Gibson Library Secures £139,000 Heritage Fund Grant for Digital Transformation

Dear members,

We start 2026 with very exciting news. We have been awarded a grant of £139,000 from The National Lottery Heritage Fund!/

 

This generous award will enable us to raise the profile of the Library and give it a strong digital presence so that we can introduce its unique treasures to a much wider audience. We have the strong backing of Essex County Council as the trustees of the Gibson Library, who are as keen as we are to make sure that the Library ceases to be ‘a hidden gem’.

As you know we have been working on this for a number of years, so it is wonderful to finally be able to make a start.

The Digital Discovery project, made possible by the grant from the Heritage Fund, consists of three interlocking activities: a new website to showcase the Library and its collections and make them accessible to all; a dedicated digital catalogue suitable for use by researchers, accessible from the new website; and a programme of digitisation of the rarest and most important books and other items in the historic collection, to safeguard the collections for future generations.

There will also be a number of launch events in 2027 for both members and the general public and we hope to involve local schools and as much of the local community as possible.

We will be looking to recruit volunteers to help with the digitisation of books and the inputting of data into the new catalogue. So, if you have some time that you could spare or if you know anyone else that might be interested, let us know. If you already volunteer but might have some additional time, that would be wonderful. Volunteer recruitment will start in the Spring once the new website is up and running.

The project is due to run for two years but of course we will continue digitising books and adding to the catalogue beyond that, making use of the new skills and equipment we will have acquired.

The award of the grant is due to the hard work and dedication of a small team of our committee members working under the guidance and leadership of Kelly Cole, including Peter Walker, Bruce Tice, Ben Cowell and Ian Willard. We owe them all our grateful thanks.

If you have any questions about the project, do get in touch, using the following email address: society@gibsonlibrary.org.uk

Martyn Everett
President and acting-chairman
Gibson Library Society.