Between August 2019 and March 2020, we worked in collaboration with world-renowed theatre-makers Punchdrunk Enrichment to deliver an immersive theatrical experience like no others to our Immerse schools. The Lost Lending Library brought magic, mystery and a sense of awe and wonder to all the pupils (and staff!). The Library had so far travelled to schools in London and Australia but this was its very first visit to Scotland! The Lost Lending Library aims to raise standards in literacy, speaking and listening through engagement with an unforgettable narrative that unfolds within the school.
A freelance librarian visited the pupils at each school, where they discussed their favourite books and stories. But this seemingly routine visit was followed by the incredible arrival overnight of The Lost Lending Library in the school. At 814 floors high and with 402 spiral side departments, it is the largest collection of books in the world. The Library leaps from place to place, arriving where it knows it can find the most precious books of all time: new stories written by young apprentices.
The Library stayed in each school for around 2 weeks during which time the children were invited for a visit and meet its guardian, then go on to find clues, write stories and generally being engulfed in the exciting world created in their school, before the Library disappeared without a trace. Luckily, it has left a legacy behind in each school in the form of special membership cards and a renewed appetite for writing stories! Some schools still receive a postcard from wherever the library is currently visiting!