» 2012 » July

Newcastle Libraries’ former mobile library will carry on its community work by helping local charity St. Cuthberts Care support some of Newcastle’s most vulnerable people. After the mobile library was withdrawn from service earlier this year councillors decided to offer the vehicle to a good cause and invited applications from local charities to take over the running of the vehicle. 

The former mobile library will replace the two buses St. Cuthberts Care they currently use to provide their 5p Bus service. The 5p Bus travels around our region’s neediest areas, offering essential good quality second-hand clothes, bedding, children’s toys, books and on occasions, brand new toiletries, all for just 5p an item. Find out more about the 5p Bus.

Photo: Cllr Veronica Dunn (right) handing over the vehicle to Kathleen Urwin (left), the charity’s Community Services Manager.

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Photo: the old Newbiggin Hall Library

As part of the redevelopment of Newbiggin Hall Shopping Centre the existing library will relocate to Simonside Community Centre on Bedeburn Road, and will become a Partnership Library. The last day the current library is open to the public will be Saturday 14 July when it will close at 12:30pm.

It will move across to Simonside during the week beginning Monday 16 July and will open to the public in the new library at 9am on Monday 23 July.

For some time the libraries service has been working with library customers, staff, and the management committee at Simonside Community Centre to create a new and exciting space for the library. The area is smaller than the current library, but has been fully refurbished and redecorated, and has new furniture and shelving, as well as the latest self service technology.

Staff at the libraries service are committed to continue to provide an excellent level of service to existing customers, and connect with new users through this new partnership with the Community Centre.

David Fay, City Libraries’ Manager, said: “We are delighted to be working with Simonside Community Centre to continue to provide library facilities in Newbiggin Hall.  We hope all our existing library users will come to see us at Simonside as well as lots of people who might not have visited before.  We have the same number of computers and a great range of fantastic stock all set of in a friendly new building.”

Opening hours at the library will be:

Monday – 9am to 12.30pm and 1.30 to 8pm
Tuesday – 9am to12.30pm and 1.30 to 5pm
Wednesday – closed
Thursday – 9am to 12.30pm and 1.30 to 5pm
Friday – 9am to 12.30pm and 1.30 to 5pm
Saturday – 9am to 12.30pm
Sunday – closed

For more information about the library phone 0191 2774100 or email information@newcastle.gov.uk.

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We were delighted to be included in the ‘Write Around The Toon‘ project this year. This is a creative writing opportunity for Newcastle and Northumbria university students who have taken up 20 short-term residencies in several iconic locations around Newcastle and Gateshead.

You may have noticed, or even chatted to, our writer in residence Helen Limon.  Helen supported customers with their creative writing in March as part of International Women’s Day. Whilst here she observed how the library functioned and the customer’s use of our space with the aim of writing a short story to encourage others to visit the library.

The launch for ‘Write Around The Toon’ took place at Northern Stage and this was the first time staff were able to hear the finished story. Read ‘What would X do?’ here. 

Since then Helen has completed her book ‘Om Shanti Babe’, which is due to be published in September and she will be able to answer your questions at a ‘meet the author’ session on Saturday 22 September.  The session will be followed by a unique workshop supported by the dance group SANA Crew, to help young writers to describe book characters by actions and movements.  For more information phone 0191 2774100 or email information@newcastle.gov.uk.

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