Oxgangs Library, Saughton Library at HMP Edinburgh and Edinburgh Libraries Mobile Library service have been named the best in Scotland at The British Book Awards.
The three services – all part of the city of Edinburgh Library Service – were named Scottish Library of the Year for their collaborative Secret Santa initiative.
The award is run in association with The Reading Agency and celebrates libraries that inspire local communities to engage in reading and the services offered by their local libraries. The cross-service project focused on combating mental health struggles faced by inmates of HMP Edinburgh during the festive period.
Programme Leads Emily Pickard, Oxgangs Library Supervisor, and Saughton Librarian James Ripley worked together on the project which took place last December. Library Assistants from each service selected books for prisoners based on the reading preferences of those who had signed up for the programme. Books from Oxgangs Library were then delivered to the prison by the mobile library service over several weeks to ensure Saughton Library staff could gift wrap them in time for Christmas Eve.
Oxgangs Library Supervisor Emily Pickard explained: “The aim of the Secret Santa programme was to reduce loneliness and combat mental health struggles among prisoners through library books. We know that people in prison can be affected by loneliness especially at Christmas time.
“We asked those who had signed up for details of genres and authors that they liked to give us a basis for the types of books we could give them. It’s hard to stay up with reading trends or try new authors and so we tried to make sure that the books we lent were of high quality. Some of them were brand new – to give the sense of being special. The books were then gift wrapped and included an anonymous Christmas card and a bookmark with Christmas cracker jokes.”
A Shared Experience
Approximately 16% of the prison population signed up for the programme, with 15% being first time users of the library service. Feedback has also suggested the programme has been a great success.
Emily said: “We wanted to create a shared experience – many have families that they don’t get to open presents with and this gave them a way to strengthen family bonds and connect with those at home.
“The feedback we have received has been very positive, with some saying that it has helped with their mental health and feelings of loneliness.”
The project leads now hope that the programme will inspire other public library services to forge deeper connections with their prison counterparts to help improve outcomes, literacy, and mental health.
Emily said: “The success of our Secret Santa programme is purely based on our unique position to collaborate so effectively. I believe, though, that this would be possible to implement in other services, albeit with different logistical solutions.
“The main aim is to connect to individuals who may not have anything to look forward to at the holiday season and give them a source of brightness. This could be individuals living in sheltered housing, foster homes, women’s aids, families who are vulnerable or living in poverty. It’s a way to reach out and show that someone – their public librarians – care and are always here for them. I would love to see the programme expanded to encompass a wider range of vulnerable individuals who then, hopefully, turn to their libraries when they need refuge.”
Culture and Communities Convener Margaret Graham added: “I’m absolutely delighted that we’ve been recognised as a Regional and Country winner for Library of the Year. This achievement is testament to the dedication and creativity of the teams at Oxgangs, Saughton Library at HMP Edinburgh and our Mobile Libraries service, whose hard work has made this possible.
“They delivered a thoughtful Secret Santa initiative that provided gift-wrapped books for people in custody at what can be a particularly lonely time of year. The project not only helped boost participation with the library but brought comfort to so many.
“My congratulations also go to the teams at Craigmillar and Kirkliston and South Queensferry Libraries who were recognised as finalists. I’m so proud that we have such a fantastic library service across the whole city.”
