The Arts Council, working with The Library Association, (now CILIP) funded the development of the first nationally available literature courses for librarians under the banner of New Writing, New Reading. Rachel Van Riel devised and taught 5 courses: Creative Reading, Issues in Selection, Skills in Promotion, Developing Staff Training and Supporting Writing and Publishing.
The courses ran in London in 1993 and1994 and again in York in 1995. The funding included a project fund for participants to bid into. Many librarians who attended became key activists in reader development.