Libraries Event in Parliament

I attended the Libraries Alliance event on 11 March 2026 which brought together a wide ranging group of people who support our Libraires both local and national and as a networking event.  

Richard Ovenden who is Bodley’s Librarian at the University of Oxford gave a speech and highlighted the importance of Libraries. He said there were 5 main sectors which benefit from Libraries: 

1. Education

The education sector, particularly higher education, has become even more critical in the post-pandemic world. the demand during the pandemic was enormous.  Demand for learning has grown, and higher education institutions must become agile in order to support their users. Libraries must be supported to meet the increasing demand.

2. The Knowledge Economy

Organisations such as EBSCO,  a major provider of library technology and e-books, have extended beyond traditional academic materials to provide resources for  musicians for musical scores, actors and the creative industry more widely.  

3. The Research Economy

Library staff are active within the ‘research to innovation’ space, creating intellectual property for us.

4. Digital Economy

Big tech scraped knowledge and they are now coming for libraries  which have had take some data offline to stop AI companies from accessing it. There needs to be regulation of the AI industry.

5. Heritage Economy

Genealogical research remains a popular area of interest, generating income for companies.  The core mission is to preserve and share knowledge, establishing libraries as guardians of facts and truths.

In February 2025 the Government announced a fourth round of the Libraries Improvement Fund (LIF) for 2025/26. The package offers a total fund of £5.5 million, from which libraries run by local authorities in England can apply for funding of between £50,000 and £500,000. The funding can be used for a range of projects “to upgrade buildings and technology so they are better placed to respond to the changing ways people are using them”. The funding will be distributed by Arts Council England.