History comes to life at Syston Library

Most people know the Royal Navy was involved in the First World War and some people have heard of the Battle of Jutland, but not many people know what else the Royal Navy did in the Great War.

 

Local speaker Nick Marshall will be talking about the Royal Navy in World War One at Syston Library on Tuesday 21^st February at 7pm. Nick will be adding an extra dimension to his talk by wearing period naval uniform and bringing with him some of the kit the sailors would have been issued.

 

The Navy was present almost everywhere the army was during the Great War. Find out about the Royal Naval Division, sailors who fought in the trenches at Gallipoli and Passchendaele, and the fight against the German navy in East Africa. Learn about the exploits of the Royal Naval Air Service and the small naval missions on the Tigris to Baghdad, the Danube and the Black Sea.

 

Tickets cost £3 (including refreshments) and can be booked by contacting  Syston Library.

Crafternoon at Loughborough Library

Fancy some ‘me time’ and enjoy crafting?

Loughborough Library’s Crafternoon group meets monthly on a Wednesday 1.30-3.30pm.

They’re a friendly group of crafters who enjoy sharing their skills and knowledge. Some of the crafts that are happening in the group are knitting, crochet, tatting, embroidery, beading and card making.

Meeting dates over the next few months are: 9th November, 14th December and 10th January.

‘Support 2 Work’ at Barwell Library

From the 1st March, a new work club will be starting at  Barwell Library. It will be running from 10am until 11.30am every Tuesday throughout March. Anyone unemployed or at risk of redundancy can call in to receive help with:

 

• CV writing
• Searching for jobs over the internet
• Completing job applications
• Accessing training including computer courses and those around confidence building.

For further information email: mac@leics.gov.uk or call Martin Hall, MAC Co-ordinator on 07852 228424.

Tales of crime, war and mobile phones coming to Coalville Library

Tales of crime, war and mobile phones coming to Coalville Library

 

R.J. Ellory, writer of seven bestselling crime novels including the award-winning A Simple Act Of Violence, is appearing at Coalville Library to discuss his work and sign copies of his books.

 

His talk takes place on Saturday March 5th at 2.30pm, and will cost £1.50 per person. There will also be other crime-fiction related events at the library in March, including a talk on the queen of the genre, Agatha Christie, on Tuesday 15th March at 7pm for just £1.

 

Later in the month, war veterans can bring their photos, films, badges and Royal British Legion memorabilia to Coalville Library to discuss the fascinating stories behind these objects with a historian.

 

This free workshop, which takes place between 10am and 1pm on Saturday 19th March, is part of a landmark project, led by Leicestershire County Council, designed to mark the 90th anniversary of the Legion.

 

To find out more about the project please contact Margaret Bonney, Project Coordinator, at The Record Office on 0116 257 1080 or email margaret.bonney@leics.gov.uk . More details are available at www.leics.gov.uk/britishlegion

 

Also at Coalville Library there will be a free taster session for complete beginners who want to know how to use a mobile phone. This Myguide course takes place on Wednesday 16th March between 10am and 12noon.

 

There will also be bargains galore from Wednesday 16th March until Monday 21st March when Coalville Library has its Big Book Sale. Surplus books, CDs and DVDs will be on sale at discounted prices throughout the day.

 

Jigsaws, chats and carnival masks at North West Leicestershire libraries

There’s lots going on this February at Leicestershire County Councils libraries in North West Leicestershire, from carnival masks and wriggly reader sessions for children, to guided walks and book discussions for older visitors.

First off, Castle Donington Library will be launching a new jigsaw library service – just give 20p and you can keep a jigsaw for a whole month. The jigsaw library will run on the first Monday of every month from the 7th of February 2011 between 10am and noon.

There will be a free coffee morning at Ashby Library on Tuesday February 8th at 10.30, where book lovers can come and talk about their favourite novels, meet new people and find out about what they enjoy reading.

There will aslo be hour long guided walks from Ashby Library every Thursday morning at 10.30am. The walks, organised by the North West Leicestershire Active Together Team, are designed to keep people healthy while taking in the sights of the town and cost just £1.50 per person.

Over half term there are many events for children, all of which are free.

Learn all about the world with the Goofy Geography sessions on Thursday 24th at Kegworth Library (10.30am -11.30am) and Castle Donington Library (3pm-4pm), featuring fun learning and story times.

And for very young library users there’s Wriggly Readers with a difference – children can learn about objects and rhyming at the Pic n’ Mix sessions, taking place at Ibstock and Coalville libraries on Thursday 24th February at 10am and 10.30pm respectively.

Children can also bring a splash of colour to half term at Coalville, Ashby and Measham Libraries by making masks at the Carnival Masquerade sessions. Measham Library’s starts at 3pm on Saturday 19th, Coalville’s is at 10.30am on Wednesday 23rd and Ashby’s is at 2.30pm on Thursday 24th.

