Delivered in partnership with Good Things Foundation and WSA Community, Innovating in Trusted Spaces: Libraries Advancing the Digital Inclusion Action Plan will develop a new practical digital inclusion guide for public libraries, designed to ensure vulnerable communities are not left behind by AI and rapid digital change.

It is financed by a £310,400 grant through the Fund, which is provided by the Department for Science, Industry and Technology (DSIT).

The project runs 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 include older people, low-income families and individuals with disabilities.

The project will lead 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 will have 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 will also be established.