An Autumn of upheaval!

It's going to be a busy autumn! We're finalising details of some activities for local and national programmes which we'll be telling you about shortly, as well as providing the "usual" wide range of learning and reading events and activities. On top of all that we're preparing for some major works in some of our libraries:

• We're finishing the preparations for moving Langley Library from its current building into its new home in the nearby Children's Centre.
• Balderstone and Spotland libraries will be having work done to install toilet facilities for disabled people.
• Heywood Library will be closed at the beginning of October for major refurbishment work lasting about six months.

We don't have firm dates for these yet, we'll be letting you know once they're confirmed.

Help create a huge stir!

Smithybridge Library is participating in MacMillan Cancer Support's 'Help Create A Huge Stir' coffee morning event to support the work of the charity.

The Library's coffee morning is on Saturday 29th September from 10.00am to 12 noon.

Everybody's welcome!

Rochdale Library Blog o'Reading

For a long while we've wanted somewhere on the web for us to share reading ideas with our customers and for them to come back to us with ideas of their own. So we've started the Rochdale Library Blog o'Reading, which will include ideas from Library Service staff and our customers. We hope we'll be able to include links to local reading and writing groups' blogs as well as links to online resources from the wider world.

Rochdale Library ServiceBusiness Unit Plan 2007-10

The Library Service’s Business Unit Plan 2007-10 describes the current performance of Rochdale Library Service, and identifies priorities, service pressures and contributions to wider agendas for the next 3 years.

Public Libraries are statutory services; all library authorities have a duty to provide “comprehensive and efficient library services” as described in the Public Libraries Act. Public libraries offer much more than just books, important though they are. The benefits to local communities made available by libraries are far-reaching and varied and this is reflected in the Plan.

The Plan underpins the Information and Libraries Service Plan 2007-10, which in turn links into the Borough’s key strategies (Aiming High and Pride of Place).

Adult Learners' Week 19 – 25 May 2007

To celebrate May's Adult Learners' Week the Library Service joined other learning organisations exhibiting their wares to the public in Rochdale Town Hall. We staffed a stand providing access to our online resources, including the Web Catalogue and our online reference services.

We took the opportunity to publicise these resources; the wealth of learning resources we have in our reference and lending collections; and some of the many learning and literacy campaigns, projects and programmes we're involved in.

This link to our Web Catalogue will give you a flavour of some of the learning activities and resources involved.

Adult Learners' Week Web Site.

Big Lottery Funding bid for Darnhill

The Library Service had submitted a bid for funding to the Big Lottery. We have asked for £1.4 million to refurbish Darnhill Library and create a new Darnia Library and Learning Centre, co-located with the Clinic and a Children & Young People’s Centre.

The Big Lottery have contacted us three times for further information, which suggests that they're seriously considering the bid. We’ll be finding out if we’ve been successful in early in the autumn.

The first 5,000 online reservations!

Our online services are taking off! — The 5,000 online request on the Library Services web catalgoue was made on the evening of Friday 6th July.

This service gives the customers the opportunity to browse the library catalogue on the web at home and reserve copies of titles they want, to be picked up from their local library at their convenience. In the two years since the service was launched on http//libraries.rochdale.gov.uk we have seen an average of seven requests per day, since reservation fee charges were removed in February this has increased to twenty one requests per day.

Besides providing an improvement to the service to our customers, free online requests have made a significant positive impact on some of the Library Service’s Performance Targets.

Rochdale Libraries have been working hard to bring services online to our customers over the past few years. Currently, our customers can view the library catalogue and their personal account online, renew their books, reserve items and access online resources such as Oxford Reference online.

Norden moves home

Norden Library moved from its old home (upstairs in the old Town Hall on Edenfield Road) to new premises which are part of Norden Community School on Shawfield Lane. Many thanks to everybody involved in packing up the old library and getting the new library ready for business on Monday July 16th.

It's early days yet but we've had a very encouraging number of new members and issue figures are looking good. If you've not seen the new library, why not pop in and have a look around?

Books to treasure at family fun events

Children get the chance to discover the treasures in books at two family fun events this week.

The Library Service is holding the family fun events to gift Bookstart Treasure Boxes to children starting school in September 2007 who did not receive their Treasure Box at Nursery this year.

The events are on:

• Wednesday 22 August
  Wheatsheaf Library, Rochdale from 2pm until 4pm


• Friday 24 August
  Littleborough Library from 2-4 pm

Both afternoons will be drop in events with face-painting, crafts, freebies and balloons on offer. The Bookstart Bear is also hoping to make an appearance.

Parents are asked to bring their red health book if possible. It will also be an opportunity for other parents to find out about Bookstart.

Bookstart in the UK is the first national books-for-babies programme in the world.

Every baby born in England is now entitled to three free Bookstart Packs at the following ages:

• 6-9 months - the Bookstart pack, gifted by the Health Visitor


• 18-30 months - the Bookstart+ pack again usually gifted by their Health Visitor


• 3-4 years - Bookstart Treasure Box - gifted in the child's pre school year.

Children starting nursery in September will receive their Treasure Box at their Nursery before August 2008.

Book Crossing on World Book Day: 1st March 2007

To celebrate World Book Day this year we joined in with the Book Crossing initiative, leaving books in public places throughout the Borough.

The idea behind Book Crossing is that people can find books they haven't seen before in places where someone might have the time and curiosity to pick them up and have a read.

• Find out more at the Book Crossing web site...


