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Home | The British Book Awards

Library of the Year 2025

Karen Napier, chief executive of The Reading Agency, said: “This year’s applications for Library of the Year have been exceptional, showcasing the ingenuity and innovation that libraries harness every day to reach new audiences. However, the regional and country winners stood out for their creativity and impact. From large-scale authority-wide events, programming with diverse local partners, to careful and targeted initiatives like a book club for adults with Down syndrome, these winners exemplify the power of libraries to engage communities in meaningful ways.”

East England
Island of Ireland
London
Midlands
North England
Scotland
South-East England
South-West England
Wales

Winner

Manchester Libraries

North England

Revived after eight years away, the Library of the Year Award has a very worthy and inspiring recipient in Manchester Libraries.

It wins for its multi-strand ‘Blue Peter Book Club Live’ programme (pictured above), which made superb use of the revered Blue Peter brand to bring children and families into contact with libraries and reading. The centrepiece was a ‘takeover’ at the city’s Central Library, which included live CBeebies Bedtime Stories, book readings and performances, chances to meet the show’s presenters and sessions with star authors from the Blue Peter Book Club.

Activity fanned out across the city via a Blue Peter Book Club Badge Trail that connected 13 libraries and other cultural spaces, and through Book Hunt events in open spaces. Another project helped thousands of children create ‘Reading Book Birds’ for a library installation.

The takeover doubled the library’s average Saturday’s visitor numbers and more than 4,600 children became new members over the course of the campaign. “The engagement levels were phenomenal,” said the judges. “It’s a really committed team who saw the opportunity to work with Blue Peter and ran with it. They grabbed the attention of children and young people who had never been into that library, and kept hold of them afterwards.” They also applauded the role in the project of Blue Peter, The Reading Agency and Manchester City Council – who provided a heartening example of investment in libraries at a time of damaging budget cuts. “It’s great to see such amazing support for a library service.

The 10 libraries and services on this shortlist are winners in the regional and country round of the award. Manchester Libraries was the North England category winner.

Winners

Hertfordshire Libraries

East England

Hertfordshire Libraries is the East England winner. Its 46 libraries—13 run by volunteers—run a raft of initiatives to encourage reading for pleasure, and they came together to great effect on the 2024 ‘Summer Reading Challenge’. Nearly 18,000 children took part and staff did great work to champion the scheme in schools, encourage completion and sign participants up as library members.

Mullingar Library

Island of Ireland

Mullingar Library in County Westmeath is the Island of Ireland winner. It’s a very inclusive space that is available from 8am to 10pm every day and has just been given Library of Sanctuary status. It’s celebrated here in particular for its staff-led ‘All Star Book Club’ for adults with Down Syndrome. “I was never a big reader in school but now I’m making time to read,” said one participant.

Lewisham Libraries

London

Lewisham Libraries is the winner in the very competitive London category of the Award. It served its population—one of the most diverse in Britain—with a brilliant programme of events in 2024 including free monthly author visits, poetry recitals and team-ups with independent publishers. ‘Worlds’, an Arts Council England-funded festival celebrating science fiction and fantasy books, went down very well. Roehampton Children's Library and Eltham Centre Library are Highly Commended in the London category.

Stratford-upon-Avon & Alcester Libraries

Midlands

The Stratford-upon-Avon & Alcester Libraries are the Midlands winners. They’re celebrated for their ‘Chatterbooks for Reluctant Readers’ scheme, developed by librarian Ellie Champ in partnership with schools to bring more local children into libraries—especially in deprived areas. “The children have shown more interest in books and reading,” said one teacher after taking part. Leicester Libraries Children’s BookBus is Highly Commended in the Midlands category.

Manchester Libraries

North England

Manchester Libraries is the North England winner for its ‘Blue Peter Book Club Live’ programme. It used the much-loved Blue Peter brand to run events including a ‘takeover’ of presenters and authors at the city’s central library that doubled the average Saturday’s visitor numbers. A ‘Reading Makes us Free’ promo with schools was among a rich variety of other creative activity around Manchester. Oldham Library is Highly Commended in the North England category.

Midlothian Library Service

Scotland

Midlothian Library Service is the Scotland winner. It was also a Library of the Year back in 2014 and continues to serve its local residents brilliantly today. As well as nine buildings it has a mobile library to reach homes and schools in rural areas. Provision in 2024 included 81,000 visits to events and activities, with Bookbug Week, the Summer Reading Challenge and Book Week Scotland among the most popular.

West Sussex County Council Library Service

South East England

West Sussex County Council Library Service is the joint South-East England winner for ‘Read On’, its scheme to help adults learn to read. The volunteer-led project won Arts Council England and National Lottery funding and has met a big need for literacy training in a safe and non-judgmental environment. “I’m doing really well… it’s amazing to be able to read,” said one participant.

Winchester Library

South East England

Winchester Library in Hampshire is the joint South-East England winner for its Read Aloud programme of drop-ins that welcome people to listen to stories being read. As well as encouraging people to try new genres it’s been a great way to bring vulnerable people together in a welcome and safe space. It’s now been extended to Winchester GoLD, a group for adults with learning disabilities.

Braunton Library

South West England

Braunton Library in North Devon is the South-West England winner. Run by the Libraries Unlimited charity, it’s a vibrant space that hosted around 300 author, club, craft, writing, music, IT and socialising events in 2024. The highlight of the year was ‘The Gatherers’, a project to harness the power of nature on wellbeing and belonging with a group of Afghan refugees.

Awen Cultural Trust

Wales

Awen Cultural Trust is the Wales winner. The recognition is for its ‘21 Book Challenge’ at Bridgend Libraries, which encourages adults to read more with a competitive element. Staff supported it with lists and rewards, and it’s brought many people into libraries for the first time, while broadening the reading horizons of others. One participant said: “I’ve never enjoyed reading so much.”