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Season's Greetings
All the staff at Cheshire East Libraries would like to wish you a very Merry Christmas!
We've packed this newsletter full of highlights from this year - and there's still plenty to do over the holidays too!
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Holiday opening hours
All Cheshire East libraries will be closed on:
- Christmas Day (Monday 25th December)
- Boxing Day (Tuesday 26th December)
- New Year's Day (Monday 1st January)
Our normal opening hours apply for the rest of the festive period.
We updated our opening hours for all libraries at the start of December. We've added a link for you below, in case you haven't seen the changes.
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We've issued a whopping 1.5 million books so far in 2023.
Remember to stock up your library card with engaging reads during the festivities. We all need a little downtime amongst the excitement of celebrations - and what better way to enjoy some quiet time than with a book?
Fancy something festive, but unsure where to start?
We've got displays in our libraries - and our staff have selected some crackers and stuffed our Eat, Drink and be Merry booklist with seasonal reads.
Always available online
With 24/7 online access to our digital books, magazines, and newspaper collections - even when libraries are closed - you don't have to worry about being left without something to read during the holidays.
Our BorrowBox collection of eBooks and eAudiobooks is available to all library members - and over 16,700 of you have made use of BorrowBox so far!
There are plenty of festive favourites - and we even have Ready to Read titles with absolutely no queues, so you can start reading or listening instantly.
So don't wrap your presents or peel potatoes in silence! Pop on a good book to keep you company instead.
Our eMagazine collection on Libby is fit to burst!
With thousands of magazines all immediately available to loan, you'll want to find time to use Libby.
We've got all the festive favourites - from TV listings and celebrity gossip, to film reviews and Christmas recipes.
Or perhaps you've picked up a new hobby for Christmas? From photography to knitting, cycling to gardening, or help with technology - whether it's your new tablet or new air fryer - there's something for everyone.
We've got all the latest editions - and back copies too!
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News and views
We've got digital newspapers too!
If you'd rather keep up to date with the world around you, we have a collection of local, regional, and national newspapers.
We have current copies and back copies - and they're all available online.
You can read the newspaper from back to front (all images included) - or if you're interested in specific topics, you can search all of our publications to find what interests you most.
The powerful search allows you to find items by name, keyword, event, topic, date or even map.
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If you come to any of our regular events, you'll know that you can have a jolly good time at the library all year round.
If you've never been to one of our events, why not add attending one on your resolution list for 2024?
We've entertained over 116,000 people at our events this year.
Our regular and one-off sessions are aimed at different age groups, with over 3,000 events for children and families, and over 1,500 events for adults.
From craft groups to coffee mornings, there are events to enthuse adults - whilst our weekly events for children always see our libraries bursting at the seams.
We've had some incredible special events this year too - hosting local authors, poets, and musicians, as well as Mr Bookstart Bear - and even some dinosaur pals!
There's something for all generations in our sessions - and we'd love if you could join us for next year!
Babies and toddlers: Our lively sessions with rhymes, stories, and songs help to foster a love of reading and language at an early age.
School age children: Calling all kids! We love to see your magnificent LEGO creations - and there's plenty of opportunities to play new games, develop STEM skills, and join our book clubs.
Adults: Our sessions are not just for little ones. Why not try out new crafts or games, learn a language, or share a love of books and reading with like-minded people.
Are you feeling social?
We love to reach out on social media with book recommendations, news and events.
You can find us on Facebook, Twitter/X, and YouTube.
We'd love to hear from you - so why not jump in with a like and share, and join our active library community online?
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Summer success
A massive 6,000 children took part in this year's Summer Reading Challenge - a 13% increase on last year!
We're grateful to our army of 103 volunteers who helped to sign up our keen summer readers, and encouraged every child to read six books over the summer holidays.
Libraries held 264 special events during the summer, entertaining over 5,000 children.
An amazing 3,485 children completed the challenge to earn a medal and certificate!
If you know a young reader who's keen for more, there's a Winter Mini Challenge running online - and you can click the button below to find out more.
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If you're feeling the cold, come and visit your local library.
We're supporting the Cheshire East Warm PlaCEs campaign - so you can visit your library to stay warm and enjoy a hot drink.
There's plenty to do when you visit, so you won't be bored! You could:
- use our free WiFi
- use our computers
- browse and read our books
- read our newspapers
- sit down and relax!
You're always welcome to join any of our regular social events - and you can also find jigsaws, board games, colouring and LEGO.
Crewe, Macclesfield, Nantwich and Wilmslow have Hublet tablets available for use in the library, with a wide range of apps to keep you entertained.
Our libraries are registered on the Warm Welcome Spaces map too, along with other spaces in the community that offer a safe, free, warm welcome.
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The gift that keeps giving
We've had 18,755 new members join us in 2023 so far. Can you help us to reach 19,000?
If you know someone who isn't a library member, why not suggest they join and share in all the benefits of being a member? It's free to join, and we have lots of free or low cost services and activities.
Plus, with over 1 million visits this year, our libraries are busy and fun places to visit.
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Did you attend one of our memory craft workshops led by the End of Life Partnership during Grief Awareness Week earlier this month? Did you know that they also run free online and face to face sessions for anyone preparing for loss, or dealing with grief and bereavement, or caring for someone with dementia?
The End of Life Partnership is one of the East Cheshire Mayor's charities of the year. If you'd like to book onto a free session or find out more about how the partnership could support you, click on the button below.
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Here's to a new year
Thank you for making it such a good year and we look forward to seeing you in 2024!
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We hope to see you soon!
We always welcome feedback about our services. If you have enjoyed this newsletter or have any suggestions for improvement, please send us an email to libraries@cheshiresharedservices.gov.uk.
Alternatively pop into your local library and let the staff know. Thank you.
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