Project celebrating Scotland's first black footballer up for award

Andrew Watson was the first black football player to represent Scotland in 1881 and this project proved to be an effective way of encouraging young people from minority communities to explore their cultural institutions.

The library is one of four across the country to be in the running for the award, which will be whittled down to one winner and one highly commended in the category at the annual SLIC AGM and Showcase next month.

That’s where services will be recognised for their commitment to creating value to the community.

The National Library of Scotland (Image: National Library for Scotland)

Also up for the excellent award is South Lanarkshire Leisure and Culture for their ‘Lending Voices Portable Podcast’ project, West Dunbartonshire Libraries for ‘Activism Through Art: Reimagining Scotland for Young Women and Girls’ and Culture Perth and Kinross for ‘I Read For…’.

SLIC chair Alan Clarke leads the judging panel alongside Scottish author Theresa Breslin OBE and The Herald’s own journalist Garrett Stell.

Mr Clarke said: “The SLIC Awards are about more than recognising first-class library services and innovative projects – they’re about shining a spotlight on the passionate people behind them who are channelling a great deal of care and creativity into every inspiring initiative they drive forward.

“From tackling cost-of-living challenges and embracing the circular economy, to creating community cohesion, this year’s submissions have shown that Scotland’s library services don’t shy away from taking on the big issues, and that the possibilities are boundless.

“Congratulations to the eight services shortlisted for the 2024 SLIC Awards. We look forward to inviting the nominees to celebrate their achievements with us when we announce the award winners at our Showcase and AGM next month.”

READ MORE

• The incredible story of Black Scottish football pioneer Andrew Watson

• 'There should be an Andrew Watson statue in George Square': The story of Scotland's black football pioneer

• How an empty high street shop became an award-nominated library

Full list of nominees

SLIC Project Excellence Award 2024 shortlist: 

South Lanarkshire Leisure and Culture

South Lanarkshire Libraries was shortlisted for its ‘Lending Voices Portable Podcast’ project. By offering portable podcasting equipment and support to the local network of 23 public libraries, it provided a platform to share stories, ideas and knowledge, enriching local culture and creating a sense of community. Pop-up podcasting sessions, including talks and

workshops, opened up an exciting range of partnership opportunities with people and organisations not previously engaged.

West Dunbartonshire Libraries

West Dunbartonshire Libraries has been shortlisted for its ‘Activism Through Art: Reimagining Scotland for Young Women and Girls’ project. In collaboration with the Young Women’s Movement (YWM), a group of fourteen young women were onboarded to represent diverse life experiences. The group workshopped with socially engaged artist and photographer, Nicola Stead, to explore how arts can be used to engage with social justice movements. The young women involved said they felt empowered by the project to express and share their voice in ways that hadn’t seemed possible before.

Culture Perth and Kinross

Culture Perth and Kinross has been shortlisted for its innovative ‘I Read For…’ project which combined reader development, digital creative skills and the exploration of racism as a contemporary issue. Partnering with a local school, pupils analysed set texts to identify themes of racism and scripted, filmed and edited a video that was subsequently presented to the school body. Outcomes included new skills and improved confidence, emotional intelligence and understanding of a complex issue.

National Library of Scotland

National Library of Scotland was shortlisted for its ‘Fitba Research Club: Andrew Watson’s Legacies’ project. The project brought together a team of 13 community curators aged 18-25 from under-represented and minoritised communities across Glasgow to celebrate the rich history of sporting achievement by Black people and people of colour in Scotland. It proved an effective way of encouraging young people from minority communities, with no previous library experience, to explore their cultural institutions and resources.

SLIC Library Service Excellence Award 2024 shortlist:

Aberdeen City Library and Information Services

Aberdeen City Library and Information Services has been shortlisted for its approach to developing library services for, and with, young people. The team worked directly with young people to gather ideas and develop taster sessions to bring them to life embodying the principles of UNCRC. This included working with local schools to introduce opportunities for young people to take part in and drive forward initiatives, like Aberdeen Reads Challenge (ARC), where the more than 20 children volunteered to train as ARC Ambassadors to promote the reading challenge.

Shetland Library

Shetland Library has been shortlisted for its activities aimed at engaging library users of all ages and stages. The past year has seen significant expansion of the popular Bookbug programme, with attendance rising 51%, in large part due to the striking enthusiasm of the Shetland Library staff. Similarly, their digital support offering was called upon when Transport Scotland moved ferry discount vouchers for island concession card holders online. This was a major change for a large elderly population, and staff received overwhelmingly positive feedback about their reassurance and support.

Midlothian Libraries

Midlothian Libraries has been shortlisted for its proactive response to cost-of-living challenges. As part of Challenge Poverty Week last October, the service relaunched four Warm and Well Hubs in partnership with other social services, providing advice on benefits, employability support and household budgeting. The service has also expanded its Lend and Mend offering into three branches, complemented by sewing and repair clubs to help people learn new skills.

Stirling Council Libraries

Stirling Council Libraries has been shortlisted for its focus on ‘bringing community back to libraries’. Post-COVID and amidst unprecedented budget pressures, the service has worked closely with communities across the Stirling Council area to ensure they are providing a service which is relevant and required. This is exemplified by Dunblane Library which has supported Ukrainian communities staying at Dunblane Hydro to use its services, introducing a collection of Ukrainian adult and children’s books. The services have seen a significant rise in footfall over the last year.