Darlington Libraries has been shortlisted for a prestigious award.
The service is a finalist for Library of the Year in the North England category at the 2026 British Book Awards.
Its entry highlighted two recent projects aimed at reaching different audiences.
Councillor Libby McCollom, cabinet member for local services at Darlington Council, said: "Our library staff really pulled out all the stops to encourage our younger residents to learn more about our railway heritage and get involved in the S&DR200 celebrations.
"Books that Bloom proved a popular, environmentally friendly way of helping grow the number of people taking advantage of our free digital services.
"It’s great news that their efforts have seen Darlington Libraries shortlisted for these awards, and we’ll be keeping our fingers crossed for more good news when the results are announced later this year."
One of the highlighted projects was 'On Track for Storytime,' which gifted young children a special book celebrating 200 years of the town’s railway heritage as part of the Stockton & Darlington Railway 200th anniversary celebrations.
The project also included the production of a film featuring children from the town reading and performing the story.
The second initiative, 'Books that Bloom,' was a print campaign to promote the library’s digital service offering free books, audiobooks, magazine and newspapers. Seeded postcards were distributed at events and venues across the borough, highlighting how to sign up to the Darlington Library app and then once planted, users could watch wildflowers grow.
Philip Jones, editor of The Bookseller and chair of the Library of the Year judges, said: "It was a record year for submissions building on the return of the Library of the Year award at last year’s ceremony.
"This cohort are focused on reading, growing book-borrowing and widening their reach.
"Ahead of The National Year of Reading, this was vital work, vitally done."
The award recognises both individual libraries and work done across library districts.
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It is sponsored by global publisher DK and run in association with The Reading Agency.
The regional and country winners will be announced on Thursday, March 12, with the overall winner revealed at the British Book Awards ceremony at Grosvenor House in London on Monday, May 11.
To learn more about Darlington Libraries, including events and services, visit the Darlington Council website or download the Darlington Library App.
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