Welcome
Welcome to our August edition, and Happy Yorkshire Day!
This month we have some changes to our opening hours to let you know about, plus we invite you to join us for a summer of engaging events, workshops, and new reads. Discover the latest library news and enjoy a few of our book picks!
If you're not already, make sure you're following us on social media to get the latest news and see what we're up to. You can also check out our What's On in Leeds Libraries page on Leeds Inspired for more details.
Following a recent public consultation, a number of our libraries will have changes to their opening hours, which will take effect on Monday 5 August. In order to make savings, we are reducing some of our opening hours at the least busy times.
This means some libraries and hubs will see evening hours change on Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursdays, opening until 5pm rather than 7pm. Wednesdays will remain late opening across the majority of sites until 7pm. Most libraries and hubs will remain open on Saturdays from 10am until 4pm, but some will now be open from 10am until 1pm.
You can find updated opening hours for all of our libraries and community hubs on our website and more information about the changes here.
Every August, bookshops, libraries, readers and writers across the globe come together to celebrate Women In Translation Month.
Started in 2014 by Meytal Radzinski, Women In Translation Month is a chance to celebrate and share your love for books by women whose works can be read in translation. We have loads of books on our catalogue that fit the bill, so dive in and explore the wonderful world of Women In Translation – you could start with this year’s International Booker Prize Winner Kairos by Jenny Erpenbeck; or how about the work of Nobel Prize winning Belarussian Svetlana Alexievich? We’re also huge fans of the modern gothic horror stories of Argentinian writer Mariana Enriquez.
You can follow Women In Translation month on social media using the hashtag #WITMonth. Please share your favourites with us @leedslibraries using the hashtag, and we’ll repost as many of them as we can!
Summer Reading Challenge
The 2024 Summer Reading Challenge has begun! It runs every year throughout the summer holidays, and all children aged 4-11 are welcome to take part for FREE.
They can read anything they like (really - anything!) and collect free rewards for their reading. This year's Challenge theme, Marvellous Makers, is all about creativity. From dance to drawing, junk modelling to music, there's something for everyone! Children will be able to find new reads linked to their favourite creative arts, and take part in fun activities at the library.
You can find our Summer Reading Challenge events here.
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 Every September thousands of volunteers across England organise events celebrating our fantastic history and culture. It's your chance to see hidden places and try out new experiences, all of which are FREE to explore. Here are a few highlights at Leeds Central Library...
Thornes of Leeds and its Chesterfield Connections
Thursday 5 September, 1.00-2.00pm
In this unique talk, Andrew Littlewood will explain why the question “why are there so many Thorne’s tins in Chesterfield”, began a 30-year obsession with Henry Thorne & Co. Ltd., mustard, cocoa and confectionery manufacturers of Lady Lane, Leeds.
Free talk, book here
Visit the Thornes display in the Local History Library throughout August and during Heritage Open Days.
Leeds Local History Open Day
Saturday 7 September, 11am - 2pm
Pop along to the 2nd floor of Leeds Central Library to explore collections dating from the 17th century in our showcase event. Focusing on this year's Routes - Networks - Connections theme, we will transport visitors through the history of Leeds and explore the city's global connections. Librarians will handpick their favourite examples, from exciting expedition accounts and historic maps to tracing local railways and rivers.
Secret Passages and Hidden Tunnels Talk with Dr James Wright
Wednesday 11 September, 6.00pm
Dr James Wright is an award winning archaeologist with two decades professional experience of ferreting around in people’s cellars, hunting through their attics and digging up their gardens. In this talk, he hopes to find meaningful truths about how ordinary and extraordinary folk lived their lives in the mediaeval period.
This event has been funded by Leeds Civic Trust.
Free talk, book here
Life Drawing: 4 week course with life model
Mondays 2, 9, 16 and 23 September, 5.30-7.30pm
Mondays 7, 14, 21, 28 October, 5.30-7.30pm
Art Library, Leeds Central Library
Venture into life drawing in this relaxed, supportive four-week course taught by artist and tutor Paul Digby.
You'll explore figure drawing including line, gesture and shade to develop your own artistic style.
Paul has a strong portfolio exhibiting extensively, including EAST Gallery, Royal Society of Sculptors Gallery, Leeds City Gallery, the Cornerhouse in Manchester and the Saatchi Gallery.
