Our Current Provision

The Library Service continues to be able offer a service to Derbyshire residents as follows:

• Our libraries are offering a Book and Borrow service. There are currently no plans to provide access to public PCs. You can find your local library details here.
• Libraries will close by 5pm during the week. All Saturday opening hours will remain the same.
• The two Mobile Libraries are currently not in service.
• The Home Library Service will continue.

Following the government's announcement of a roadmap out of lockdown and potential re-opening of libraries for browsing after 12 April, we have updated our Library Updates page with our intended future plans for the coming months. We will notify you of any further updates on this page, as well as our social media pages.

All books and other items currently on loan have been automatically renewed until 4th May 2021 and will not incur any overdue charges. Requests can be placed on books from other libraries. Our Library Information Service continues to be monitored from Monday to Saturday, which you can reach on 01629 533444 or ask.library@derbyshire.gov.uk

New eLending Platforms

Here's a reminder that we launched two new eLending platforms last month! Libby has replaced RBdigital as a platform for eAudiobooks and eMagazines, with the old service ceasing to be available from the end of March. You can download this on iOS, Android, and use via the official website.

uLIBRARY is a brand-new platform with a separate catalogue of eAudiobooks, accessible on iOS and Android. 

We also continue to offer our BorrowBox service for eBooks and eAudiobooks, which means we have access to the full range of publishers for eAudiobooks across all three platforms. You can download this for iOS, Android, Kindle Fire OS, and access via the website.

Don't forget too about PressReader, which offers over 7,000 national and international eMagazines and eNewspapers, and is available on iOS, Android, Kindle Fire OS, and access via the website.

You can see further details for all of these on our website. If you need any further help you can contact the Library Information Service on 01629 533444 or email ask.library@derbyshire.gov.uk

Kate Greenaway Medal Shadowing Project

The Shortlists for the Carnegie & Kate Greenaway Medals have been announced, and as always they're a stunning collection of eight books each!

This year we are taking part in the Shadowing scheme with a project for children and families (suitable for age 6-11) to look at the books on the Kate Greenaway shortlist and see how they would judge the books and choose the winner based on the official criteria. 

If you think your child would like to take part, or if you would like more information, please contact the Library Information Service on 01629 533444 or via ask.library@derbyshire.gov.uk.

Make it Click

Want to improve your digital know-how for work, career or business?

The Make it Click project, from the Good Things Foundation, can help you grow your digital skills and confidence.

The project runs until 30/4/21 and is aimed at limited users of the internet (aged over 18) who are looking for work, a new career or starting their own business, with a range of resources which include the subject areas, Build a business, Calendars, Documents, Email, Careers, Online security, Photos, Presentations, Social media, Spreadsheets, Work from home.

“Make it Click features free courses, tools and templates that you can trust. You can learn new apps, improve the skills you already have and take a positive step forward in your work.”

Support is being delivered by Derbyshire Libraries (currently over the phone): we can help people as they access and use the resources on the Make it Click website

Those taking part can also enter a prize draw with a chance to win one of three laptops.

To find out more about this opportunity, or book a support slot, contact us via the Derbyshire Library Information Service on 01629 533444 or ask.library@derbyshire.gov.uk

You can also book a slot online via Eventbrite at: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/make-it-click-one-to-one-digital-skills-support-sessions-via-phone-tickets-146735536941

'The ‘Make it Click’ programme aims to help adults achieve positive life and work outcomes, particularly around employment, by supporting them to understand how digital skills can change their life, and give the practical skills and knowledge to build their confidence to do so.'

70th Anniversary of the Peak District

April marks the 70^th Anniversary of the Peak District National Park and we will be celebrating this on our social media. Look out for weekly posts on Facebook and Twitter highlighting photographs, poetry, info, books, websites and more, all about our glorious Peak District! There will be opportunity to share your own images, words and thoughts about what the Peak District means to you.

Short Story Competition for Children

We were overwhelmed by the quality of the entries in our short story competition for children. To get such wonderful tales out of just 50 words was an absolute credit to everyone that took part, and we're sure there's some talented authors of the future in Derbyshire who we've just discovered!

