Mr Seán Canney TD, Minister of State at the Department of Rural and Community Development with Aisling Kelly, Right to Read Coordinator, Kilkenny.

Kilkenny Library Service were delighted to receive the Right to Read Champion Award from Mr Seán Canney T.D., the Minister of State at the Department of Rural and Community Development recently in recognition of their ongoing efforts to support literacy development in 2018.
Right to Read supports literacy development for individuals, families and children and provides core services, resources and initiatives for a range of user groups. The delivery of the programme at local level is led by the public library services in each local authority and the implementation is overseen by a Right to Read coordinator in each library service. This is further supported by a local network, with representation from Kilkenny Education Centre, Kilkenny Childcare Committee, Community Section of Kilkenny County Council and Kilkenny Carlow ETB.

Kilkenny's Right to Read Action plan for 2018 resulted in participation by 4,771 children in Library National initiatives such as Summer Stars Reading Challenge and Spring into Storytime, 556 class visits, StorySack initiative involving all network partners, Aistear project expansion to include specialised stock for our Mobile Library and Battle of Wits competition for Transition Year students.

"We are delighted to receive this award on behalf of our Right to Read Network in Kilkenny, and we will continue to work together to improve and develop literacy supports, resources and initiatives for the County."

Family and Children Literacy and Reader Development is continuing to be delivered by Kilkenny Library in 2019 with the implementation of the 2019 Right to Read Action Plan building on the successes of 2018.