Newsletter, Network Meeting & Training

Community Libraries Network Newsletter

Our May newsletter is live, you can find it here to read updates and information about the Community Libraries sector: May Newsletter

Sign up to receive future editions of our monthly newsletter here: http://eepurl.com/hlJ3Kn


Network Meeting – May 2023

The next Community Libraries Network Meeting will be held online on Thursday 25th May @ 11:00am.

This is an opportunity for you to present topics, learning or issues of interest or concern for members to share, discuss or learn from.

In this meeting, we will be covering:

  • Introductions
  • Feature: James Austin (Jo Cox Foundation)
  • Network Updates
  • CML Feature: Alison Stewart (Northfields Community Library)
  • Discussion Groups

If there are any other topics which you would like to be covered, please email info@communitylibrariesnetwork.org.


Arts Council Funding – Introduction

Do you need help to develop your Arts Council England funding bid?
Do you need advice and tips to make your bid stronger?

This FREE session will look at:

  • Funding expectations of the Grants for the Arts programme
  • Lets Create – Arts Council England’s strategic vision
  • Tips to make your arts programme stronger
  • How to sell your project to Arts Council England
  • How to market and promote your project effectively
  • How to measure success

Follow up support will be available after the session.

This session will be delivered by Paul Kelly, Regional Network Co-ordinator for North & North-Midlands.

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April Newsletter & Network Meeting

Community Libraries Network Newsletter

Our April newsletter is live, you can find it here to read updates and information about the Community Libraries sector: April Newsletter

Sign up to receive future editions of our monthly newsletter here: http://eepurl.com/hlJ3Kn


Network Meeting – April 2023

The next Community Libraries Network Meeting will be held online on Thursday 27th April @ 11:00am.

This is an opportunity for you to present topics, learning or issues of interest or concern for members to share, discuss or learn from.

In this meeting, we will be covering:

  • Introductions
  • Feature: Katie Reddington (BFI Replay)
  • Network Updates
  • CML Feature: Lesley Brereton (The Place, Manchester)
  • Discussion Groups

If there are any other topics which you would like to be covered, please email info@communitylibrariesnetwork.org.

March Newsletter & Network Meeting

Community Libraries Network Newsletter

Our March newsletter is live, you can find it here to read updates and information about the Community Libraries sector: March Newsletter

Sign up to receive future editions of our monthly newsletter here: http://eepurl.com/hlJ3Kn


Network Meeting – March 2023

The next Community Libraries Network Meeting will be held online on Thursday 23rd March @ 11:00am.

This is an opportunity for you to present topics, learning or issues of interest or concern for members to share, discuss or learn from.

In this meeting, we will be covering:

  • Introductions
  • Feature: Linking Lives
  • Network Updates
  • CML Feature: Lucy Winter (Earlsdon Carnegie Community Library)
  • Discussion Groups

If there are any other topics which you would like to be covered, please email info@communitylibrariesnetwork.org.

A New Guide to Help Libraries Re-open and More

Libraries Toolkit

Libraries Connected published its toolkit to help libraries to reopen in July and to reintroduce their services gradually, in line with the latest public health advice. The safety and health of staff, volunteers and users are at the forefront, and the toolkit was developed in partnership with heads of library services and their teams. The set of resources will support their planning for service recovery as COVID-19 restrictions are lifted: For more information please select this link: Library Recovery Toolkit

Did you see this article in the Guardian about the re-opening of Libraries?

Thought you might be interested in this link to an article on the re-opening of Libraries in the Guardian featuring the Corbett Community Library: Select to find out more: Guardian Article

An example of how Dorset Library Services is working with local CMLs

Wool Community Library, Dorset

A massive thanks to Tracey McGregor, the Dorset Head of Library Service for sharing the following: Recovery planning, Risk Assessment to support staff return to sites and service offers and Individual Specific Risk Assessment Template. Tracey has been working closely with local CMLs to inform and go forward together. We hope you find them useful.

A Case Study from Jesmond Library in Newcastle

Chris Clarke and colleagues from Jesmond shared a case study about their journey as a CML and some useful lessons we can learn from their experiences, thanks to everyone involved.

Stay safe.

Funding Opportunity – The Art Fund

Art Fund Launches Respond and Reimagine Grants

The Art Fund is providing Respond and Reimagine grants to help museums, galleries and cultural organisations respond to immediate challenges connected to the coronavirus (COVID-19) crisis, and offer support to adapt and reimagine ways of working for the longer-term future.

