The Lit & Phil are holding an author event called Literary Lunch: Women of Mystery on Tuesday 14 September from 12:30pm – 2pm. The lunch will be hosted by Ann Cleeves with guest authors Sophie Hannah and Cath Staincliffe.
Sophie will be reading from and discussing ‘A Room Swept White’, her fifth psychological crime novel.
Cath will be reading from and discussing ‘The Kindest Thing‘, a modern nightmare about a woman who honours her husband’s wish to die.
Tickets for this event are £10, payable in advance and include a buffet lunch. For more information contact the Lit & Phil by phoning 0191 2320192 or emailing library@litandphil.org.uk.
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There are some exciting developments on the horizon as we are introducing self-service in four more libraries across the city. The libraries moving to self-service are Outer West, East End, Blakelaw and Jesmond. They will need to close temporarily in order for the necessary work to be carried out. We have two dates set:
- Outer West will close on Monday 20 September and reopen on Monday 27 September
- East End will close for a week from Monday 11 October before re-opening on Monday 18 October
We are in the process of finalising the dates for the other libraries at the moment.
Self service machines make borrowing items much easier and faster, giving library staff more time to help with customer enquiries. Our self-service system relies on a small RFID tag stuck inside the book’s cover which stores details about the item. This RFID tag is then read by the self service machines, which links up to the library management system to add the item to a customer’s account. CD and DVD loans can be paid for at the machines as well as overdue fines.
When the libraries reopen with their gleaming new self-service machines in place, staff will only be too happy to demonstrate how they work to anyone who is curious.
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Two local authors will be visiting us on Thursday 16 September from 6pm – 7pm at City Library: Matthew Crow and Guy Mankowski
Matthew Crow was born in South Shields and moved to Darlington at the age of sixteen. His first book, Ashes, is set during the turbulent Meadow Well riots in 1991. An interview with Matthew can be found on the Evening Chronicle website.
Guy Mankowski was raised on the Isle of Wight before moving to York where he was taught by monks at Ampleforth College. Guy then continued his education at Newcastle and Durham universities. He now works as a psychologist in Newcastle. Guy’s story ‘The Willows’ is published in Legend Press’s 2010 collection 10 Journeys and also in the 2009 collection of short stories ‘8 Rooms’.
To book your free place at this event phone 0191 2774100 or email information@newcastle.gov.uk.
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Age Concern have teamed up with Sainsbury’s and venues across the UK for the 3rd annual i-tea and biscuits week from 20 – 26 September and Newcastle Libraries are getting involved.
On Thursday 23 September we are holding an i-tea and biscuits morning at City Library for the over 60s. We will be running internet taster sessions in the ICT Suite on level 4 where you can learn more about the internet, whether you’re a complete beginner or want to expand your current knowledge. We can cover internet basics, email, Facebook and Twitter, online shopping or downloading music – anything you need to help you use the internet successfully and confidently.
To book your place please phone 0191 2774100 or email information@newcastle.gov.uk. Internet taster sessions are also held on a regular basis in our branch libraries. Ask at your local library for more information.
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Have you already started your Christmas shopping? Is the thought of Christmas stressing you out already?! Why not do all of your shopping online this year?
We are holding several internet taster sessions to introduce online shopping:
Friday 10 September, 2pm – 3:30pm at East End Library
Tuesday 5 October, 11am – 12:30pm at Gosforth Library
Monday 8 November, 10am – 11:30am at Outer West Library
Thursday 18 November, 2pm – 3:30pm at City Library
Avoid the queues and save money this Christmas! Class sizes are limited so please book in advance by phoning 0191 2774100 or emailing information@newcastle.gov.uk.
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Peter Robinson visited City Library to discuss the next Inspecter Banks novel Bad Boy and take part in a book signing. Stephen King calls the books ‘the best series now on the market.’
In Bad Boy, Detective Chief Inspector Alan Banks faces his most challenging and terrifying case yet when his own daughter crosses paths with a dangerous psychopath. The book can be found on our online catalogue.
Peter also took the time to talk to two members of staff, Sue Pemberton and Donald Simpson, in the podcast below.
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City Library is hosting an Information, Advice and Guidance Open Day in conjunction with Newcastle City Learning on Monday 6th September 2010 from 10am – 7pm.
View the programme of FREE workshops and demonstrations including demonstrations of watercolour painting, manicures, and Indian head massage. There are also details of other demonstrations taking place in venues across the city.
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Wednesday 29 September from 1pm – 7pm at City Library.
Learn how to find the right job, apply for grants, develop business ideas, protect intellectual property and build a great C.V with our information and guidance experts at the Newcastle Libraries Business and Employment Show. This is a free event, no booking required – just turn up. See the BIPS page for more information about our business information and intellectual property services.
