Did you know that Cambridgeshire Libraries are part of Good Things Foundation’s National Databank, O2 and Vodaphone scheme, which makes free data SIMs cards or vouchers available to anyone 18+ from a low-income household? Recipients can self-declare as eligible, and the support is available for a maximum period of 12 months. The data can be used with any SIM-enabled device.
This offer is available at Arbury Court, Barnwell Road, Bar Hill, Cambourne, Cambridge Central, Clay Farm, Ely, Huntingdon, March, St Ives, St Neots and Wisbech libraries. Ask library staff for more details.
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Bessie the Book Bike will be joining the Cambridge City Child and Family Centre for a Family Fun Day at The Fields (Galfrid Road, CB5 8ND) on Saturday 30 March (10am-1pm). There will be face painting, soft play, arts and crafts activities, circus fun with Pendragon Circus, a petting zoo, a special visit from Disney princesses at Make a Smile Cambridge, and more!
Local families will be able to find out about what's happening in the community while having some fun. Free entry and refreshments available. We hope to see you there!
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St Neots Library is in for a treat this March as we host a set of Fantasy exhibition panels from The British Library.
From the Slavonic folktales of Baba Yaga and Lewis Carroll’s Alice in Wonderland to Ursula K Le Guin’s Earthsea trilogy and Terry Pratchett’s Discworld, the exhibition explores the characters, creatures and creations of fantasy writers and makers.
To coincide with the exhibition, we’ll be running a pop up fantasy book club at St Neots library on Saturday 23rd March, discussing Piranesi by Susanna Clarke. Have you always wanted to join a book group but haven’t had time or can’t commit to a regular meetup? Then a pop-up book club is a perfect way to get involved with your local reading community. Just read the book and come along to discuss! The event is free but booking is required. Call or visit the library to book your place.
We’ll also be running a creative writing workshop for young adults aged 13-18 on Saturday 6th April at 2pm. Taking inspiration from the fantasy authors showcased through the exhibition, the workshop will offer creative writing prompts to explore your creative side. No writing experience necessary! The event is free but booking is required. Call or visit the library to book your place.
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8th-17th March is British Science Week 2024 – a ten-day celebration of science, technology, engineering and maths.
Why not go to your local library or visit our website to browse our many books and ebooks on these subjects? Additionally, did you know that your Cambridgeshire Libraries card gives you free access to PressReader, where you can download and read a range of science and technology magazines such as National Geographic, Smithsonian Magazine, Science Focus, TechLife, Wired and much more, all free of charge?
If you visit a library in person, you can also explore Access to Research, which gives you free access to over 30 million of the world’s best academic papers from participating publishers, including the latest scientific research. To find out more, visit our Online Reference Library.
Lastly, to mark the occasion we’re inviting you to join us online on Thursday 14th March (7-8pm) for a fascinating talk by our Local Studies librarian about the history of inventions in Cambridgeshire. Book your free ticket on Eventbrite: Online talk: Cambridgeshire Inventions Tickets, Thu 14 Mar 2024 at 19:00 | Eventbrite
March is Women’s History Month, and 8th March is International Women’s Day. To celebrate, our Local Studies Librarian will be doing an online talk on Women’s Suffrage in Cambridgeshire. Join us on Thursday 7th March at 7pm to learn all about the struggle for the vote. Book your ticket on Eventbrite.
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Join us at Cambridge Central Library on Saturday 2nd March (first floor Foyer Space, 11am-1pm) for a Gardening and Allotments Mini-Fair! You’ll be able to chat with experienced gardeners and ask questions, and browse and borrow a selection of gardening books. Children and their parents/carers will also be able to join our gardening-themed crafts!
Free and all welcome. No need to book; just come along! Parents/carers to stay with their children at all times
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Poetry at Huntingdon Library
Thursday 4th April, 1.30pm - 3pm, Huntingdon Library
Local poet Stuart Henson reads from his latest book Beautiful Monsters - and talks about why everybody needs poems, at least some of the time!
FREE - donations welcome. Adults only.
Beautiful Monsters is a new collection in celebration of all things crazy, worn out, glorious… From Rory Gallagher’s road-ravaged Strat to a rhinoceros in Martial’s Colosseum. Little monsters like Rimbaud; big beasts like Baudelaire. A whiff of honeysuckle. Signs in a supermarket. A book left on a poet’s grave. An elephant. A dancing bear…
Beautiful Monsters is Stuart Henson’s seventh book from Shoestring Press, who published The Way You Know It, his New & Selected Poems, in 2018.
Booking required. Collect tickets from Huntingdon Library, call 0345 045 5225, or email Huntingdon.Referral@cambridgeshire.gov.uk
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 Click on the button below to take a look at our full selection of new books for March.
Our Cambridgeshire Listens and Cambridgeshire Reads collections bring you a wide range of books to borrow in eBook or eAudiobook format. Available for multiple use, they're great for reading groups and workplace reads. You can even listen and read at the same time!
