West Dunbartonshire Libraries have been shortlisted for a national award.

The library service has been nominated for the Scottish Library and Information Council's (SLIC) Project Excellence Award for its 'Activism Through Art: Reimagining Scotland for Young Women and Girls' project.

This project, in partnership with the Young Women’s Movement, involved 14 young women representing diverse life experiences.

They collaborated with socially engaged artist and photographer Nicola Stead to explore how arts can be used to engage with social justice movements.

Clydebank Library (Image: Supplied) The young women involved said they felt empowered by the project to express and share their voice in ways that hadn’t seemed possible before.

The SLIC Awards honour excellence in library services across the country, with a particular focus on those who have demonstrated a wider positive impact on the communities they serve.

West Dunbartonshire Libraries is one of just four library services in the running for the award.

Alan Clarke, chair of SLIC, who is leading the judging panel alongside Scottish author Theresa Breslin OBE and journalist Garrett Stell, said: “The SLIC Awards are about more than recognising first-class library services and innovative projects – they’re about shining a spotlight on the passionate people behind them who are channelling a great deal of care and creativity into every inspiring initiative they drive forward.

Alexandria Library (Image: Supplied) "From tackling cost-of-living challenges and embracing the circular economy, to creating community cohesion, this year’s submissions have shown that Scotland’s library services don’t shy away from taking on the big issues, and that the possibilities are boundless.

"Congratulations to the eight services shortlisted for the 2024 SLIC Awards.

"We look forward to inviting the nominees to celebrate their achievements with us when we announce the award winners at our Showcase and AGM next month."

The other projects shortlisted for the SLIC Project Excellence Award 2024 include; South Lanarkshire Leisure and Culture for its ‘Lending Voices Portable Podcast’ project, Culture Perth and Kinross for its ‘I Read For…’ project, and National Library of Scotland for its ‘Fitba Research Club: Andrew Watson’s Legacies’ project.