The idea for the project stems from a collaboration between Lincoln Central Library and the Lincoln Sustainable Fashion Forum in 2024, to reduce the stress and environmental impact of costume-making for parents. Well received, it is now being rolled out across more Lincolnshire Libraries this year with funding from Libraries Connected and Arts Council England’s Microgrant programme.
Fourteen libraries in Lincolnshire - Boston, Gainsborough, Grantham, Horncastle, Lincoln Central, Long Sutton, Louth, Market Rasen, Mablethorpe, Skegness, Sleaford, Spalding, Stamford and Woodhall Spa – will be offering practical and creative support in the four-weeks leading up to the big day this March.
From February 6th until March 6th costume swap rails will be set up at all fourteen libraries. Parents are invited to bring along past costumes to donate and swap for something ‘new to them’ for their child to wear this year.
Meanwhile, Costume Creator sessions, where children can have fun learning how to make their own outfit and demonstrate creative flair, will be run in each of the libraries during half term. Details of the sessions, places for which need to be booked with library staff, can be found by visiting Events & Activities | Lincolnshire Libraries | Better.
Completely free of charge, the Costume Creator sessions provide materials, templates and support for four different book themed costumes so that families can work together to create their own costume.
Lastly, for busy parents ‘up against it’, there are Emergency Packs which can be picked up from all fourteen libraries from the week commencing February 17th. The packs will include simple and quick last-minute costume ideas that will transform a child’s everyday clothes into a character from a book.
The Emergency Pack also includes recommended reads, chosen especially by library staff, to help parents ensure stories truly capture their child’s imagination and grow their love of reading. Nicola Rogers, GLL’s Lincolnshire Libraries Partnership Manager, said: “For parents who are time poor, lacking creative confidence, or finding it difficult to cover, cost-wise, World Book Day can sometimes not be the celebratory event it should be.
“In February 2024, working with the Lincoln Sustainable Fashion Forum, Lincoln Central Library hosted a costume swap where parents could swap gently used costumes their child had grown out of for a ‘new to them’ costume ready for World Book Day.
“The response was overwhelmingly positive with many parents commenting that it was a life saver. Following demand after social media posts, swaps were set up at two other libraries in late February, which were also incredibly popular.
”So this year, we’ve used that experience to create the Lincolnshire Libraries World Book Day Costume Swap and Create project making it even more accessible, by holding it across 14 of our libraries. We want the benefits of books and reading to be at the fore this World Book Day, rather than the worry of costume making.”
Lincolnshire Libraries World Book Day Costume Swap and Create project is being funded by Libraries Connected and Arts Council England. The project aligns with the Reading and Culture and Creativity Universal Library Offers and Lincolnshire Libraries received £1,800 in funding.
Lincolnshire Libraries, run by GLL, the not-for-profit social enterprise, on behalf of Lincolnshire County Council, run core and mobile libraries across the county as well as supporting 34 community hubs.