Finally, at the end of the month there will be a book, CD and DVD sale at Castle Donington Library. Prices of items start at 25p and the sale takes place on Friday the 25th and Saturday the 26th of November during normal opening times.

David Sprason, Leicestershire County Council Lead Member for Adults & Communities, said, “Events like these across libraries in the North West area keep visitors of all ages stimulated and entertained, and for little or no cost.”

For more details of these and other events in libraries in North West Leicestershire contact Liz Evans on 0116 3053570, visit the Leicestershire County Council’s website at www.leics.gov.uk/nwleic_libraries, or visit your local library.

Work Club to start at Coalville Library

A new work club aimed at helping people to find employment and improve their skills will be running at Coalville Library.

 

The Coalville Library Work Club will run between 1pm and 4pm every Tuesday initially for six weeks, starting on Tuesday 1st February, and is for anyone aged 19 years or older who is unemployed or at risk of redundancy.

 

Staff from the library, the council’s Adult Learning Service and advisors from Acorn Training and Next Step will be on hand to advise people and help get them back into work and training.

 

They can offer help with CV writing, searching for jobs over the internet, completing job applications and accessing training including computer courses and those around confidence building.

 

The Work Club is in addition to the successful Multi Access Centres (MACs) programme which has been rolled out across all 54 libraries in Leicestershire.  The centres aim to help improve opportunities for local people wishing to start or return to work.

For further information about the Support 2 Work event or to arrange an appointment with the MAC Advisor at Coalville Library, please call 0116 305 3565.  The library is on High Street, Coalville LE67 3EA.

Support 2 Work initiative continues at Hinckley Library

Special workshops aimed at helping people get back into work or training will be continuing this New Year at Hinckley Library.

 

The Support 2 Work workshops have been running since November at the library and will continue to run every Wednesday from 11am – 2pm. They are for anyone aged 19 years or older who is unemployed or at risk of redundancy.  Specially trained staff from the County Council and from partner organisations, Acorn Training and Next Step will be on hand to advise people and help get them back into work or training. Areas they can help with include:

• CV writing
• Searching for jobs over the internet
• Completing job applications
• Accessing training including computer courses and those around confidence building.

 

Anyone interested in finding work or entering training can drop into the work club for information, advice and guidance.

 

For further information about the Support 2 Work event or to arrange an appointment with the MAC Advisor at Hinckley Library, please call:

0116 305 2511.  The library is on Lancaster Road, Hinckley, Leicestershire, LE10 0AT

Broughton Astley Community Event

Broughton Astley Library is having an open morning for young families and OAPs to find out more about learning and community opportunities in Broughton Astley.

It takes place on Wednesday 26th January 10am – 12.30pm. It’s free and refreshments will be provided.

Activities include:

• Have a go on a computer – ICT taster sessions for adults (supported by Thomas Estley C C pupils)
• Games and stories for under 5’s
• Meet your local police officers
• Meet the Children’s Outreach Worker from the Children’s Centre
• Meet a representative from the Parish Council
• Broughton Astley Improvement Team – find out what we’ve been doing
• See the fantastic 3D model of Broughton Astley
• And lots more!!!

 

Further date announced for stargazing event

Due to high demand, a further date has been announced to enable people to gaze at the stars at Leicestershire County Council’s Newbold Verdon Library.  Inspired by the BBC, the event involves a whole host of astronomers and stargazers in Leicestershire to look to the skies in the New Year in a season of events and programmes headed up by Professor Brian Cox.

On Tuesday 18th January at 6.30pm, Newbold Verdon Library in association with BBC Learning will host a Stargazing LIVE event where total beginners, amateur astronomers and professional stargazers will get a chance to explore the night sky.  The first event to be held at the library tomorrow has been completely booked up!

James Palmer from the National Space Centre will give a presentation about the night sky in winter, after which people can enjoy hot chocolate and cookies whilst studying the stars!  Visitors are encouraged to wrap up warm, bring along a telescope and binoculars, and come on down to the library.

It’ll be a great way to find out about the glories of the universe and a great way to start 2011.

 

Stargazing LIVE events are taking place between 3-16 January nationwide.

The stargazing event at Newbold Verdon Library costs £2.00 for adults and is free for children.  To book your place, pop into the library or phone:

0116 305 3660/1 or email: newboldverdonlibrary@leics.gov.uk

For more information please also visit: http://www.leics.gov.uk/newboldverdon_library

Oxford Dictionary of National Biography

Did you know you can access the Dictionary of National Biography online using your library account?  November 2010 marks 75 years since the launch of the famous London version of Monopoly. Derived from The Landlord’s Game— invented in the US by Elizabeth Magie (1866-1948)—the London version allows players to own and develop some of the capital’s most famous streets and sites. But who lived in these streets, built the stations, populated the prisons, or developed the water works in real life?

The Oxford DNB includes 25,000 one-time residents of London and place searching by street lets you see who lived and worked across the Monopoly board. You can access the DNB by visiting your local Leicestershire library or in your own home by entering letters LCC and your library card number via our online reference page.