Published 19 November 2021
West Dunbartonshire libraries have successfully bid for £38,000 to launch an innovative project aimed at helping young people from underprivileged neighbourhoods with their learning after the disruption of the Covid pandemic.
The funding comes from the Scottish Government’s Public Library Covid relief fund and will be used to host fun learning and wellbeing activities for children, young people, and their families living in the West Dunbartonshire’s three most deprived areas. Library teams will look to support those who have experienced any issues with their learning during the last two years, such as technology or circumstances in their family life.
The service will use the money to offer a range of exciting activities focusing on science, technology, engineering, mathematics, literacy, numeracy, and art delivered internally and with external partners. Along with delivering activities, the money will also be used to purchase resources and staffing to assist with promoting and delivering the programmes. All library services in Scotland had the opportunity to apply for the fund, which was administered by the Scottish Library and Information Council (SLIC).
Councillor Ian Dickson, Convenor of Corporate Services , said: " I am delighted our Library Services have secured this funding and i'm confident it will be greatly appreciated by local families. The work will support children and young people in areas where it is needed the most and give them every opportunity to develop their learning after what has been a difficult two years. It is another example of how all of our libraries can play a pivotal role in the lives of our communities."
Councillor Ian McLaren, vice-convenor of Corporate Services, said “ This is a fantastic opportunity for our libraries to engage more with the area and for our children and young people to build on their knowledge of STEM. Our libraries are getting stronger and stronger, with free access to thousands of books and magazines, and significantly increased investment in books online via our digital app. This project is another example of the difference they can make.”