• Find out more about World Book Day

Our Library Catalogue

Rochdale Library Service uses its web catalogue to act as a portal: as well as providing access to records on the Library Catalogue it also links to resources on the web that might be useful to our customers. Very generally speaking we do this three ways:

• Library Catalogue searches -- you choose the type of search you want, enter the search term(s) and get a result. The Library Catalogue includes books; cassettes; CDs; videos; pamphlets; local studies ephemera; newspaper index records; and web documents.


• Pre-set searches -- search routines performed as hyperlinks -- a selection of the more popular searches done on our in-library OPACs plus a few examples of the more unusual items we have in stock to give you an idea of the wide range of materials we have in our libraries.


• Links to resources elsewhere on the web -- reading resources; authors' web sites; and other useful services.

We are also using the web catalogue to provide interactive services for our customers:

• You can build and print out reading lists.
• If you are registered as a borrower in our libraries you can reserve titles online.
• You can renew your loans online.
• You can let us know if your borrower details are wrong.

All of these services are available online day or night at http://libraries.rochdale.gov.uk.

We have published four "editions" of the Library Catalogue:

The "general" Library Catalogue, including everything except newspaper index records.

"Kids' Portal" -- a version of the Library Catalogue aimed at children, with some searches confined to stock in our Children's Library collections.

The Local Studies Catalogue -- a version of the Library Catalogue aimed at people interested in local studies and geneaology with some search results confined to Local Studies collections.

The Newspaper Index -- a searchable catalogue of newspaper articles held in our Local Studies collections.

The Library Catalogue is a work in progress; at the moment we are literally adding new functions and features every other day. Please feel free to have a look around.

Castleton Library's new home a success

Castleton Library opened in its new home in Castleton Community Centre on 26th February. The new library has given us the opportunity to improve the way we display and feature our stock and has given us room to add another couple of PCs for access to the Internet.

In the first two months of operation, new borrowers went up 250% issues were up by 36% and issues to children up by 42%. Many thanks to all the staff at Castleton who did so much work to make this happe.

Why not pop in and have a look?

Big Wild Summer

Your local library is Going Wild this Summer!

If you are aged between 4 and 11 years of age why not join THE BIG WILD READ?

• If you want to take part, pick up your FREE folder and wild flower seeds - available from 30 June at libraries across the borough.
• Visit your local library throughout the Summer for a variety of free WILD events and
  collect stickers and other surprises as you read.
• Free swim tickets, medals and certificates for all children who make four visits to the Library to complete the BIG WILD READ CHALLENGE.
• All who complete the challenge will be entered into a draw to join in a local tree planting event.
• Big Wild Reads

Special events at your local libraries

Places are limited, please ring the relevant library to book your FREE place.

Guy de Paul’s Magic Show
For children aged 4+

• Friday 27 July 10.30am at Heywood Library
• Monday 13 August 10.30am at the Wheatsheaf library
• Monday 13 August 2.30pm at Junction Library
• Tuesday 14 August 10.30am at Norden Library
• Tuesday 14 August 2.30pm at Brimrod Chapel

The Bug Box
Roger Swailes introduces a variety of big wild insects. For children aged 5+

• Thursday 2 August 10.30am at Castleton Library
• Thursday 2nd August 2.30pm at Spotland Library
• Thursday 9 August 10.30am at Milnrow Library
• Thursday 9 August 2.30pm at Wardle Library

The Wild Road Show
Animals galore! For children aged 5+

• Thursday 26 July 10am at Alkrington Library
• Thursday 26 July 11.30am at Langley Library
• Thursday 26 July 2pm at Belfield Library
• Thursday 26 July 4pmat Smallbridge Library

Big Wild Rhymes with Craig Bradley
Entertaining, dynamic and fun performance poetry show complete with bongos. For children aged 5+

• Friday 3 August 11am Littleborough Library
• Friday 3 August 2pm Middleton Library
• Friday 3 August 4pm Balderstone Library

John Piper’s Puppets
For children aged 4+

• Friday 17 August 10.30am at Smithybridge Library
• Friday 17 August 2.30pm at Middleton Library
• Monday 20 August 10.30am at Heywood Library
• Monday 20 August 2.30pm at Darnhill Library

Join a local Bug Hunt with a countryside ranger
Family event. All ages welcome

• Monday 23 July 2.30pm starting from Balderstone Library
• Tuesday 21 August 2.30pm starting from Littleborough Library

Curly Cat
Make your own shoebox theatre For children aged 7+

• Friday 10 August 2-4pm Wheatsheaf Library

Drop in events
No need to book, everone welcome.

Animal Face-painting

• Tuesday 24 July 2.30-4.30pm Middleton Library
• Tuesday 31 July 2.30-4.30pm Langley Library
• Monday 6 August 2.30-4.30pm Heywood Library
• Tuesday 7 August 2.30-4.30pm Spotland Library
• Thursday 23 August 2.30-4.30pm Castleton Library
• Tuesday 28 August 2.30-4.30pm at Milnrow Library

Wild craft activities
Try a different Craft Activity each week throughout the Summer at your local library. Don’t forget to bring your BIG WILD READ folder and choose new books at the same time!

• Week beginning 23 July - Ugly Bugs
• Week beginning 30 July - How does your garden grow?
• Week beginning 6 August - Wild Life Masks
• Week beginning 13 August - Butterflies
• Week beginning 20 August - Wild Summer cards
• Week beginning 28 August - Animal Crafts

Note: All Libraries CLOSED on Bank Holiday Monday 27 August.

The fun doesn't end with the school holidays - look out for the autumn events in our libraries!