Something big is coming to East Lothian in 2026. We want everyone in our communities to be talking about what they’re reading.
It’s quite incredible the benefits reading can bring to all of us. I’d encourage as many people as possible to get involved
And we’re not just talking about traditional books – it can be everything from comics, magazines and graphic novels to newspapers real or virtual, blogs and audio books.
While libraries will be at the heart of this new project, we’re focusing on our communities and looking for individuals to join us as ambassadors and for community groups to get involved.
What’s it called?
East Lothian Reads. Nice and simple and we hope you will be seeing our logo all over East Lothian next year.
Why are we doing this?
We want everyone in East Lothian to know that there are so many benefits to reading for pleasure. Lots of studies have shown that it not only helps our young people with their learning and attainment, it can also reduce stress levels for people of all ages. Compared to non-readers, regular readers are 86% more likely to report feeling a sense of belonging to their community, 58% are more likely to report feeling generally happy, 51% are more likely to report finding it easy to relax and 45% are more likely to report sleeping well. They are also 35% more likely to say they don’t feel lonely and 32% more likely say they don’t feel anxious or depressed.
Councillor Colin McGinn, Cabinet Spokesperson for Community Wellbeing and Sport, Countryside and Leisure, said: “I’m very excited about this project for 2026. Our award-winning Libraries Team works really hard engaging with our communities already and we know their efforts are always hugely appreciated. East Lothian Reads is about expanding that great work and really getting into the heart of our towns and villages and spreading the word about the benefits of just taking time to read for the sake of it. It’s quite incredible the benefits reading can bring to all of us. I’d encourage as many people as possible to get involved.”
More detail will be coming in January but we’d like as many people and groups as possible to get in touch now to register their interest in getting involved and we can work with you to develop our programme for 2026.
Would you like to champion East Lothian Reads or do you think a group you’re involved in would benefit from learning more about it and taking part? Contact our Libraries team.
This Project is supported by the Scottish Government Public Library Improvement Fund.