Get Into Reading (GIR) is a partnership project, combining the skills and resources of The Reader at The University of Liverpool, Birkenhead and Wallasey Primary Care Trust and Wirral Libraries.  It is funded primarily by the Paul Hamlyn Foundation and is going from strength to strength.

The aim of the project is to remove barriers to library use, extend individual literacy, improve mental well-being, and build community through shared weekly reading groups, targeting hard-to-reach people across Wirral.  Such aims fit in with a recent government white paper that advocates a library agenda for social inclusion and working in partnerships that goes beyond the traditional library links.

The strategy is to engage with local communities, local community groups and voluntary groups as part of improving the quality of life and well-being of local people.

There are currently over fifty groups based on Wirral and they are run by GIR project workers, librarians and volunteers.

Locations vary from community libraries to day centres for adults with learning disabilities, hostels for the homeless, drug rehabilitation centres and homes for the elderly. In a typical week, GIR will work with such groups as recovering drug abusers, adults with learning difficulties, young mums and people with mental health problems or other chronic illnesses.  Some of those involved have been referred to the project by health professionals.

In each GIR session people listen to short stories, poems or novels read aloud by a group facilitator, and join in a friendly discussion, usually revolving around the subjects that come up as part of the reading.  There can often be a therapeutic aspect to discussions that emerge, and the sessions certainly build confidence.  The fact that material is read aloud in an informal setting over a cup of tea makes the activity accessible to everyone whatever their educational background.

In the words of one group member:

‘This is really good. There is no pressure and you meet lots of new people. It has given me an interest after a really difficult time in my life’.

As stated in Framework for the Future, successful modern library services are not stand-alone. They thrive when they play a clear role within local authority strategies to promote learning and social cohesion.

The GIR partnership reaps benefits for both sides. The project workers have access to library premises and resources plus specialist help, support and advice.
Wirral librarians, meanwhile, know that a love of reading is being fostered in places that have been traditionally hard to reach.  This is an ideal way of bringing books and reading to individuals who may not normally go into their public libraries, and is reader development in its broadest sense.

Jane Davis, director of the project, also delivers made-to-measure training to librarians and staff from other organisations who wish to put shared reading at the heart of their work.  From a half-day seminar to a year’s training support, Read to Lead training can be tailored to meet the client’s specific needs.  The training can help with team-building, raise awareness of social inclusion issues, and build confidence about taking books and reading out of traditional library reading-group settings.

In the words of Sue Powell, Head of Service for Wirral Libraries:

‘The project is an excellent one; libraries and GIR are providing the social glue in a society that is becoming increasingly fragmented.  It is definitely a project that is working for the benefit of Wirral citizens.’