Around two-thirds of public library services across the UK take part in the Six Book Challenge each year providing a solid core of support for the scheme through their links with an ever-widening range of partners. As well as adult education, colleges and family learning, this now includes children's centres, community groups, people with mental health issues, day centres for elderly people, parents' groups and schools.

We're well aware though that many library services are confronting enormous change in the form of restructuring and cuts to budgets and capacity. With this in mind, we're developing more guidance and case studies around three main models of delivery.

Intensive model

Hands-on delivery with local groups of learners in a library setting. Examples include the way in which Judith Robinson and her colleagues at Kirklees Libraries have linked with a range of community groups and employability courses and worked closely with them to ensure a 100% completion rate. Similarly Mahbuba Khan, in her former role as Bengali outreach worker with Westminster Libraries, encouraged 22 women from a Bengali Women's Reading and Writing Group and an English Speaking Club to take part in the Challenge in 2011, 20 of whom completed the scheme.

Standard model

Close working with a range of partners (literacy tutors, family learning practitioners, union learning reps) with joint promotion, delivery, monitoring and data collection. We can supply case studies from around the country.

'Lite' model

Library in a support role to supply stock and promote its resources, but with the partner organisation carrying out hands-on delivery with participants. This works well if all partners have established their respective roles clearly and there are no misplaced expectations. Examples include workplaces where libraries change book collections on a regular basis or adult education classes in which tutors run the Challenge using books provided by their local library. Ideally the library has a chance to promote its wider offer and encourage Six Book Challenge participants and their families to use its facilities.

Get involved

If you'd like to talk through any of these models, or variations of them, in more detail please contact us and we'd be happy to do so.

Read our case studies and find out how libraries, colleges, workplaces and prisons are engaging adults with reading for pleasure through the Six Book Challenge.

If you're running the Six Book Challenge, we'd love to hear from you so please do get in touch and tell us your story.