This July - we are re-opening some of our libraries, the Summer Reading Challenge continues, we are expanding and developing our digital activites, and much more!

Library Re-Openings

Some libraries across Derbyshire are to begin reopening from next week with several temporary changes in place to keep customers and staff safe. We plan to reopen 7 libraries initially, with 3 opening on Monday 6 July, followed by 1 on Tuesday, 1 on Wednesday and 2 on Thursday.

Residents must book an appointment to visit their library if it is one of the 7 set to reopen first, and people are being urged not to turn up without having arranged their appointment first.

The libraries to reopen throughout the week are:

• Heanor, Matlock, Swadlincote (Monday 6 July)
• Dronfield (Tuesday 7 July)
• Chesterfield (Wednesday 8 July)
• Buxton, Long Eaton (Thursday 9 July).

From their opening date, all 7 will then be open from 10am to 4pm Monday to Friday, and 10am to 2pm on Saturdays until further notice, with people being asked to arrange appointments direct with their local library.

'Book and borrow' appointments for people wanting to take out books, can be arranged over the phone or by email, and use of library computers can be arranged by phone only. Staff will not be able to assist people using computers.

All currently borrowed books and other items have been automatically renewed until 30 September 2020 and people are being urged not to bring them back unless they have made a Book and Borrow appointment. No overdue charges will be incurred for books which are currently borrowed.

Library staff will monitor how the new systems put in place are working and ensure social distancing can be adhered to before rolling out the re-opening of other libraries across the county. Our overall aim is to re-open all 45 libraries when it can be done safely.

Staff at Derbyshire Record Office in Matlock and Buxton Museum and Art Gallery are also working hard on plans to re-open the venues, and are hoping to be in a position to announce when they may open their doors shortly.

During the initial phase of reopenings, it will not be possible to:

• visit without an appointment
• return books or other items unless attending a book and borrow appointment
• browse the shelves
• take part in reader groups or other activities
• use meeting rooms
• request specific items/books
• use the toilets and baby changing facilities
• read newspapers in the library
• make donations, including to the foodbank.

Find out more about the temporary new rules on borrowing books, and using computers in libraries.

Dates will shortly be announced for the second phase of library reopenings affecting the following libraries: Alfreton, Ashbourne, Belper, Bolsover, Glossop, Ilkeston and Ripley

'Book and Borrow'

People should only contact the library they intend to use.

Customers will be asked to:

• ring or email the reopened library they want to collect books from to make an appointment. They will be given a date and time for their collection slot. If they email they will be called back to arrange a collection slot.
• provide the name and library card number for each person who wants to borrow books, plus a contact phone number.
• give information on the type of books the person wants – i.e. genre, examples of authors, format, or they can opt for a ‘lucky dip’. There's a maximum of 10 items per person for each collection slot.
• bring library card/s or card number/s for all the people they are collecting for, when visiting for their pre-booked slot
• bring their own bags.

It will not be possible for library staff to order books from other libraries during the temporary arrangements, and staff will only be able to provide items from their specific branch. This means that specific titles may not always be available.

All books will be issued to 30 September 2020.

Summer Reading Challenge

Here's a reminder that the Summer Reading Challenge is in full swing! It's an all-digital event this year, and children aged 4-11 can join the Silly Squad by heading to the official website, and reading as many books as possible before the end of September!

The Silly Squad is a loveable group of madcap animals looking for fun and the aim is to encourage children and their families to have fun too, getting silly and reading anything that makes them happy. That could be comics, joke books, poetry, fiction or non-fiction, in digital or print format, books they have at home, or eBooks and eAudiobooks borrowed through Derbyshire Libraries online.

Locally Derbyshire County Council’s libraries will be joining the fun, throughout the summer, by offering online story times, mini book reviews and recommendations, a forum for sharing ideas, suggestions about books, quizzes, and a regular craft activity.

Children who aren’t library members already can sign up online with the help of a parent/guardian. A member of staff will then be in touch with their library card number so that children can borrow eBooks, eMagazines and eAudiobooks.

 

Cake and Coffee Club

This month we are developing our digital offer, as unfortunately we are unable to host events and activities in our libraries. Due to the success of all our wellbeing events we are hoping to get your mouth watering with our Cake and Coffee Club on our Facebook page on the first Tuesday of the month. Let us inspire you with some sweet treats from our kitchens to yours, let’s bake and share recipes with each other!

 

Foodie Pitstop

Launching on Facebook on the last Thursday of the month our savoury offering is our Foodie Pitstop. Taking inspiration from our eMagazines available on RBDigital and PressReader we are cooking up a series of monthly savoury treats for you and your families to enjoy together. From Maple and Bacon Scones to a Spicy Jambayala, join us and feed your heart and mind every month.

 

Reminiscence Reverie

In libraries we have lots of reminiscence resources that have been used by individuals and local organisations to encourage discussion and memories. On the fourth Wednesday of this month we are launching ‘Reminiscence Reverie’ with a collection of local photographs from Derbyshire, which we hope will bring a smile to your faces. As always we love to receive your photographs, so if you have been having a clear out and have made any discoveries, or found anything whilst out walking that you would like to share, you can comment on our monthly Facebook post or email them to us at ask.library@derbyshire.gov.uk.