Congratulations to Cameron for his brilliant story about aliens, as well as runners-up Rosie and Poppy, and of course to everyone else that took part. You can see the winning entries here, and stay tuned for more writing competitions in the future!

Spring Crafts

The Book Title Emoji Game

We know you all love our renowned Book-Off games on Facebook, but we thought we'd give it a rest this month and let Twitter have some of the fun instead. Join us every morning to try our Book Emoji game, trying to guess the book title from the emojis we've provided. Just a little bit of fun to get your day off to an exciting start!

World Book Night

It's World Book Night on 23rd April, which is The Reading Agency's annual celebration of everything to do with books and reading. You can check out the books they've selected for their list this year, and you can find out how to help get involved here. 

It's the perfect excuse to shout about your love of books and reading, so be sure to let all your friends know on the 23rd!

Derbyshire Adult Community Education - Upskill for a changing job market

Have you have been furloughed? or are looking for work but struggling to get a new job? Maybe now is the time to look at your qualifications and skills and think about what you can do to boost your chances in a competitive and rapidly changing job market. Take a few minutes to look through our Qualifications and Skills brochure and maybe we can help you get that dream job!

We have a wide range of qualification and skills courses starting in April in centres and online.

Learners enrolled onto vocational qualifications up to Level 2 who have a Derbyshire postcode, are employed and earn less than £17,004 per year, are entitled to full fee remission (you can complete the course for FREE!).

Learners booking on to Level 3 and Level 4 courses may be able to apply for an Advanced Learner Loan to cover the costs of the course or you may be entitled to new Government funding for a first Level 3 qualification, subject to availability. Contact your local Adult Education Centre for further details.

Buxton Museum and Art Gallery

What’s going on at Buxton Museum and Art Gallery?

Buxton Museum is due to re-open on Tuesday 18 May 2021, following the government’s current guidance. We look forward to seeing you when we open the doors again. We will have new exhibitions for you to see, as well as measures to keep everyone safe. The main gallery will be occupied by a retrospective of the artwork of Brian Nolan, an established Derbyshire artist whose spirited landscapes will have us all pining for those wild hills and dales.

The ground floor gallery features an exhibition called Full Circle by Susan Dodd and Penny Kealey; two friends celebrating 50 years since leaving Chesterfield Art College. Their work reflects their passion for the rich variety of Derbyshire’s heritage. Well dressings, church monuments and carvings, Blue John, fairs, feasts and circuses are given new and intriguing interpretations. As always, the permanent displays take you on a journey billions of years into the Peak District’s past.

Although Buxton Museum and Art Gallery has been closed to the public for the best part of a year, the staff have worked behind the scenes; reaching out to virtual visitors with fresh research and imaginative interpretation from home. There were even some new acquisitions and an entire online exhibition. By the end of 2020, BMAG had enjoyed almost as many visits as it did in 2019; the difference being is that most of those visits were digital. The museum blog has filled up with a variety of articles and activities.

Follow Buxton Museum and Art Gallery on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Flickr and Wordpress for updates on planning a visit. Admission remains free.

(Image: Buxton 2020 by Martin Olsson. Collection of BMAG)

From our friends at Derbyshire Record Office: The Terror!

If you’ve been watching The Terror on BBC2, you’ll know it tells a horrific tale of the terrible fate which befell a Royal Navy expedition exploring the Arctic in the mid-19th century. Although the TV story invokes supernatural and horror elements, it is based on something that actually happened in history. An expedition set off to the Arctic in 1845 to make its way through the fabled North West Passage, made up of two ships called HMS Erebus and HMS Terror, and manned by 129 men who would never return home. The details of exactly what happened are still shrouded in mystery and controversy. Have a look at our online exhibition for more about the lost expedition.

The expedition was led by the intrepid explorer Sir John Franklin, whose adventurous life story would be worthy of several TV series in its own right. He fought in battles during the Napoleonic Wars (including Trafalgar), circumnavigated Australia (being shipwrecked along the way), led two land expeditions in the Arctic fraught with danger, and governed the Australian island of Tasmania (then known as Van Diemens Land).