Each month the selection of adult, young adult and children's titles are refreshed - they're available to borrow over a 60 day period. Try the links to look at this month's offerings.
 We have 7 titles available as both Reads and Listens this month:
Warrior Queens and Quiet Revolutionaries by Kate Mosse, When Women were Dragons by Kelly Barnhill, Fight Night by Miriam Toews, Old God's Time by Sebastian Barry, The Middle Daughter by Chika Unigwe, Dream Town by David Baldacci, Red, Lilibet by A.N. Wilson.
 We also have 8 adult fiction titles available as just Listens:
Black Holes by Brian Cox and Jeff Forshaw, The Darlings of the Asylum by Noel O'Reilly, Sinister Spring by Agatha Christie, Heart Bones by Colleen Hoover, Elizabeth Taylor by Kate Andersen Brower, Barking up the Right Tree by Leigh Russell, Mad Honey by Judy Picoult, Maybe Next Time by Cesca Major.
 Also available are these 5 junior and teen titles:
Thunderbolt by Wilbur Smith, The Elmer Treasury by David Mckee, Dirty Bertie Vol 1 by David Roberts and Alan Mcdonald, The Famous Five Short Story Collection by Enid Blyton, Once and Future by Amy Rose Capetta and Cori McCarthy.
 This March, combine your celebrations of Women’s History Month AND Shakespeare Week. Check out novels written by women, inspired by the history, characters and stories of Shakespeare’s plays. You can find and reserve all these great titles and more on our online catalogue
Hamnet by Maggie O’Farrell (Hamlet)
These Violent Delights by Chloe Gong (Romeo and Juliet)
We that are Young by Preti Taneja (King Lear)
New Boy by Tracy Chevalier (Othello)
The Gap of Time by Jeanette Winterson (The Winter’s Tale)
The Ophelia Girls by Jane Healey (Hamlet)
Vinegar Girl by Anne Tyler (The Taming of the Shrew)
Hag-Seed by Margaret Atwood (The Tempest)
The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern (various)
Station Eleven by Emily St John Mandel (various)
Last month, Ely Library was proud to host our first Library Eco Fair, in partnership with Eden Project Communities. The event gave visitors to the library a chance to find information and inspiration for positive actions we can take to help keep our planet cleaner and greener.
We brought together experts on climate and environmental issues, from local, district, county and regional organisations. They shared practical advice on energy saving, home insulation, gardening and climate change, recycling, wildlife protection and more. The event prompted lots of conversations and ideas. We hope to bring similar events to other libraries in the future.
For an eco-action you can take right now, please visit the Local Nature Recovery Strategy survey, launched at the event. By filling out the survey, you will be contributing to a regional plan to increase biodiversity throughout Cambridgeshire and Peterborough. This is part of a wider initiative for nature recovery across England. Read more about it here.
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Huntingdon Library is hosting a Nature Art Competition and a Photography Competition.
For details and specifications about entries go to our Nature Art Competition: A Garden for Wildlife and Photography Competition: Nature Against All Odds pages.
Please hand in all competition entries by Friday 5th April for a chance of winning some fabulous nature themed prizes. All artworks created will be part of our following Nature Art Exhibition running from 8th-27th April at Huntingdon Library within our opening hours.
These events are supported by Wild About Huntingdon and all prizes are donated by Wild About Huntingdon.
For further information please ask at the library, call 03450455225 or email Huntingdon.referral@cambridgeshire.gov.uk
Wild About Huntingdon Talk
At Huntingdon Library
Wednesday 27th March
2-3pm
FREE Talk for Adults
Join us to help celebrate Nature this March for an informative talk from local eco group Wild About Huntingdon. Booking required.
To book you place or for further information please ask at the library, call 03450455225 or email Huntingdon.referral@cambridgeshire.gov.uk
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Come to Huntingdon Library for some gentle exercise classes to get you feeling more vitalised without the stressful workouts!
Tai Chi and Qigong are ancient Chinese holistic practices of slow, low impact movements that incorporate posture, breathing and focus. It calms the mind, improves wellbeing and fitness. As it is low impact it is suitable for all ages and abilities.
FREE 6 weekly Tai Chi and Qigong sessions beginning: Thursday 7th March, 10.30 am - 12pm
Adults only. Booking required. For further information please ask at Huntingdon Library, call 0345 045 5225 or email Huntingdon.referral@cambridgeshire.gov.uk
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Did you know when children under 5 join the library they can have their own special library card? They can also join our First Steps Library Club and collect 10 colourful certificates by borrowing books or just visiting the library.
Ask library staff for more details.
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Remember our spring 2024 What’s on in Cambridgeshire Libraries brochure lists the amazing activities happening in our libraries up until the end of April. So, pick up a brochure in a library near you and start planning for the Easter holidays now.
Our activities can also be found on our social media or by visiting Library Live | What's On
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