This article is from page 21 of the 2012-02-14 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 21 JPG
AHEAD of the annual Ennis Book Club Festival that takes place on the first weekend in March, the event has been recognised internationally thanks to being nominated for EDGE Awards that take place in Edinburgh every year.
The Ennis festival is the only Irish nominee in the 2012 awards scheme pioneered by Edinburgh City Council, which are are designed to reward innovation and creativity in library services.
The award winners will be announced on March 1, the eve of the Book Club Festival that has become a key part of the Irish literary festival circuit over the past seven years by being able to attract some of the biggest names in Irish literature.
“Ennis Book Club Festival is organised by a voluntary committee in association with Clare County Library,” said festival chairperson Ciana Campbell. “We really value that support. Ennis is a festival dedicated to book club members and readers and given that there are over 150 library-based book clubs in the country it makes complete sense to work together in this way. The organisers of the EDGE 2012 Conference obviously feel that we are a good example of how the public sector can support community organisations like ourselves,” she added.
“The festival has enabled the library service to reach out, make contacts and create goodwill with a broad sector of the community,” said county librarian, Helen Walsh. “Over the years, links have been forged with local writers, artists, musicians and youth groups and the library service, through the festival, has contributed to the cultural life, tourism and economy of the region and proved that local authorities can play a vital role in projects such as this.”
At the cutting edge of digital technology, the EDGE 2012 Conference will show how libraries – physically, virtually and socially are revolution- ising local authority service deliver. The two-day conference in Edinburgh will bring together top local government figures from the UK and beyond to explore how libraries are key to delivering council services, e-government, learning and digital inclusion.
Ennis Book Club Festival 2012 will be held from March 2 to 4. Visiting writers include Lynne Reid Banks, author of the L-Shaped Room , English novelist Patrick Gale, Maureen Gaffney and Shelia O’Flanagan.