A man sits at a computer in a library. He has his back to us.

LibraryOn grants programme

The LibraryOn grants programme funded public libraries in England to improve their online presence and discoverability.

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LibraryOn grants evaluation report

The report includes:

Analysis of how investment transformed libraries' digital capabilities

Case studies and testimonials from grantees and customers

Infographics showing how money was distributed

Tips on delivering digital projects

Suggestions for future library sector digital development.

Round 1

Submissions are now closed

The first round of LibraryOn's grants programme was completed in January 2024. Visit our Round 1 page to learn more about how the grants were awarded and the library projects that benefited.

Find out more

Round 2

Submissions are now closed

The second round of LibraryOn's grants programme was completed in March 2024. Visit our Round 2 page to learn more about how the grants were awarded and the library projects that benefited.

Find out more

Overview

LibraryOn's grants programme is two funding rounds with a shared goal: to improve online presences and increase digital discoverability in public libraries.

All statutory library services in England are eligible for funding, as well as services applying as a consortium. Our funding is for capital activity only and, whilst match funding is not required, services can use their own funding to support non-capital expenditures.

In the first round we awarded £1.09m, spread across 27 projects. Grants ranged from £10,000 to £70,000, and projects included:

Upgrading existing websites.

Upgrading other online offers or services.

Piloting something brand new.

Applications were carefully considered through a robust, two-stage decision making process, involving panels of sector experts. Successful grantees have until January 2024 to complete their projects. A full list of awarded projects is available on our Grants Round 1 page.

In the second round an additional £500,000 was made available. Services were invited to apply for funding of projects in the following categories:

Library apps

Online registration

Virtual tours

Upgrades or improvements to Library Management Systems

The round closed on 1 November 2023 and details of awarded projects can be found on our Grants Round 2 page.

Community of Practice

We developed a Community of Practice (CoP) to allow services to support one another and maximise learning, both during the lifespan of the projects and beyond. The CoP’s three aims are:

To share – creating a space where projects can learn from one another, share ideas and explore ways of working around digital capability.

To learn – a programme of workshops and seminars to support project activity and develop skills and expertise.

To be inspired – inviting industry specialists from library, digital and other sectors to present on relevant topics

We asked services about the areas related to digital activity that they would most want to learn more about. Using this feedback we built a programme of expert speaker sessions, shaped by our CoP but also open to the wider sector.