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Chamber and committees

Oxgangs Library, CEC Mobile Library and Saughton Library Win Scottish Library of the Year

  • Submitted by: Simita Kumar, Edinburgh South Western, Scottish National Party
  • Date lodged: Tuesday, 19 May 2026
  • Motion type: Standard Motion
  • Motion reference: S7M-00086

That the Parliament congratulates Oxgangs Library, City of Edinburgh Council Mobile Library Services and Saughton Library at HMP Edinburgh on winning the Scottish Library of the Year Award presented by The British Book Awards; understands that the libraries collaborated to introduce a Secret Santa programme at HMP Edinburgh with libraries providing gift-wrapped books for prisoners; understands that the initiative was aimed at improving mental health and supporting the rehabilitation goals on which the prison system works; acknowledges that this was a first for the UK and built on Edinburgh Library Service’s existing Empathy Lab’s Read for Empathy promotion and the National Library of Scotland’s Blind Date with a Book scheme, and commends the staff involved in bringing this programme, which was described as a brave, bold and effective initiative built on partnership that delivered at a very human level, and showed the value of placing books at the very heart of our institutions.


Supported by: Clare Adamson, Colin Beattie, Dawn Black, Ariane Burgess, Jackie Dunbar, Fulton MacGregor, Liam McArthur, Cara McKee, Kate Nevens, Lorna Slater, Paul Sweeney, David Torrance