The role of the public library in encouraging reading and using ICT in the reading development process has been included in a number of Government reports during the 1990s and 2000s in the UK. Following the successful implementation of the People’s Network many public libraries are developing ways of using ICT in reader development. In Wales, as part of an initiative called Estyn Allan (Branching Out) all 22 public library authorities have staff responsible for reader-development issues covering, in many cases, both the Welsh and English languages. This article reports on the results of a questionnaire, sent to all reader-development librarians in Wales, and provides examples of some of the work being undertaken.
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