This October Warwickshire County Council’s library service is taking part in Libraries Week, an annual celebration of everything that libraries across the country have to offer.
The event showcases the innovative activities and services that libraries readily provide each year, and how they work towards supporting their local communities.
The week-long event, which will be jam-packed full of activities to suit all ages, will be taking place in Warwickshire Libraries from Monday 3 to Sunday 9 October 2022. The theme this year is to never stop learning, and will celebrate the central role that libraries play to enrich our lives, knowledge, and understanding. Warwickshire Libraries are delighted to show people across the county the safe, inclusive, and inspiring spaces they provide for learning, and how they can help individuals to unlock and fulfil their potential at every stage of life.
In keeping with the theme of learning, libraries across the county will be hosting a variety of free events that cater for all age groups, from talks by best-selling authors, to coding sessions and fun and creative children’s activities.
A full list of the Libraries Week programme is available to browse on the Warwickshire Libraries Libraries Week Eventbrite page, where you can also register your place for each activity.
Here’s a selection of just some of the free events taking place:
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Tuesday 4 October: join a virtual session online via Teams, from 7.30pm with crime and thriller author Fiona Cummins. Fiona will be discussing her latest book ‘Into the Dark’ and delving into the darker sides of reading and writing.
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Wednesday 5 October: Bedworth Library will be hosting an in-person coffee morning with award-winning romantic comedy author Bella Osbourne from 11am. Bella will be sharing some great writing tips and discussing her latest books including ‘A Wedding at Sandy Cove’.
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Wednesday 5 October: Stratford Library will be hosting an in-person Local Interest coffee morning at 10am (part of our regular monthly programme of coffee mornings). This month the theme is all things paranormal – Jackie Lines brings us a selection of local ghostly tales and there’s a chance to browse some of our local history resources too. Just drop in, no need to book.
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Thursday 6 October is National Poetry Day, and to celebrate this Kenilworth Library will be joined by poet Steve Pottinger for a Poetry on Demand drop-in session between 11am – 1pm (no pre-booking required). Steve will discuss questions with visitors and create bespoke poems for anyone who would like one.
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Thursday 6 October: Leamington Library will be hosting a talk from 7:30pm with best-selling author Kit de Waal and Mog Harris from Warwick Books. Kit and Mog will be in conversation to discuss libraries, reading and their own latest books, ‘Without Warning’ and ‘Only Sometimes’.
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Thursday 6 October Nuneaton Library will be hosting a FREE ‘Life Skills Showcase’ event entitled ‘Money Matters’ for anyone to learn more about life skills from Adult Community Learning and meet organisations offering support with the cost-of-living increases including Act on Energy and local Borough Council services offering financial and housing support. No need to book, just drop in 10am to 2pm.
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Saturday 8 October: Rugby Library will be hosting an in-person coffee morning with award-winning romantic comedy author Bella Osbourne, who will be sharing some great writing tips and talking about her latest books including ‘A Wedding at Sandy Cove’. Join us from 10.30am.
Throughout the week Sohan Kailey from Bhangra Tots will be hosting several family fun sessions to enjoy interactive storytelling through the power of music and dance. Each session will teach families key Bhangra dance moves and encourage children to move their feet to the Bhangra beat! Register your place on the Eventbrite page here.
During Libraries Week, there will also be the chance to discover more about help with energy and other cost of living advice from Act On Energy at Leamington Library on Monday 3rd October (9.30am-12.30pm) and Nuneaton on Thursday 6th October (10am-2pm).
Warwickshire Adult & Community Learning will be at Leamington Library on Tuesday 4th October (10am-2pm), Thursday 6th October at Nuneaton Library (10am-2pm) and Friday 7th at Stratford Library (10am-2pm) to offer information and advice about the courses they offer.
The Carer’s Trust will also be hosting an information stand at Leamington Library on Thursday 6th October between 10am and 3pm. No booking is required – drop in between the session times listed.
There will be two free Playlist for Life drop-in sessions, one at Leamington Library on Tuesday 4 October 2pm –4pm, and one at Atherstone Library on Thursday 6 October, 10am –12pm. Staff will be on hand to show carers of people with dementia how to create a personalised music playlist. No booking is required to attend these sessions.
Also throughout the week, Warwick Library is celebrating Libraries Week with a colourful yarn-bomb. Showcasing the skills and imagination of the library's Yarnbombers group, this yarn-based art display will adorn the library both inside and out, highlighting the best that libraries have to offer. Drop in any time (inside creations available to view during normal library opening hours only).
Warwickshire Libraries will also be offering three taster sessions for adults to learn more about coding, particularly for parents and guardians who would like to support their children’s digital skills. Learning to code has been found to help improve young people’s school & academic performance, increase confidence, and help with developing maths, problem-solving, writing, and creative skillsets. The coding taster sessions will be taking place on:
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Wednesday 5 October at Rugby Library, 14.00pm – 15:00pm Link to book
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Tuesday 4 October at Leamington Library, 11:00am – 12:00pm Link to book
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Friday 7 October at Nuneaton Library, 11:00am – 12:00pm Link to book
Finally, Warwickshire Libraries’ Virtual Library Team are running two free online sessions on Monday 3 and Friday 7 October from 11:00am -12:00pm where new and regular library members alike can find out more about libraries’ eBooks & eAudio, eMagazines, eNewspapers, and information and learning eResources (including encyclopaedias, dictionaries, old newspaper articles, Naxos classical music, and Driver Theory practice tests). You can book your place to find out more on the Eventbrite page here. You can also get online anytime with Warwickshire libraries at www.warwickshire.gov.uk/libraries
Cllr Andy Jenns, Portfolio Holder for Customer and Transformation, said:
“Libraries Week is a fantastic opportunity for Warwickshire to celebrate its much-loved libraries and the central role that they play in supporting life-long learning for all ages.
“We’ve got a brilliant programme of both virtual and in-person events for people to enjoy in the first week of October, and these will really help to showcase the amazing services and activities that are available for free to people in our libraries across the county.
“We look forward to introducing both new and returning customers into our safe and inclusive library spaces. Our doors will be open to celebrate everything we have to offer in our libraries across Warwickshire, and our staff can’t wait to say hello!”
Libraries Week is organised each year by CILIP, the UK’s library and information association who work to improve services, develop their members’ expertise, and champion the sector. CILIP is a registered charity (no. 313014) and the only independent voice for the UK’s information profession.
To keep-up to date with Warwickshire Libraries latest activities, information, and events, you can:
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Visit Warwickshire Libraries
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Sign-up to the Warwickshire Libraries weekly newsletter
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Read the Warwickshire Libraries Blog
To join your local library for free, visit www.warwickshire.gov.uk/jointhelibrary