ANGUSalive Annual Report 2022/23 Case Study: Libraries

ANGUSalive’s Annual Report 2022/23 takes a look at ANGUSalive’s wonderful library staff – in particular our Creative Learning Assistants who are a prominent part of our service.

Although we value all of our people…it’s not every team at ANGUSalive that can say they have “a following”…

…which is something we can confidently say is the case for our Creative Learning Assistants!

Our Creative Learning Assistants – or our CLA’s as we call them – are extremely popular in the community and if you’d been to one of their Bookbug sessions, it’s easy to see why.

Our CLA team were created out of a need to have a specialist team that would deliver all the children and family activities in the Libraries, as well as children’s activities in our Museums space. The team were set to hit the ground running in February 2020, which of course is when the beginning of the pandemic put us in to lockdown shortly afterwards.

Our CLA’s have a key role to play in our community and certainly rack up the miles with their appearances across Angus.

In their spilling diary they plan Bookbug sessions and are frequently host schools, nurseries, playgroups and community groups on a regular basis.

And of course, it’s a lucky dip who gets to “be Bookbug” for the sessions which is often a highlight at our sessions!

Bookbug sessions as we know play a vital role in the community. The programme offers bag of books and resources to all children ad different stages from birth to Primary 1 in Scotland. The benefits of stories include helping young people’s development, language and social skills as well as helping them build bonds and relationships.

They are also a brilliant, free activity to help new parents get out in to the community and socialise with people who are going through a similar period in their life. We know parents have attended them for years as they watch their little one’s grow and make life long friends.

However, Bookbug sessions will only ever be as good as the people who deliver them. It takes enthusiasm, passion and a love for what they do.

Which is why we are so happy to have Avril, Jane and Sarah as part of our team!

You can view ANGUSalive’s full Annual Report for 2022/23 here.