National award success for Shetland Library

SHETLAND Library is celebrating after scooping a national award.

It won the library service excellence prize at the SLIC awards in Edinburgh today (Friday).

SLIC – the Scottish Library and Information Council – said the Shetland Library team won the award for their “commitment to maintaining their library service as a relevant, worthwhile and modern resource for people of all ages and walks of life”.

The organisation added: “They have established their libraries as a place of escapism from cost of living and other pressures, which has seen visits to Lerwick Library increase by 43 per cent this year.”

Alan Clarke, SLIC chair, said: “Shetland Libraries provides a perfect example of inspiring local leadership, ensuring all generations are catered for, from young families enjoying Bookbug to elderly users seeking digital support services.

“The breadth of their offering is testament to the encouragement and training provided to their staff, who have played an instrumental part in securing this win today.”

Shetland went up against Aberdeen City, Midlothian and Stirling for the award.

The local service, run by Shetland Islands Council, was highly commended in the SLIC awards in 2022.

As well as the main building in Lerwick, the service has community libraries in Brae, Baltasound and Mid Yell as well as a mobile van, while it also manages seven school libraries.

The SLIC awards are now in their fourth year and recognise the outstanding contribution Scottish library services and their teams make to support their members.