Published
As more and more CPC procurement frameworks earn the Department for Education's coveted seal of approval, we are delighted to report our Library Resources, Software and Associated Services agreement now comes DfE recommended.
In a year of engaging (and often enraging) news stories, two particular tales may have had a real effect on avid bookworms across education, as we made our way through August and turned a page towards September's International Literacy Day.
Beloved for her tireless philanthropy, as much as her many years of contributions to the entertainment industry, the recent passing of singer Dolly Parton sparked both true grief and celebration of the great gifts given to millions of young children.
With a total (at time of writing) of 332,411,218 books, given totally free of charge to 3,197,250 youngsters across the United States, United Kingdom, Republic of Ireland, Canada and Australia, Dolly Parton's Imagination Library somewhat reimagined what a library could be and achieve. Yet, at its core, this altruistic project, which aimed to inspire a love of reading in children from birth to five, highlighted the continued importance of quality library resources to our learners' formative development.
Thanks to Dolly's Imagination Library, so many were able to pick up and read a host of physical books, enjoying their stories, absorbing the artwork, learning and progressing in a classic, methodical, analogue fashion, their curious and growing minds benefitting from a selection of texts they may otherwise have lacked funds or means to access. A new world of opportunities.
In contrast, recent reports have explored how some technology companies are sourcing large numbers of physical books to support the development of artificial intelligence tools. With online content increasingly shaped by AI-generated material, printed books remain valued for their quality, originality and depth. The story has prompted wider discussion about copyright, preservation and the responsible use of published works in a rapidly changing digital landscape.
Some coverage has also raised questions about what happens to books once they have been digitised, including concerns about loss, access and long-term stewardship of physical collections. Set alongside the positive impact of initiatives such as Dolly Parton's Imagination Library, these debates underline a shared point: books continue to matter, whether they are being placed directly into children's hands or protected as part of our wider cultural and educational life.
What both stories did achieve was emotively igniting any dormant passion for reading, for literature, for learning/development, for finding that flame of inspiration through books, a story itself as seemingly old as time, however much times have changed.
While today's learners have potential access to more varied and sophisticated learning tools than any generation in history, the services provided by effective library resource provision can still form the richest of foundations, for any education institution.
As establishments have upgraded facilities and sites, perhaps some of our on-site school, college or university libraries have lacked a little investment, if not a little love. Yet for learners across the education sector, libraries offer a refuge, a safe space. They are a gateway to progress, to success, to achieving goals they'd set out and taking paths they'd never even considered.
As a Public Sector Buying Organisation (PSBO) that primarily supports the UK's education establishments, Crescent Purchasing Consortium is proud to advertise a number of compliant procurement frameworks that can facilitate simple and value-driving purchases of various learning resources, with our current, retendered Library Resources offering falling within this category.
Originally launched in October 2024, we recently received the news that this active framework was now recommended by the Department for Education, which assesses buying agreements using specified criteria, often in collaboration with institutions.
For our CPC team, this has been another vindication of our work and framework quality, with the Library Resources agreement duly joining more than 20 others with the DfE thumbs-up, an endorsement that allows users of the Department for Education's on-site Find a Framework tool to be signposted towards it. But what in total can our members procure through the framework?
Our role is different: we help education institutions access the books, resources and library services they need. Through the framework's first lot, members can stock or replenish a library or reading room with support from a choice of four providers, including alternative formats and periodical or journal services.
As suggested by its full name, Library Resources, Software and Associated Services can additionally be your procurement go-to for ebooks and library software, with Senior Procurement Officer Rezia Begum your education sector contact for discussion of how to effectively put this recommended framework to use. So... let's all be more like Dolly. Let's get reading and inspiring, using any contemporary learning technology constructively, not in a destructive manner. As International Literacy Day seizes centre stage in September, we are reminded of the importance of library-based learning and look forward to supporting your school, academy, college or university with your next procurement. From author's note to blurb, your buying story starts here.