The Excellence in Local Government Awards is an annual celebration recognising commitment, hard work, dedication and excellence within the local authority sector.

Waterford Libraries: Towers and Tales Story Festival Schools Programme has been shortlisted in the Best Library Category at the 2019 awards. This category showcases innovative projects and highlights best practice, skill, enthusiasm, social inclusion and community engagement in the library services.

Waterford City & County Council Library Service has been a partner and supporter of the Towers and Tales Story Festival since its inception in 2015. Lismore Castle is the spectacular setting for the annual festival which celebrates children’s books, illustration and storytelling in all its
forms. An abundance of high-profile authors and tailored events throughout the day ensures enchanting experiences for young and old alike.

These author events have been shown to have a profound and lasting impact, not only on reading skills but also inspiring creativity and connecting children to the wonder of books. However, many children cannot attend the festival for various reasons and most primary schools do not have resources to hold these events themselves.

The Towers & Tales School’s Programme was therefore devised to bring these experiences to a wide range of children and offer all schools the opportunity to get involved. Through the programme, Waterford Libraries bring Towers and Tales authors to schools, libraries and various venues across the county. This enables multiple classes from many different schools to experience unforgettable and transformational experiences with literature, art & creativity.

This year, 43 Waterford schools attended programme events involving over 1700 children. With the festival going from strength to strength, the development of this programme will continue to expand involving larger numbers of school children and fostering creative spirit.

The 2019 awards will be held in Dublin on November 28th.