Project summary

Engaging Libraries

Our Engaging Libraries programme supported public libraries to work with universities to develop and deliver public engagement activities and research on health, society and culture. The programme ended in 2021 and was a partnership between Carnegie UK, the Wellcome Trust and the Wolfson Foundation. There were 14 Engaging Libraries projects, based in 16 library services across the UK and partnered with a range of universities and community partners.

Engaging Libraries had three core aims:

1. Energise and empower people through engagement with research about health, society and culture in one of the following ways:

– Enable people to access, use and respond to research
– Enable people to value and think critically about research
– Enable people to play a role in formulating research

2. Enable public libraries to build upon and explore their civic role as safe spaces for participation and engagement with research

3. Facilitate partnerships between public libraries and universities or Independent Research Organisations (IROs).

Carnegie Library Lab

Carnegie Library Lab ran between 2014 and 2020 and contributed to the building of innovation and leadership in the public library sector across the UK and Ireland. It delivered this by providing dedicated funding to participants from the library sector, access to a bespoke online learning programme, mentoring, networking opportunities and evaluation.

Shining a Light

This 2017 research examined the operating context for libraries and shared lessons about the role of libraries in improving democratic, economic and social wellbeing in the present and in the future.