A DEDICATED librarian who helped transform Harbury Community Library has been recognised in the King’s New Year’s Honours List.
Richard Fowler has been awarded a British Empire Medal for his services to Libraries.
The New Year’s Honours are awarded each year to recipients who have made outstanding contributions to society, community, or their area of work, and this year more than 1,000 people across the across the UK have been recognised.
Mr Fowler has always been passionate about libraries and has a degree in Library Studies, which included working on the mobile library running out of Oswestry and in the library of the Rubber and Plastics Research Association in Shawbury.
He began his role as library lead at Harbury Community Library during retirement and helped to develop the library facility into a successful community hub for the village. He is also a founder member and trustee of the Community Managed Libraries National Peer Network, which is a group that advocates for community-led libraries across England and Wales.
Mr Fowler, aged 70, has recently stepped down from his role to return to life in Shropshire with his wife Julia, and Warwickshire Libraries is very grateful to Mr Fowler for the positive impact he has made, both to Harbury Community Library and the village’s local community.
He will be formally presented with his BEM by the Lord Lieutenant of Shropshire, Anna Turner, later this year.
Warwickshire County Council library spokesperson Coun Yousef Dahmash saiid: “I would like to extend my congratulations to Richard on achieving this national recognition in the New Year’s Honours List 2024. I had the pleasure of visiting Harbury Community Library last summer which was where I first met Richard, and was able to see first-hand his dedication, expertise, and effort in enhancing the library into a vibrant village hub, all while reinforcing the invaluable role that libraries play in our society.”
