Case studies

The Story Buses were initially launched in January 2020. The buses arose from the need to replace the library vehicle fleet and resulted in two Story Buses, named Sam and Nelly by the children, with exciting exterior designs by illustrator Nick Sharratt and interiors with well-designed spaces to sit and read.

Reception Reading Stars is a reading activity to help foster a love of books and reading targeted at parents/carers of children about to enter reception class in September.

The idea of reading to a dog originated in America. Alison Tutill had seen some research carried out by BookTrust and thought it would be something we could offer in libraries.

The BookTrust’s Storytime Prize aims to build confidence and enjoyment in sharing books with children and encourage visits to the library, by inviting families to explore and vote for their national Storytime prizewinning book.

The Start Well Wheel is a tool for parents/carers to track all appointments and key milestones in their child’s life.

Tameside Story Makers has weekly storytelling sessions targeted at preschool-aged children.

Artists are working in libraries and children’s centres to develop their creative practice for babies and their families.

Libraries across Dorset host a range of early years programmes such as Rhyme Times, Library Gets Lively and Story Times to support early language development and a love of books and reading. Following a Rhyme Time session at Portland Library, staff identified a need to develop their sessions in response to the requirements of some of their families; in the main the isolation of some parents who found it difficult to break into established groups, or who were new to the area and had not developed relationships with other parents.

This case study explains how Southampton City Libraries became a Library of Sanctuary in October 2020. This case study explains how Southampton City Libraries became a Library of Sanctuary in October 2020. This case study forms part of the Culture Hub.

This programme aims to tackle holiday hunger, isolation, and inactivity during the school holidays. It focuses on children aged 5 to 11 years old who are eligible for free school meals. Children are referred to the programme by their schools and other agencies. This case study is part of the achieving efficiencies section of our online culture hub.