A BOOK-LOVER from Bolton has been named librarian of the year 2018.

Mel Graaf, a librarian with Bolton Library scooped the top award for sharing her love of literature.

She is the Publishers’ Publicity Circle Librarian of the Year 2018 and said: "I’m absolutely delighted to have been named librarian of the year by the Publishers’ Publicity Circle.

"It was a complete surprise, I didn’t even know I’d been nominated.

“It’s great to be recognised for the work you do, especially when it is something that you love and enjoy sharing with others.”

The award was given in recognition of her work in reader development, promoting visits by famous authors and encouraging more people in Bolton to pick up a good book.

In the past authors like Terry Deary and Diane Setterfield have visited Bolton Library to share their books and answer questions from readers.

Bolton Council’s executive cabinet member for culture and sport, Cllr John Byrne, said: “Congratulations to Mel on this fantastic award which recognises how important libraries are to the local community.

“Author events at Bolton Libraries are growing in popularity and we are able attract a great variety of visiting writers thanks to the hard work of Mel and her team.

“These events help to promote our reading offer and show the enduring popularity of books.”

The awards took place in London on February 11 and celebrated campaigns to promote books like Feminists Don's Wear Pink (and other lies) by Scarlett Curtis and How to be a Footballer by Peter Crouch.