As well as the information stalls, there will be the following talks:
Bsi and British Standards Online – Supporting Your Business
Susan McKeown from BSi
ICT Suite Level 4 from 2pm – 3pm
British Standards provide quality assurance to thousands of products and systems; this talk will help your business understand how to implement and use this important resource, and maximise its usage. British Standards Online is freely available to Newcastle Libraries’ customers via the 24 hour library. Admission is free, but places are limited. Please phone 0191 2774100 or email information@newcastle.gov.uk to book your place.
Building a successful brand online
Nick Stopforth from Newcastle Libraries
ICT Suite Level 4, 6pm – 7pm
This practical event will give you tips and ideas on how to develop the position of your business online and getting the most from search engines and email with tips and hints for developing a powerful online presence. Admission is free, but places are limited. Please phone 0191 2774100 or email information@newcastle.gov.uk to book your place.
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Come along to this talk and get a unique opportunity to explore some of the material held in the local studies collection relating to the Grainger Market including illustrations, directories and other refernce material. There are two sessions at City Library, the first is on Monday 27 September from 2pm – 4pm and the second is on Tuesday 28 September from 2pm – 4pm.
The event is free but places must be booked by phoning 0191 2774100 or emailing information@newcastle.gov.uk.
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The data collated from the following questionnaire will be used to inform a dissertation for a Library and Information Management master’s degree. It covers our use of Flickr to display the Tyneside Life and Times Collection. Your input would be greatly appreciated by the student leading the research. All responses are confidential and will not be used for any other purpose.
The survey can be accessed here.
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Visit OldNewcastle to explore nearly 2000 years of history all packed into half a square mile of Newcastle upon Tyne. Whether you want to take in the fine architecture or discover the rich heritage of the historic heart of Newcastle, there’s something for everyone.
Download a map from OldNewcastle and explore the City’s best historic sites on foot such as the site of the Roman Fort of Pons Aelius or visit one of the UKs finest examples of Norman stone keeps. Stop in at The Cathedral Church of St. Nicholas, with its fine 15th century Lantern Tower which for centuries guided ships up the Tyne or take a leisurely stroll around The Black Gate.
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Would you like to carry around your entire music collection? In this free taster session we will take you through step-by-step how to download music online. Learn how to ‘rip’ your CDs to your computer so you can listen to them on an mp3 player. Come along to this free session on Monday 16 August from 10am – 11:30am at Outer West Library.
To book please call Outer West Library on 0191 2777970 or email outerwest.library@newcastle.gov.uk
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Bad Boy is the next Inspector Banks novel, due out today. Peter Robinson will be visiting City Library to discuss his book and take part in a book signing.
In Bad Boy, Detective Chief Inspector Alan Banks faces his most challenging and terrifying case yet when his own daughter crosses paths with a dangerous psychopath. Stephen King calls the Inspector Bank novels ‘the best series now on the market.’
Peter will visit on Wednesday 11 August from 6:30pm – 7:45pm at City Library.
To book your free place phone 0191 2774100 or email information@newcastle.gov.uk.
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It seems a long time ago that I enjoyed an excellent walking tour of the Byker Wall. A small group of us started at East End Library with an illustrated talk by Colin Dilks followed by a fascinating tour of the Byker Wall. We learned that the wall was a radical experiment in social housing by notable architect Ralph Erskine. With the colourful brick and paint it still looked modern and it must have been a truly amazing site when it first opened. The walkways were deliberately designed to be too narrow for two people to pass so they had to negotiate and thereby talk to each other! It wouldn’t suit everybody but Colin, who lived in the wall, said he thought it was the best housing estate in Europe! Check our copy of Page Turner for future events.
We will shortly be subscribing to a new service called ‘SmartSM’ which is designed to make sure that libraries have the right type of stock and that stock gaps are quickly filled. It does this by analysing the stock at every library, working out how often it is borrowed and identifying stock gaps. In this way it is possible to identify under-performing stock at one library and move it to another where there is a demand. We hope to start using this in September and results should be noticeable shortly after that.
My colleague Andrew Scrogham is currently busy rolling out more self-issue machines to our libraries. The next in line to be converted are East End and Outer West in September and October. Self issue has been a big success since it was first implemented at Gosforth in 2007. It frees colleagues more time to spend with customers and to make sure the stock is attractive and up-to-date.
City Library Manager, Angela Forster, and I recently enjoyed the first meeting of our new Focus Group, the first meeting was just to explain what the purpose of the group was and we will meet for the first time in September. We still have places available on the focus group so if you would like to join us, please contact Angela for more details (angela.forster@newcastle.gov.uk or phone 0191 277 4148).
David Fay
City Libraries Manager
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…all from the comfort of your own home. Save money and shelf space by using our free online reference library containing up to date, reliable and quality information.
You can access dictionaries, encyclopaedias, newspaper articles and more, including the Oxford English Dictionary, Encyclopaedia Britannica, Know UK and Oxford Music Online to name but a few! Ideal for study, solving crossword puzzles or satisfying your curiosity. All you need is your Newcastle Libraries ticket to access our 24 Hour Library.
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