iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Libraries Rising @librariesrising.bsky.social · 29/09/2026

Do you work with children and young people in a library? We want to hear from you! Our Skills Survey takes around 10 minutes and will help shape future training, resources and support. 📅 Closes 15 Oct 2026 🤩£40 voucher prize draw www.surveymonkey.com/r/KLJWFLK

surveymonkey.com

Skills Survey

Take this survey powered by surveymonkey.com. Create your own surveys for free.

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Libraries Rising @librariesrising.bsky.social · 17/09/2026

Over the coming months, we’ll be bringing together children, young people, families and library staff to share experiences and co-create the refreshed Promise and Journey. Find out more about what’s next and how you can get involved: librariesrising.org.uk/children-and...

librariesrising.org.uk

Children and Young People’s Promise to be refreshed with Arts Council England funding - LibrariesRising

We’ve been awarded funding from Arts Council England to review and redesign the Children and Young People’s Promise, including the Children’s Library Journey and its self-assessment tool. The project ...

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Libraries Rising @librariesrising.bsky.social · 17/09/2026

We’ve been awarded funding from Arts Council England to refresh our Children and Young People’s Promise and Journey! Created 10 years ago, they help libraries create welcoming and inspiring spaces for children and families. Now it’s time for a refresh and children and young people will shape it!

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Libraries Rising @librariesrising.bsky.social · 02/09/2026

It brings together tools, templates, evidence and learning to help library services strengthen their work with Family Hubs, and highlights the role libraries can play as trusted, accessible spaces for children, young people and families. Explore now: www2.local.gov.uk/toolkit/conn...

www2.local.gov.uk

Connecting Communities: A Family Hubs and Libraries Toolkit

This toolkit helps local authorities, libraries and partners strengthen the role of libraries within Family Hubs, providing practical guidance, evidence and examples of effective practice. It shows ho...

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Libraries Rising @librariesrising.bsky.social · 02/09/2026

Interested in growing your work with Family Hubs? We’re pleased to have supported the @LGA in creating the Connecting Communities: Family Hubs and Libraries Toolkit, with resources and case studies contributed by our members.

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Libraries Rising @librariesrising.bsky.social · 27/08/2026

Focus on long-term change Co-creation can transform services by building stronger relationships with communities, developing staff skills and creating more inclusive spaces

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Libraries Rising @librariesrising.bsky.social · 27/08/2026

Challenge the barriers Co-creation doesn’t have to be perfect from the start. Encourage the idea of experimenting with new ideas, reflect on what works (and what doesn't) and learn along the way.

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Libraries Rising @librariesrising.bsky.social · 27/08/2026

Better Engagement The strongest engagement happens when young people are involved early, trusted with real decisions and see their ideas reflected.

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Libraries Rising @librariesrising.bsky.social · 27/08/2026

Show the impact Co-creation builds confidence, develops skills and creates a sense of belonging and trust between young people and library services.

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Libraries Rising @librariesrising.bsky.social · 27/08/2026

How to make the case for co-creation in your library service? Use the evidence: Our Youth Engagement Network evaluation shows the impact on 236 young people and 20 library services working co-creatively

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Libraries Rising @librariesrising.bsky.social · 19/08/2026

Interested? Check out our free training resource, SparkSpace, it combines this learning along with practical exercises and activities, for you to apply the Lundy Model principles within your library teams to meaningfully engage children and young people. librariesrising.org.uk/sparkspace-c...

librariesrising.org.uk

SparkSpace Course Intro - LibrariesRising

SparkSpace will help you to… Who is SparkSpace for? SparkSpace is free to access. It’s for anyone working with or alongside children and young people in libraries. While it focuses on working with you...

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Libraries Rising @librariesrising.bsky.social · 19/08/2026

Want to build your library teams confidence in engaging children and young people? One of the most useful frameworks for doing that is Lundy's Model of Participation, which helps turn children's right to be heard into meaningful action through four key elements: Space Voice Audience Influence

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Libraries Rising @librariesrising.bsky.social · 05/08/2026

The impact: All young people felt their ideas, opinions and thoughts were listened to All young people felt more welcome in the library Young people became advocates for the library, returning with friends to access the space and activities

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Libraries Rising @librariesrising.bsky.social · 05/08/2026

At West Northamptonshire Libraries, what began as a project inviting young people who identify as LGBTQIA+ to work with the library changed when staff listened to feedback.

quote reads: Since the
introduction of the sessions two of the participants
have returned at
other times to the library with peers who do not attend the sessions in order to access the board games: this form of advocacy is invaluable to the service particularly with the demographic that we struggle most to interact with.

