West Berkshire Libraries newsletter

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To All West Berkshire Libraries customers

Welcome to our May news!

As many of our library members have already discovered, you can now access e-books, e-audiobooks, e-magazines and e-newspapers from West Berkshire Libraries all in one place, from a single supplier, BorrowBox.

BorrowBox is one of the UK's most popular platforms for e-books and e-audiobooks, with a user-friendly interface and a wide range of content to which we are continuously adding new stock. Titles can be read on smartphones, tablets and other devices by downloading the BorrowBox app and logging in with your library membership number and PIN. Members of West Berkshire Libraries can borrow up to seven e-books and e-audiobooks, as well as e-magazines and e-newspapers, completely free for 14 days.

The BorrowBox app is available on the App Store, Google Play and Amazon Appstore. If you need any assistance downloading it, logging in or finding your way around the BorrowBox app, please ask a member of staff in any of our libraries and we will be happy to help. You will also find a Help section on the BorrowBox website (at the bottom right of the home page), and in the case of any technical issues or if you have any suggestions for new titles, please contact the BorrowBox supplier: support@bolindadigital.com.

PressReader will continue to be available until 31 July, after which date our e-magazines and e-newspapers will only be available on BorrowBox. We are confident that our future service will make it easier for library members to find and enjoy the titles you want.

Celebrate VE Day with us!

Drop in to our free events:

• Enjoy delicious scones and cupcakes while taking part in fun crafts inspired by the 1940s at Theale Library, Thursday 8 May, 2-4pm

• Create your own 1940s-themed crafts at Hungerford Library, Friday 9 May, 2.30-5pm and Saturday 10 May, 10.30am-12pm

Mental Health Awareness Week

Mental Health Awareness Week takes place this year from 12 to 18 May, with the theme of 'Community'. Being part of a safe, supportive community is important for our mental health and wellbeing, especially when times are hard, and West Berkshire Libraries are pleased to be able to play a part in providing this.

In addition to offering a range of activities to ensure there is something for all members of our local community to enjoy, we also have resources which can help you with a variety of long term physical and mental health needs, including our Reading Well collections of books which are all recommended by health professionals. We have book lists for children and teenagers as well as adults.

Dementia Action Week

19-25 May is Dementia Action Week. We have a Reading Well collection of books with reliable information, advice and support for this too. All the titles in this collection have been chosen by people living with dementia, their carers and health professionals to help you understand more about dementia.

Find a full list of all our Reading Well titles on our catalogue.

Reading Well books in West Berkshire Libraries

In support of Dementia Action Week, Newbury Library will be hosting a special Storytime on Thursday 22 May, 10-10.30am. Come and enjoy stories that explore dementia and memory loss in appropriate and accessible ways for young readers. After the stories, take part in a creative Memory Jar activity. This is a free, drop-in event for children of all ages.

Bookings are open now for our next Author Chat: join us at Newbury Library on Friday 23 May, 1-2pm, as we interview Tom Hindle. Tom will discuss the ideas behind his murder mystery books, along with insight into the creation of his latest title, Death in the Arctic. Tickets £5. For further details and to book, please visit https://tinyurl.com/wberkslibraries10.

We have further Author Chats planned for you at Newbury Library, all available to book online now:

• Thursday 5 June, 6.30-8pm - SJ Bennett

• Thursday 7 August, 6.30-8pm - Ben Aaronovitch

• Thursday 4 September, 7-8.30pm - Jasper Fforde

Events in West Berkshire Libraries

Recycling drop-in sessions

Following the success of West Berkshire Council's recycling drop-in sessions last year, we are pleased to tell you that further sessions will be running throughout May across the district. If you would like to speak to a member of the waste team about any issues relating to waste and recycling in West Berkshire, please come along to one of the following events:

• Theale Library: Friday 2 May, 2pm to 5pm

• Lambourn Library: Friday 9 May,10am to 11.30am

• Thatcham Library: Monday 12 May, 9.30am to 12pm

• Mortimer Library: Tuesday 13 May, 2pm to 5pm

• Newbury Library: Wednesday 14 May, 9am to 12pm

• Hungerford Library: Wednesday 21 May, 9.30am to 12pm

• Burghfield Common Library: Thursday 22 May, 10am to 12pm

• Pangbourne Library: Thursday 29 May, 9.30am to 12pm

Benefit and debt advice

Drop in to speak with staff from the Department for Work and Pensions for advice on benefits. Find out if you are getting the correct benefits and the correct amount of money, from pension credits to childcare advice, and see if there is anything else for which you may be eligible:

• Lambourn Library: Wednesday 7 May, 10.30am to 11.30am

• Theale Library: Friday 9 May, 10.30am to 11.30am

• Burghfield Common Library: Thursday 15 May, 10am to 11am

Explore more library events this May!

