175 Years since the Public Libraries Act
Source: gov.uk (2025-10-09)

Baroness Twycross gave the keynote speech at the charity, Libraries Connected, celebration event at Manchester Central Library to mark the 175th anniversary of the first ever Public Libraries Act

Earlier this week, I was privileged to be at the reopening of the library in Muswell Hill.

The refurbishment is part of a £4.9 million investment in their library estate by the London Borough of Haringey.

One person, who used the library as a child, described the reopening as a ‘homecoming’ and there was a genuine excitement about the much loved building being open for business again.

As someone who always has at least one book on the go, for whom a weekend or holiday well spent is measured in books read, being Libraries’ Minister is an absolute delight and privilege.

Some of my own earliest memories are of being taken to the library. My mum walking us to West Norwood Library in London.

The amazing feeling of being allowed to choose a whole five books to take home.

Those five books each a passport to five different worlds, each waiting to be unlocked.

When I was finally old enough – I would get the bus into town on a Saturday morning and go to the library then to Woolworths for pick and mix.

Woolworths has long gone, but the library is still there, serving the next generation and probably the one after that.

I remember our school librarian helping me pick out books—guiding me towards books I was unfamiliar with, a new adventure between the pages of a story.

So I am sure, like me, you are delighted that the Chancellor last week confirmed this government’s £10 million commitment to have a library in every primary school by the end of this parliament.

I was fortunate to have books at home, to be encouraged to read and to be read to. I remember my father reading the ‘chapter books’.

The sheer anticipation as he turned the page to unleash the terror within 101 Dalmatians, the gentle wisdom of Charlotte’s Web, or the mayhem of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.

The act of sharing a story instilled in me not just a love of words - a love of literature - but the fundamental understanding that stories connect us.

You already know that this marks me out as one of the lucky ones. One of the children whose imagination and attainment was encouraged and lifted by being read to, and by reading for pleasure.

You know this because you are the guardians of our libraries.

And I would like to start by thanking you for everything you do – and everything you will do – to make sure that the next 175 years of public libraries are as relevant and as valuable as the first 175 years.

What marked those very first public libraries out was how they opened up knowledge, information, and creativity to those who could not afford either a subscription to a library, or to buy books themselves.

At their heart – and in their original form - our libraries are engines of social mobility – a radical opening up of access to information.

Founded on the notion that everyone should have equal access to knowledge.

In an age of digital connectedness, where information and ‘facts’ are disputed this trust and this universality is key.

Libraries are a unique public service open to everyone.

From toddlers attending their first rhyme time session to pensioners accessing digital services or simply enjoying an afternoon with the daily newspaper.

The library’s civic function has never been more vital.

You are bridging the attainment gap, one child, one book, one successful job application written on your computers at a time.

Librarians are up there as being among the most trusted of all professions. This is a trust earned through professionalism, and a dedication to the truth.

In an age of mis- and dis-information, the principle of free access to information enshrined in the Public Libraries Act 1850 remains a core principle now. We are witnessing a moment in history where the ability to distinguish truth from lie is critically essential.

The public library is arguably the purest expression of democracy in action—the idea that knowledge should be freely available to all citizens, regardless of their background or ability to pay.

The perception of the library as a strictly silent, solemn place belongs to the past.

One of my first visits to a library as Libraries’ Minister was to Rugby. A library which proudly states on its merchandise ‘we don’t shush, we roar’.

This simple slogan encapsulates the spirit of the library as a magnificent community hub.

A welcoming place where residents can speak to their bank, play the piano, use a 3D printer, grab a coffee and where students have a safe space to study.

This is the library of the 21st century: a comprehensive public service delivered under one roof and a safe space - signposting people to other services.

Rugby library is one in which - like so many other libraries – reading to children, and reading for pleasure is at the heart of what they do.

But one which also acts as an inclusive space that in the month I visited was proudly celebrating Pride Month.

175 years on from the 1850 Act, libraries have adapted to a changing society and evolving user needs.

From the provision of e-books and e-audio to enhanced children’s spaces and early years activities, community partnerships, employability and business support and cultural experiences, libraries continue to deliver a meaningful and impactful service for local people.

Indeed, the sheer breadth of services you now provide is astonishing.

Whether it is:

Health services, such as those I saw in Harlesden.

Or DWP services, such as those I saw in Dagenham

Boosting growth and entrepreneurship through business support advice provided through the national network of Business and Intellectual Property Centres like the one I saw in Leeds, alongside its boisterous children’s play area.