 

Learn Something New

On the second Monday of the month on our Facebook page we hope you will learn something new with us. Having that sense of achievement has always had a positive effect on people’s wellbeing and, inspired by the comments we received from our learning events and activities that have taken place in our libraries across the county, we are not going to stop! From pressing flowers to paper iris folding, we are compiling ideas and activities every month as an easy to follow video on our Facebook page. So why not acquire some new skills using things around your home and share your creations with us?

 

Haiflu

Many of us are familiar with the poetry term ‘Haiku’ that little gem of a poem consisting of 3 thought provoking lines (5 syllables, 7 syllables, 5 syllables). We are joining in with our library friends with the ‘haiflu’, a haiku created and themed on thoughts, feelings and experiences of the current situation. We are asking our poetry groups, children and families (everyone) to have a go at creating these and to send them to us at ask.library@derbyshire.gov.uk as well as a picture (if you have one) and we will produce a short video of beautiful images and feature all your experiences through the power of poetry on our Facebook and Twitter page. We hope to showcase the best that Derbyshire has to offer on National Poetry Day in October.

 

Early Years Book Award

Can you help us judge the Booktrust Storytime Prize 2020? This prize celebrates and promotes the best books for sharing with young children.

We need around 10 families with pre-school age children who would be willing to read all 6 books on the shortlist and to complete a judging form. Any family that takes part will receive free copies of all the books to read and keep once the judging is over.

If you would like to take part please contact Derbyshire Libraries via our e-mail ask.library@derbyshire.gov.uk or phone 01629 533444 by Wednesday 8th July for more information.

 

Digital MOT

You can check your online safety with the Digital MOT, developed by the Community Safety Unit at Derbyshire County Council in partnership with Derbyshire Police.

Report scams and fraud to Action Fraud tel: 0300 123 2040 - phishing emails can be reported to report@phishing.gov.uk

You can also contact Citizens Advice Consumer Service on tel: 0808 223 1133

 

This Month We Recommend You Read...

We're focusing this month on some of the excellent children's books we have available from our eBook and eAudiobook collections, which are great choices to share with your family.

On Borrowbox we've chosen US Newbery Medal-winning The Crossover by Kwame Alexander. Told in free verse, it's the story of 12-year old twins Josh and Jordan, who are star basketball players like their father before them. With an intense rivalry off the court, they're going to have to learn that life doesn't come with a play-book, and winning isn't everything.

Our second pick is the Carnegie Medal-winning One by Sarah Crossan, which is incredibly emotional story of conjoined twins Grace and Tippi. Also told in free verse, this follows the twins' first steps into mainstream-schooling following years of being taught at home. When a heart-wrenching decision lies in their future, will their lives ever be the same again?

Over on RBdigital, we have The Train to Impossible Places by P.G. Bell. A story full of imagination and adventure, we follow Suzy aboard the Impossible Postal Express, as she ends up in a quest to stop an evil witch taking over all the Impossible Places.

Need a further suggestion? We're always delighted to suggest a story! Contact us on Facebook, Twitter, or ask.library@derbyshire.gov.uk and we'll do our best to find you something fantastic!

 

BBC 100 Novels That Changed our World

From January to October, the BBC is showcasing their choice of the '100 Novels That Changed our World', and for July they've picked the theme of 'Coming of Age'.

The 10 titles this month are:

• Emily of New Moon – L. M. Montgomery
• Golden Child - Claire Adam
• Oryx and Crake – Margaret Atwood
• So Long, See You Tomorrow – William Maxwell
• Swami and Friends – R. K. Narayan
• The Country Girls - Edna O’Brien
• The Harry Potter series - J. K. Rowling
• The Outsiders – S. E. Hinton
• The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole, Aged 13 ¾ - Sue Townsend
• The Twilight Saga – Stephenie Meyer

Think they've missed an important title from this list? Let us know on Facebook and Twitter!

 

Reader Recommendations

We have seen a massive uptake in our eBook and eAudiobook services throughout the library closure period, and have received lots of great comments on how being able to access books has helped our book loving customers from being transported to different countries, discovering past times and even planets! So every month we will be highlighting some eBooks and eAudiobooks that are available on our Facebook and Twitter pages, but we thought we would give you all a sneaky peak at some of our multi-use titles available on BorrowBox.

Some multi-use eBooks include:

• The Beekeeper of Aleppo by Christy Lefteri
• Gallows View by Peter Robinson
• The Unexpected Return of Josephine Fox by Claire Gradidge

And eAudiobooks:

• The Night Manager by John le Carre
• The Taming of the Queen by Philippa Gregory
• All the Missing Girls by Megan Miranda

And of course, we have multi-use titles for our younger bookworms too! We hope that you all enjoy!

 

Library Love

We have been receiving so many kind comments over the past few weeks about how important and useful our customers (new and slightly older) have been finding our online library offer. If you would like to contribute and share your stories and comments, please email us at: ask.library@derbyshire.gov.uk