If that wasn’t enough, he married two talented women with interesting stories of their own, firstly the poet Eleanor Anne Porden, who died tragically young, and then the redoubtable Lady Jane Franklin, who became a world-wide celebrity campaigning to ensure that more expeditions were sent out to search for her husband and his men.

Franklin’s only daughter went on to marry into the Gell family, who lived at Hopton Hall in Derbyshire. The Gell family’s records came to Derbyshire Record Office, and this included much material relating to Franklin and his family. There are over 100 letters written by Sir John, including a number to his family and friends just before he sailed into oblivion. Volunteers are busy transcribing these letters and you can read some of them already on our catalogue.

Stay up to date with all the latest news from Derbyshire Record Office via our blog and Twitter.

(Image: Portrait of Sir John Franklin)

Derby Book Festival

Thursday 27th May - Saturday 5th June 2021 at various locations across Derby.

Our annual Festival is back for its sixth year! This year there is a programme of over 60 events across ten days to celebrate the joy of books and reading for all ages and interests. There is something for everyone with topics ranging from clouds to crime, railways to romance, walking to Wallis Simpson! There are book-related activities for families and children during the May half-term break, with many taking place outdoors at parks across the city. Derby Book Festival now has two great programmes of events each year. The main Festival, from 27 May to 5 June 2021, includes around 60 events and the Autumn Edition has 10 events over three days.

Tickets will go on sale for Festival events taking place at Derby Theatre from 16 April and early May for other events. Visit the website to find out the latest details: https://www.derbybookfestival.co.uk, or follow us on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook for more updates.

This Month We Recommend You Read...

We're got more of the excellent children's books available on our eBook and eAudiobook collections on BorrowBox and Libby to share with you this month, which are great choices for you and your family.

First off on BorrowBox, we're recommending the wonderful first books in the series of Starfell by Dominique Valente. In Willow Moss and the Lost Day, we meet Willow Moss, the youngest and least powerful sister in a family of witches, has a magical ability for finding lost things – like keys, or socks, or wooden teeth. So when the most powerful witch in the world comes calling and asks Willow to help her find a missing day that has completely disappeared, can she find it and save the universe?

Our second pick on BorrowBox is The Garden of Lost Secrets by A.M.Howell. Clara soon discovers that her new surroundings hold secrets: a locked room and a hidden key, and a mysterious boy who only appears in the gardens at night… But can Clara face up to her own secrets, and a war she’s desperate to forget?

Our third pick from Libby is I Am Not A Loser, the first book in the Barry Loser series by Jim Smith. Follow the hilarious first tales of Barry as he tries to throw off his loserness, take revenge on the terrible Fronkle-burping Darren Darrenofski, and finally become a winner. 

Need a further suggestion? We're always delighted to suggest a story! Contact us on Facebook, Twitter, or ask.library@derbyshire.gov.uk and we'll do our best to find you something fantastic!

Multi-Use Titles

Every month we get a new selection of titles on our BorrowBox app of both eBooks and eAudiobooks that can be taken out by multiple users at one time. These stay multi-use for 60 days, so if you have a book club and you're looking for your next title then one of these could be your next choice! 

You can find these titles on the main BorrowBox page, identified as a collection with 'No Waiting!' or 'Available Now!'. Titles available from April are:

• The Other Woman by Sandy Jones (eBook & eAudiobook)
• Lie Down With Lions by Ken Follett (eBook & eAudiobook)
• Children of Blood and Bone by Tomi Adeyemi (eBook & eAudiobook)
• The Boy Who Flew With Dragons by Andy Shepherd (eBook & eAudiobook)
• Gone Fish by Whitehouse and Mortimer (eBook only)
• The House at Riverton by Kate Morton (eAudiobook only)
• Echo Burning by Lee Child (eAudiobook only)
• Nice Work by Cecila Imrie (eAudiobook only)

Library Love

We have been receiving so many kind comments over the past few weeks about how important and useful our customers have been finding our online library offer. If you would like to contribute and share your stories and comments, please email us at: ask.library@derbyshire.gov.uk 

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