Rachel Van Riel founded and shaped the reader development movement which released new energy into UK library work, re-motivating many library staff and delivering wider cultural change in organisations. Libraries moved from largely passive provision of books and computers to actively engaging the audience.
Opening the Book works across public, school and college libraries in consultancy, training and library design. Our North American office now brings European-style furniture and library designs to Canada and we have some ground-breaking discovery layouts in Canadian public libraries. We also support the Library Learning Commons initiative with new designs and furniture for elementary and high schools.
Rachel has been a consultant to many library services across the UK, Ireland, Canada, Norway, Sweden and Australia. Opening the Book has run national training programmes, creating change agents with new skills and confidence, which reach every library service in the UK. Online training courses have been taken by 12,000 library staff in three continents, including an outstanding programme to train 1000 staff in partnership with the State Library of Victoria. Most recently Rachel acted as consultant to Milton Public Library and the Town of Milton on new Collaborative Service Delivery Model for a planned library in a sports centre.
See www.openingthebook.com/ca and @RachelVanRiel on Twitter.