20-02-2025
Exeter Library on shortlist to be crowned South West's best
Exeter Library has been shortlisted as the Best Library in the South West in the final of the British Book Awards 2025.
The library will be up against Bideford Library and Braunton Library for the award.
The regional and country winners of the Library of the Year award will be announced on Wednesday March 12, whilst the overall winner will be revealed during The British Book Awards ceremony at Grosvenor House London on Monday May 12.
The National Book Awards aim to recognise libraries for their ingenuity in the face of increasing pressures.
The British Book Awards 2025 Library of the Year Award, sponsored by publisher DK and run in association with the Reading Agency, celebrates libraries that serve their readers and implement initiatives which reach deep into communities, improving the lives of individuals through storytelling and literature.
Philip Jones, editor of The Bookseller and chair of the judges for The British Book Awards, said: 'I am absolutely delighted by the number, strength and depth of the entries in the first year we have taken a regional approach to The Library of the Year award.
"These are libraries busting a gut to put reading at the heart of what they do, and, as a consequence, improve the lives of their patrons. Focused on local people in everyday locations, highlighting the innovative work done in 2024 is vital and a real pleasure.'
Karen Napier MBE, and CEO The Reading Agency said: 'The exceptional entries to this year's Library of the Year award demonstrate the vital role that public libraries play in our communities.
"What particularly stands out is how these libraries have become true community hubs by working so collaboratively with local partners.
"These finalists represent the very best of what modern libraries can achieve, proving that libraries remain essential, dynamic spaces of learning, creativity, and community engagement, with reading at their heart.'
