleased that we can recognise the invaluable contribution that volunteers make to our libraries.”