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Libraries Rising @librariesrising.bsky.social · 16/07/2026

Our Youth Engagement Network report has launched! Bringing together 236 young people and 20 library services, the report shares what happens when young people are genuinely involved in shaping library services. Find out more: librariesrising.org.uk/youth-engage...

bright coloured infographic sharing key figures and highlights from the youth engagement network report.

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Libraries Rising @librariesrising.bsky.social · 02/07/2026

We've been working with Arts Council England, Libraries Connected and CILIP to develop a shared strategy for the future public library workforce. From attracting new talent to identifying skills, we can make sure libraries meet the future needs of communities, including young people. bit.ly/4vsOJdv

bit.ly

Library bodies launch strategy to strengthen workforce | Libraries Connected

Four national organisations have come together to set out a shared vision for the future of the public library workforce, with a new strategy to guide services, leaders and partners across England.

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Libraries Rising @librariesrising.bsky.social · 02/06/2026

Behind the scenes, they give their time and expertise to guide our organisation to create libraries where children and young people feel understood, empowered and inspired. They bring experience from public libraries, education, public engagement, Schools Library Services, and social activism.

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Libraries Rising @librariesrising.bsky.social · 02/06/2026

This #VolunteersWeek, we’re celebrating all the incredible volunteers who support libraries across the UK. And this includes our trustees! Without them we wouldn’t be able to do what we do, so thank you to each and every one of you 🧡 Discover our trustees: librariesrising.org.uk/about-us/who...

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Libraries Rising @librariesrising.bsky.social · 12/05/2026

Finally he encouraged the room to see anti-racism practice, not just about what one person does, but how our actions sit within the wider culture and systems around us. Anti-racist practice isn’t a one-off activity or a tick-box exercise. It’s an approach that has to run through everything we do.

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Libraries Rising @librariesrising.bsky.social · 12/05/2026

He also shared ways we can change the physical environments, using picture books as mirrors so that children can see themselves in the books on the shelves, He stressed the importance of finding books that flip the script and celebrate black and minoritised people

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Libraries Rising @librariesrising.bsky.social · 12/05/2026

Young children are looking for people in the room who look like them. Shaddai shared the book Ollie's teacher as a resource to show the importance of helping children feel a sense of belonging and how adults in the room can understand and 'know' the children who are entering the space.

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Libraries Rising @librariesrising.bsky.social · 12/05/2026

Why we need it... Shaddai explored how anti-racism is still misunderstood, it's not only about getting more books on the shelf or only talking about racism when there is direct discrimination and he acknowledged how people are still scared of getting it wrong.

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Libraries Rising @librariesrising.bsky.social · 12/05/2026

Our final speaker of the day is Dr Shaddai Tembo discussing anti-racism in the early years. Exploring... What it is? Why we need it? What does it mean? #librariesrisingconference

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Libraries Rising @librariesrising.bsky.social · 12/05/2026

She closed by sharing Cambridge University's way of exploring support classifying libraries as a universal source of support and sharing ways libraries can have a role in early mental health through: The environment Books, reading and song Relationships and modelling Connecting to others

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Libraries Rising @librariesrising.bsky.social · 12/05/2026

A key takeaway was the importance of recognising cues, making the space and taking the time to notice the different signs to understand possible signs of difficulty. Signs can include: Freezing or becoming unresponsive Withdrawal Back arching in babies Extreme clinginess to primary caregiver

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Libraries Rising @librariesrising.bsky.social · 12/05/2026

She explored why early relationships are key. The importance of recognising expressions and cues as babies express themselves through the behaviours before they can talk, focusing on consistency and the importance of co-regulation to help babies feel safe and loved.

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Libraries Rising @librariesrising.bsky.social · 12/05/2026

Alice started by exploring what being mentally healthy looks like in early years, sharing some statements that are generally universal to good infant mental health I feel safe I feel loved I feel looked after I like being close to my parents and caregivers

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Libraries Rising @librariesrising.bsky.social · 12/05/2026

Children and babies experience a range of emotions in response to what happens in their lives- Next session of the day is exploring mental health in early childhood with Alice Haynes from Anna Freud.

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Libraries Rising @librariesrising.bsky.social · 12/05/2026

We finished off by experiencing schematic play for ourselves, twirling scarves, squishing fabric and playing with pompoms. Understanding schematic play, helps us to understand the reason behind activities and actions of babies to make sure we are able to 'hear' their voice fully.

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Libraries Rising @librariesrising.bsky.social · 12/05/2026

Attendees were encouraged to share how they enable babies to realise their rights. Comments included creating welcoming environment using colour and lots of things to touch, smiling, learning names of regular children, having multiple copies of resources and slowing down the pace to suit.