Everything libraries deliver, is delivered alongside and inspired by the principle of encouraging literacy, open access to knowledge and opening up opportunities to all.

Libraries are strong partners in delivering the government’s Plan for Change (https://www.gov.uk/missions).

We want to work with library services to inform, engage, and connect the public.

From supporting health and wellbeing to building businesses and from building stronger, more resilient communities to showcasing high-quality arts and cultural experiences.

Our Secretary of State, Lisa Nandy, speaks passionately about libraries as part of the local cultural and creative landscape in communities as part of her vision for Arts Everywhere (https://www.gov.uk/government/speeches/jennie-lee-lecture-arts-for-everyone).

Libraries can often be the first place a young person might get exposure to the arts and music.

Libraries already do lots of work in this area through community events and provision of specialist facilities.

But we can do more and go further.

Especially in reaching children and young people who have less opportunity for music enrichment and for whom the library - local and familiar - is a much more accessible space.

Lisa is very keen to find ways to further support libraries to make this happen.

One of my key ambitions as libraries minister is to see strong partnerships built across the library sector to strengthen and enhance the value of all libraries.

I am pleased that what I have heard about the Libraries Alliance suggests that it will seek to pursue this aim.

Libraries across all sectors - public, schools, academic, prisons - share a vision and common ambition to provide free access to information and support.

You already know this but the numbers are worth repeating. A third of the adult population visited a library in the past year.

Libraries have 6 million members and a total of 143 million physical visits a year.

There is no doubt that libraries form part of the essential services to communities. Yet, we still need to do more to open up library services to engage underrepresented groups.

For my part, I will continue to promote the critical contribution public libraries can and do make to so many important Government strategic objectives to my ministerial colleagues across the whole of government.

But to do this, I need your help - by providing me with robust data on library usage and impact - quantitative as well as qualitative - that I can use to help me to make your case.

Next year is, as you will know, the Year of Reading.

This offers the opportunity for us to focus on groups – particularly boys aged 10-16 – who are least likely to read for pleasure.

The Year of Reading has been embraced by libraries across the country.

I know all of you here will do whatever you can to use it to democratise reading, in the truest sense.

To unlock the joy of reading and the opportunities it presents across society.

We recognise the irreplaceable value of the service you provide and the pressure you are under.

Creating and supporting the amazing libraries serving communities across the length and breadth of the country costs money.

We know that local government finances have faced huge challenges over recent years.

This has led to closures and cuts in library services in some areas.

A huge amount of ingenuity has been used to support the statutory library services.

This government is determined to get local government finances back on a stable and sustainable footing.

I also know that there are some concerns about what our plans for devolution mean for libraries in affected areas.

The goal of devolution is to bring decision-making closer to local communities. We think this is the right goal.

However, we will work with you to maintain the principle of a comprehensive and efficient library service for everyone.

I was delighted that we secured funding for a new round of the Libraries Improvement Fund (LIF) administered by the Arts Council.

The successful bids for the £5.5 million pot of funding will be announced next March, and I look forward to seeing the transformative impact they will have.

We have already seen incredible results from this fund.

Projects such as the transformation of the first floor of Wythenshawe library. Their use of Libraries Improvement Funding to create a multi-functional culture, creative, digital media and community hub has shown the impact libraries can have in improving local cultural infrastructure with government support.

This is the model of the future: integrated, vibrant, and multi-purpose.

And I was delighted to see how the London Borough of Brent had developed two of its libraries through Libraries Improvement Funding, to enable more residents to access services in new and innovative ways.

And how Warwickshire Libraries used their Libraries Improvement Funding to extend their sensory offer by bringing Discovery Den, the first Sensory Mobile Public Library to the UK. These examples demonstrate the ingenuity and vision that exists across our service.

They show us that with targeted investment, the public library can and will continue to adapt to the diverse, complex needs of the 21st century population.

From the first Public Libraries Act 175 years ago to the dynamic community hubs you manage today, the mission remains the same: to open up knowledge, opportunity, and imagination to every single citizen, regardless of their circumstances.

You are not only custodians of books; you are custodians of trust, of truth, and of our shared potential. You are the guardians of a system that turns a simple choice of five books into a lifetime of opportunity.

Thank you for your tireless work, your unwavering professionalism, and your profound belief in the power of a book, a safe space, and a community that cares. Let us ensure that together, we don’t just preserve our libraries, but we allow them to roar.