2026 SLIC Awards
The SLIC Awards recognise the outstanding contribution Scottish library services and their teams make to support their communities and provides an opportunity to showcase staff-driven initiatives that have greatly enhanced user experience.
The Awards are open to all SLIC members which includes Scottish Public Library Services, many Further Education and Higher Education Libraries, and Specialist Libraries throughout Scotland.
Please check back soon for more information on the 2026 SLIC Awards.
The SLIC Awards recognise the outstanding contribution Scottish library services and their teams make to support their communities and provides an opportunity to showcase staff-driven initiatives that have greatly enhanced user experience. The Awards are open to all SLIC members which includes Scottish Public Library Services, many Further Education and Higher Education Libraries, and Specialist Libraries throughout Scotland.
Alongside the SLIC Team of the Year Award and the Project Excellence Award, this year we are launching a new award:
The 2026 Categories
The Jacqueline Geekie Award
For Excellence in Digital Innovation
This award honours the legacy of Jacqueline Geekie who passed away suddenly in March 2026. Jaqueline was a much-loved colleague of all who worked with her in Aberdeen City and Aberdeenshire Libraries. Jacqueline was also a much-valued member of the wider library community. As an inaugural member of the SLIC Digital Champions Network, she brought warmth, generosity, creativity and real vision to everything she did. Colleagues across Scotland have spoken about the encouragement and inspiration she gave them, and the impact she had on their confidence and ambitions around digital innovation. She was a true trailblazer, but also a wonderfully kind and supportive colleague and friend.
The intention of the award is to recognise individuals or teams who embody the same spirit of creativity, collaboration and encouragement that Jacqueline brought to the profession. We hope it will become a lasting tribute to the difference she made to libraries and to the many people fortunate enough to work alongside her.
Team of the Year Award
Recognising Outstanding Library Team Achievement in Scotland
The SLIC Library Team of the Year Award 2026 recognises library teams across Scotland that have demonstrated outstanding collaboration, innovation, and service improvement. This award celebrates teams who have worked together to deliver meaningful impact—whether through enhanced service design, improved decision-making, increased staff engagement, or initiatives that respond effectively to local needs.
Entries must highlight the work of library services and teams between June 2025 and June 2026.
Project Excellence Award
Celebrating Outstanding Library Led Projects in Scotland
The SLIC Project Excellence Award 2026 recognises the exceptional work of library teams across Scotland in delivering high-impact, innovative projects that support and enrich their communities. The Award focuses specifically on a single, defined project.
Entries must highlight the work of library services and their individual projects between June 2025 and June 2026.
An independent panel of judges will choose the eventual winners which will be announced at the SLIC Showcase and AGM on Friday 6th November 2026 at The Barracks in Stirling.
This year we are delighted to welcome two guest judges to the panel, Garret Stell and Susan Calcluth who will join SLIC Chair Alan Clark.
Garrett Baylor Stell is an education journalist who started working in rural North Carolina before moving to Scotland.
Since then, he has covered education in the Highlands and Islands and is now part of The Herald’s specialist education team.
Susan Calcluth is the Scotland Lead for the National Year of Reading 2026. Susan manages the programme in Scotland, working with key partners to deliver the campaign at a national level. She has worked in the charity sector for most of her career.
How to Enter
Entries to the 2026 SLIC Awards have now closed.
The SLIC Award shortlist will be announced Friday 9th October 2026 and the winners will be announced at the SLIC Showcase and AGM on Friday 6th November.
Rules of entry
- The Awards are open to SLIC member organisations only.
- Only one entry per SLIC member organisation will be accepted for each category.
- Initiatives eligible for the Award must have taken place between 1st June 2025 and 1st June 2026.
- The terms ‘innovation’ and ‘service design’ can be interpreted widely.
- All entries must have the approval of the Director or Head of Library Service.
- The deadline for entries is Tuesday 1st September 2026 at 12 noon. Late entries will not be accepted.
How will it be judged?
- All entries will be considered by an independent panel of three judges; the judges’ decision is final.
- SLIC staff will not be involved in any decisions regarding the judging or the shortlist.
Evidence-Led Libraries: Inspiring Innovation and Creating Communities
Scottish Library & Information Council
Annual General Meeting 2025