These grants can provide practical support to fund what applicants need now. If an organisation is experiencing an immediate crisis with no alternative sources of funding, The Art Fund can consider offering emergency support to help organisations manage during this difficult period.

Applicants are encouraged to let The Art Fund know what support will be most helpful, such as costs connected to re-opening: Staffing Equipment Training Planning for future activities. All public museums, galleries, historic houses, libraries and archives in the UK are eligible to apply. Organisations that are a visual arts agency or festival are eligible to apply providing they can meet the above criteria and have a strong visual arts focus. Grants from £10,000 to £50,000 are available. The Art Fund will consider offering 100% funding.

Next Deadline is 6 July 2020: Click HERE to find out more.

Thank you.

CMLS – RENEWAL/RECOVERY

Hello everyone. We hope you are all safe and well.

The Network has been very busy recently: contributing to discussions at national level where we champion the voices/needs of CMLs; running bi-monthly virtual learning sessions; developing a CML database; undertaking research into CMLs which operate as Community Hubs with support from Power to Change; building our website and forum which has just been completed and ready to be populated; creating opportunities for CMLs to share their experiences with others and much more.

Over the next few weeks and coming months we will focus on renewal or recovery, sharing experiences of CMLs as they re-open their doors and services.

What is in today’s Article?

  1. Dates for the July virtual learning sessions focused on Renewal/Recovery planning
  2. A Case study about Garden Surburb Community Library’s Click and Collect Service; an interesting initiative from Archibald Corbett Community Library and a digital skills training case study from ClearCommunityWeb based in South London. Do you have an interesting story/learning to share with other CMLs? Please email us at info@communitylibrariesnetwork.
  3. Resources and Toolkits:
    • Twine Benchmark
    • Digital Boost
    • Digital Skills Training – A Case Study from ClearCommunityWeb in South London

Dates for the June and July 2020 Virtual Learning Sessions – Renewal and Recovery

Click the relevant date to join a session of your choice – we have spaces for 9 more people on the 9th of July. Once you confirm your place, we will send you an email with a Zoom link to join the session on the day.

Please note that the team will take a break from August, so the virtual learning and support sessions will resume in September 2020.

CASE STUDY: Garden Suburb Community Library’s Click and Collect Service

Like all libraries Garden Suburb Community Library made the decision to close on the 17th March, find out what they did and lessons learnt from their Click and Collect scheme.

garden-suburb-case-study-3 Download

CASE STUDY: Digital Skills Training in South East London

Since the beginning of the Covid-19 crisis ClearCommunityWeb in partnership with Upper Norwood Library Hub has helped over 100 people
stay connected online, many of whom are vulnerable or working with
vulnerable groups. Read the case study to learn more.

An Interesting Initiative by Archibald Corbett Library

The ‘Doorstep Chat’:  Throughout June & July they are offering a ‘Doorstep Chat service’ for customers that are shielding and fancy a chat! You can book a 30minute slot and a volunteer will come to the outside of your house and sit either in your front garden (if you have one) or on your front wall and chat with you. You can also use this opportunity to place book orders if you are a library member.

Plus the online support services starting form Monday 8th June  where you book a slot with a colleague from the Online Support Services. He can help you complete any online forms you may be struggling with. This will be done at a table in their courtyard out the back of the library so social distancing measures can be put in place.

RESOURCES AND TOOLKITS

Twine Benchmark: you can learn more about the financial health of your CML using Power to Change”s Twine Benchmark. To find out more please click HERE to access their webinar.

Boost your digital business skills: Digital Boost launches today, the platform is founded by Founders4Schools and BCG Digital Ventures, with support from DCMS. It offers free digital advice for small businesses and charities impacted by coronavirus, provided by expert volunteers, helping them to improve their digital capability to grow and prosper. You can download the media pack below:

Thank you all and stay safe.

May newsletter out now

The Community Managed Libraries Peer Network publishes a monthly newsletter with news and information from the sector, including funding and training opportunities. The May newsletter is out now and includes links for free training for impact measurement, using digital and stock acquisition and highlights three funding opportunities that are open for applications now.

If you don’t yet receive the newsletter and would like to read it or subscribe to future editions you can find it here.

The first Peer Network newsletter is out now

The community managed libraries peer network has published our first newsletter. We welcome comments, suggestions for content and most importantly we’d like network members to contribute to future editions of the newsletter. If you have anything you’d like published in the next issue then email communitylibs@unlt.org

You can read our newsletter here, but make sure you sign-up to receive future issues:

http://mailchi.mp/df227e87ab62/communitymanagedlibssept