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Libraries Rising @librariesrising.bsky.social · 12/05/2026

Amy shared their Kite Model of Participation She shared how during a workshop she mirrored a 9 month baby's kicking actions. The baby noticed and changed their kicking rhythm. The rest of the babies in room stopped started to follow. A powerful anecdote of how a 9 month old influenced space.

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Libraries Rising @librariesrising.bsky.social · 12/05/2026

Amy started by asking 'what does the voice of the baby look like', explaining Starcatchers 7 engagement signals (how you know a baby is attuned) You can watch it here: starcatchers.org.uk/work/starcat...

starcatchers.org.uk

» Starcatchers Engagement Signals - Starcatchers

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Libraries Rising @librariesrising.bsky.social · 12/05/2026

Second session of the day is Amy Gibson from Starcatchers. There's pompoms and fabric on the tables- It's going to be a great workshop!

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Libraries Rising @librariesrising.bsky.social · 12/05/2026

Final activity of the session was to complete the sentence... It is ........... for children to develop a love of reading Suggestions from the online and in-person room included - Essential -Joyful -Fundamental 🧡 #Earlyyears #librariesrising

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Libraries Rising @librariesrising.bsky.social · 12/05/2026

They finished off their session talking about learning and development, encouraging people to consider if everyone is able to be included in the opportunities on offer.

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Libraries Rising @librariesrising.bsky.social · 12/05/2026

One activity around 'enabling environments' explored how to make a book box more inviting, Some great suggestions from our online attendees including putting fewer books out, adding stickers and soft toys around the books and putting themed story books next to matching non fiction theme.

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Libraries Rising @librariesrising.bsky.social · 12/05/2026

Shared top tips for 'building your library family' Exploring what type of outreach you could do to 'take the library to families', seeking out hard to reach families and developing library champions.

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Libraries Rising @librariesrising.bsky.social · 12/05/2026

They then introduced RAMPS, a framework for hearing the voice of the child: Recognising children’s many languages Allocating space Making time Providing choice Subscribing to reflective practice

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Libraries Rising @librariesrising.bsky.social · 12/05/2026

Do animals make the same noise in every language? This isn't a riddle, this is how Alison and Louise from Early Years Alliance opened our first workshop of the morning at our #LibrariesRisingconference. A great way to show how children communicate in many more ways than we often make space for!

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Libraries Rising @librariesrising.bsky.social · 12/05/2026

Next we heard from Jack at BookingsPlus, our headline sponsor. He shared practical ideas and tips on boosting footfall within libraries and ways to increase participation within services. Sharing their virtual tours tool and room hire service. Follow along for more highlights from the day!

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Libraries Rising @librariesrising.bsky.social · 12/05/2026

Our 2026 #librariesrisingconference has started! Tabitha set the scene for why early years work is so important, especially in the National Year of Reading. She encouraged everyone to immerse themselves in the day, guaranteeing you'll leave 'buzzing and fizzing' with ideas and knowledge.

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Libraries Rising @librariesrising.bsky.social · 11/05/2026

Whether or not you’re a contracted customer, Peters can help with purchasing stock for a new library or building up a specific collection. Get in touch Peters or email library.services@peters.co.uk.

Colourful plush pillows with expressive faces are displayed. They have emotions like happiness, surprise, and worry. The scene is playful and fun.

Children's reading nook with rainbow canopy, fairy lights, a wooden chair, and a book display on a colourful rug. Bright, cosy atmosphere.

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Libraries Rising @librariesrising.bsky.social · 11/05/2026

With their tailored supplier selection and dedicated customer service, Peters select the best books according to each library’s user profile, helping you make the most of your budget.

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Libraries Rising @librariesrising.bsky.social · 11/05/2026

A specialist book supplier to library customers for 90 years, their team of qualified librarians read and review thousands of children’s and YA books every year, and evaluate a wide range of adult titles including new releases, reading club popular books, award lists and on social media.

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Libraries Rising @librariesrising.bsky.social · 11/05/2026

With our conference less than 1 week away we wanted to share one of our sponsors, Peters. If you haven't come across Peters, they work with public libraries, School Library Services, prison libraries and museums around the UK to promote reading and support you in developing readers of all ages.

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Libraries Rising @librariesrising.bsky.social · 23/04/2026

The alliance is making a stronger case for investment, leadership and long-term support for libraries. The Libraries Alliance is an important step in bringing different types of libraries together to collaborate, build partnerships, strengthen impact, and amplify the sector’s voice.

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