There's so much happening in West Berkshire libraries this month! In addition to our regular events and those mentioned above, here are some more events coming soon. For full details please contact the library concerned or check our website.

• Adult Signing Sessions: all welcome to come and join a sign language interpreter at Newbury Library on Monday 12 and Monday 19 May, 11am-12pm

• Children's Music Sessions: a mixture of songs for you to sing along or sit and watch, run by Berkshire Music Trust at Newbury Library, Monday 12 and Monday 19 May, 10-10.45am

• Adult Music Sessions: a mixture of old favourites and sing-along songs brought to you by Berkshire Music Trust, this time for adults, at Newbury Library, Monday 12 and Monday 19 May, 11am-12pm. Sing with us or simply sit and listen - no musical experience needed!

• Music Sessions for all ages: more songs brought to you by Berkshire Music Trust at Theale Library, Thursdays 8, 15 and 22 May, 3-4pm

• Music Sessions for all ages: more songs brought to you by Berkshire Music Trust at Hungerford Library, Tuesdays 6, 13 and 20 May, 4-5pm

• Hama Bead Crafts: crafting fun for adults and children aged 5 or over - Saturday 17 May, 10.15am-12.15pm at Theale Library. Tickets £2, must be booked in advance.

Events in West Berkshire Libraries

Half term events for children

As usual, we have plenty going on in West Berkshire libraries over the school holidays. The following are drop-in activities, no need to book:

• Dementia Action Week storytime, Thursday 22 May, 10-10.30am at Newbury Library

• Elmer's birthday celebrations: stories and activities to celebrate the birthday of Elmer the elephant on Thursday 22 May, 3.45-5pm at Theale Library

• Elmer's birthday celebrations continue on Friday 23 May, 3.45-4.45pm, and Saturday 24 May, 10.30am-12pm, at Burghfield Common Library

• Elmer's birthday celebrations on Saturday 24 May 10.30am-12pm at Mortimer Library

• Elmer's birthday celebrations on Saturday 24 May, 11-11.30am at Newbury Library

• Dinosaur Week - Tuesday 27 to Saturday 31 May at Thatcham Library. Includes a Dinosaur Treasure Trail which will be available throughout library opening hours

• Toot! A magical, musical adventure from the MishMash Ensemble as part of the Berkshire Chamber Music Festival, Wednesday 28 May, 3-3.45pm in the Children's Library at Newbury Library

• Dinosaur Rhymetime - Friday 31 May, 11.15-11.35am at Thatcham Library

• Dinosaur crafts on Friday 31 May, 2-4pm, and Saturday 10am-12pm at Thatcham Library

• Drop-in Crafts for Children - Tuesday 27 May, 10am-1pm and Friday 30 May, 10am-1pm at Mortimer Library

Extended opening hours at Lambourn Library

Starting on 1 May, Lambourn Library will be open every Thursday from 3.30pm until 5.30pm. This exciting development has been made possible thanks to the generous support of Lambourn Parish Council, East Garston Parish Council and the Friends of Lambourn Library, which has provided financial backing for the increase in hours.

These extended hours mean more opportunities to explore and benefit from the library's offerings. Families can also take this chance to discover our children's section or join in with some of the weekly activities.

Don't forget that Pangbourne Library has also extended its opening hours until 2pm on Saturdays, thanks to the generous support of Pangbourne Parish Council, which has provided funding for these additional hours.

We're delighted to make visiting these libraries even more convenient for our community and hope to see you soon!

Pop-up libraries in May

• Leckhampstead Village Hall: Wednesday 7 May, then the first Wednesday of each month, 10am to 12pm
• Compton Village Hall: Thursday 8 May, then the second Thursday of each month, 10.15am to 11.45am
• Upper Basildon, St Stephens Church: Monday 12 May, then the second Monday of each month, 10am to 12pm

Come along to find a selection of books for you to borrow. New library members are especially welcome.

Bank Holiday closures

May we remind you that all West Berkshire libraries are closed on Bank Holidays, which includes Monday 5 May and Monday 26 May. But many of our services are available 24/7, so that you can enjoy reading with us every day of the year. Search for, reserve and renew books, download e-books, e-audiobooks and e-newspapers and magazines, and make use of our online reference resources for FREE.

West Berkshire Libraries

Our next newsletter will be out in early June. But don't forget that you can keep up with the daily news about everything that's happening in our libraries by following @WBerksLibraries on Facebook, Instagram and X (Twitter).