Innovating in Trusted Spaces: Libraries Advancing the Digital Inclusion Action Plan
Looking for resources?
We’ve created a set of resources to support the Good Practice Guide and help you explore the tools developed through the project. They’re all available on a Padlet - a simple, shareable digital noticeboard that brings everything together in one accessible place.
Delivered in partnership with Good Things Foundation and WSA Community, Innovating in Trusted Spaces: Libraries Advancing the Digital Inclusion Action Plan developed a new practical digital inclusion guide for public libraries, designed to ensure vulnerable communities were not left behind by AI and rapid digital change.
It was financed by a £310,400 grant through the Fund, which was provided by the Department for Science, Industry and Technology (DSIT).
The project ran from November 2025 to March 2026 across four library services – Newcastle, Northumberland, Nottingham City and Nottinghamshire (Inspire) – covering a population of 1.8 million through 121 individual libraries. Target groups included older people, low-income families and individuals with disabilities.
The project led to the creation of a new practical guide for library staff, co-designed and tested with communities, to build digital confidence among those most at risk of exclusion. The guide had a particular focus on the benefits and risks of AI tools, and media literacy including mis- and disinformation. A national network for sharing ideas and experience among library workers was also established.
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