Manchester Libraries were recently finalists in all three categories at the prestigious EDGE conference in Edinburgh, and won one award! 

The EDGE conference is held annually in Edinburgh, and were held this year on 14th-15th March, focusses on libraries and the effect they have on people’s lives.   

  • Social Category – Winner – Manchester Libraries Age Friendly Work 
  • Digital Category – Finalist – Manchester Libraries, Lets Get Digital 
  • Physical Category – Finalist – Abraham Moss Library and Leisure Centre 

Social Category – Winner – Manchester Libraries Age Friendly Work 

Our Age Friendly work won the Social Category! This award is for all Manchester Libraries staff and volunteers who have worked tirelessly over the past few years to ensure that all our libraries become recognised as Age Friendly venues and services, maintaining that standard for our older customers. By listening to the voices and experiences of the over-50’s customers and taking on board their comments and suggestions in addition to working in partnership with Age Friendly Manchester, we adopted a set of Age Friendly standards which set out how we will ensure that our services and buildings are Age Friendly.  

Manchester libraries are now seen as creative community hubs, an important and crucial feature of an Age Friendly neighbourhood that are vital to building resilient and cohesive neighbourhoods, research has shown that as we get older increasing amounts of our time are spent in our home and local neighbourhood.   

All our libraries have ‘Age Friendly Libraries’ status and proudly display the new Manchester Age Friendly Library logo, which was specially designed for Manchester Libraries. We are committed to Manchester’s Age Friendly strategy. Library staff actively encourage older people to participate in social and cultural events not only to help with their health & wellbeing but to help them to enjoy new experiences and to visit places they have never been to before. Here is a link to several short videos made by some of our library customers that exemplifies our approach and shows the very real benefit to our customers.

Digital Category – Finalist – Manchester Libraries, Lets Get Digital 

The Digital inclusion team had been nominated for the digital award for its community approach of taking digital inclusion out to voluntary and community settings in Manchester to produce a greater network of digital help with libraries acting as digital hubs. The dedicated digital inclusion team are tasked with empowering the citizens of Manchester with the tools to enrich their lives and thrive in a digital world. 

Manchester now has a huge number of digital tech start-up businesses and there is a genuine skills gap. The DI team strives to bridge that gap from the bottom up giving all our residents a slice of this increasingly tasty cake! 

Working closely with Manchester City Councils ‘Digital Strategy Team’ the mission is to ensure that everyone in Manchester has the skills and confidence to access the online world. Through the campaign “Let’s Get Digital” they work with community partners to provide digital skills, confidence, and access to all residents. 

The team targets all citizens of Manchester who are considered ‘digitally excluded’. The DI team has access to an online tool called the Digital Exclusion Risk Index (DERI). The DERI uses 14 different metrics to assess each area of the city and identify areas at risk of being digitally excluded. The team can then offer targeted support to the most at-risk areas. The local library then becomes a ‘command post’ in any activities planned and again a network of assistance can be built around the library which acts as a hub. 

Physical Category – Finalist – Abraham Moss Library and Leisure Centre 

The Physical category was for innovation in buildings, spaces and design. We were recognized for our efforts in designing the new library interior in  the new Abraham Moss Library and Leisure Centre in Crumpsall. The library opened in August 2023.  We have had amazing feedback since we opened, and the library is now one of the busiest in the city. 

Unfortunately, we were pipped to the post by the beautiful new renovated Paisley Library who were well deserved winners!