Cityread London 20141

Look Left Look Right cast with Louisa Young, Cityread 2014 launch, St Pancras International © Rolf Marriott

Our aims• To create an internationally regarded, truly city-

wide, high-quality, inclusive, accessible cultural festival that has libraries at its core• To get more Londoners reading for pleasure• To get more Londoners using their public libraries• To create positive media stories for public

libraries• To help Londoners explore and celebrate our

capital through the arts

Image Bourgeois & Maurice, Cityread 2014 Club Forty Four performance © Richard Davenport2

Cityread 2014 successes included• A programme of over 700 events across all 33 London boroughs• Commissioning immersive pop-up performances from theatre company, Look Left

Look Right• Securing £124k digital advertising space on escalator panels at 18 central London

Underground stations from Exterion Media.• Opening reception and month-long exhibition at City Hall.• Launch at St Pancras International including giveaway of 1,914 copies of My Dear I

Wanted to Tell You at St Pancras International• Our first Cityread title for children, Private Peaceful by Michael Morpurgo• Free family day at Museum of London Docklands – complete with wartime sweet

shop and Music Hall performances• Engaging over 1000 Year Six pupils in twelve London boroughs in local archive

workshops and letter exchange programme• The creation of a Quick Reads sampler for use by emergent readers in libraries and

prisons

Image Catford Cityreaders 2014 © Cathy Myers

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What we did this year‘Alternative London’ theme – Rivers of London by Ben Aaronovitch

Covent Garden launch

33-library author tour

Immersive performances at Westminster Reference Library

Money-can’t-buy event on the Mail Rail

Comics panel discussion, The Society Club

Media coverage

Extensive local events programme

Image: Mama Thames in Rivers of London – A Hidden Chapter interactive Cityread/Look Left Look Right performance © Richard Davenport

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How We Add Value

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Our partnerships – publishers, cultural, archives, education, heritage, commercial, local & regional government, public bodies

The income we generate and the economies of scale we realise - £1.5m in four years. Library services contribute £550 pa.

The noise we make – our shared, louder voice; our media partnerships

Strengthening libraries – staff training, peer learning, networking

Image Cityread 2015 Covent Garden launch © Richard Davenport

Challenges & Opportunities

Increasingly diminishing public sector funding

Libraries under more pressure

But…

Forming Cityread charity

Young Cityread London

Coming to a city near you…?

Image Cityread 2012 launch at St Panccras International © Julian Creff

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Next steps…

9Author Ben Aaronovitch and actor Ben Bailey Smith (aka Doc Brown) at Cityread 2015 launch event, Covent Garden

www.cityread.london twitter @cityreadlondon facebook/cityreadlondon

Cityread London is owned, designed and delivered by Stellar Libraries CIC

Info Andy Ryan Director Stellar Libraries 07787 431219 andy.ryan@stellarlibraries.co.uk

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