Places are limited - please book here. Tickets are £50 for the series. Age 18+
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Ask For A Book
Looking for a good read? Not sure where to start?
Ask for a Book is our online personalised book recommendation service offering handpicked reading suggestions. Choose a cover or theme based on a collection displayed on the screen and our dedicated Book Picker will select a recommendation for you!
You can collect your selected books from Leeds Central Library, Chapel Allerton Library, Morley Library & Community Hub and Pudsey Library & Community Hub.
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Social Media Summer School
Join us on Tuesday evenings throughout August for our exciting new Social Media Summer School, tailored specifically for businesses and entrepreneurs.
These sessions provide an ideal introduction to getting started with paid marketing on social media. If you’ve been considering this but aren’t sure where to begin or how much to spend, our workshop programme is just what you need.
Explore the full programme or attend the sessions that best suit your needs
As this is a specialist workshop programme, there will be a small charge of £5 per workshop. Book your place here.
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Chapel Allerton Arts Festival
30 August - 3 September
To celebrate this year’s festival, Chapel Allerton Library will be hosting two events on Saturday 31 August. In the morning, we’ll be running a special Lego Spike Beatbox event for children to get into the musical groove, before being a host venue for the Café Run in the afternoon.
The Café Run will see venues across Chapel Allerton – including the library – host acoustic performances by artists including Ramona Ellis, Sueli Gil, Stiofan O’Treabhair and PKYB. Tickets for both are available here and you can find out more about the Café Run and Chapel Allerton Arts Festival via the links below:
Lego Spike Beatbox tickets
Café Run tickets
Café Run information
Chapel Allerton Arts Festival information
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Simon Zonenblick: An Invertebrate Fable
Tuesday 3 September, 1.30pm, Hunslet Library & Community Hub
Meet poet and nature writer Simon Zonenblick as he shares poems from his debut full length poetry collection.
Invertebrates are fascinating, their shapes and behaviour intriguing. Simon takes us into the English countryside in search of butterflies, dragonflies, beetles, slugs and snails, as well as the slowly marching millipede or scuttling centipede, all vital players in the ecosystem, often overlooked and underappreciated.
Simon lives in the Calder Valley. His writing has featured in books, magazines and newspapers; he presents talks and films on various subjects and works on creative projects.
Book your free ticket here.
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 Beyond the Bassline: 500 Years of Black British Music at the Reginald Centre
We are looking forward to the Leeds West Indian Carnival at the end of this month!
This important part of the city’s heritage features heavily in our exhibition Beyond the Bassline: 500 Years of Black British Music, inspired by the British Library’s major show in London. You still have a chance to visit as the exhibition will be on display at the Reginald Centre until the beginning of September. It shines a spotlight on different voices and perspectives to celebrate Black British music as a form of entertainment and vehicle for community, as well as a source of liberation, protest and education. Stepping into carnivals, clubs and record shops across the country. Our version of the exhibition focuses on the impact Black British Music has had on Leeds and visitors will recognise some familiar faces and iconic venues.
If you have already visited the exhibition or attended one of our events, what did you think? Your feedback will help to support libraries, improve the offer, bring you more exhibitions and events, and more. You’ll also have the option to enter into a prize draw to win a £100 National Book token.
You can complete the survey here.
Leech by Hiron Ennes
This eerie and intriguing novel with its twists and revelations deeply immerses you in its beautifully written and atmospheric world. It will especially appeal to fans of gothic horror, fantasy and science fiction, and anyone who enjoys dark but thoughtful explorations of humanity and survival.
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Nevada by Imogen Binnie
When thirty-something trans woman Maria's life implodes, she launches her own Great American Road Trip to get away from it all. In a washed-up town in Nevada, she encounters James, who reminds her a lot of her younger self and together they form a bond that confronts each other but also themselves.
The essential Brat girl summer book – hilarious, messy, and probably the best American novel you’ve never heard of.
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The Mark by Frida Isberg
A spiky dystopian novel by an Icelandic author investigating the moral and social implications of a test that reveals people who have lower empathy and who could be more likely to commit a crime or anti-social behaviour. But will it be taken too far? A timely exploration of what it means to be good and how we treat people who are 'different' from ourselves.
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We were delighted to get some really lovely feedback recently about two of our libraries/community hubs...
"We have been coming to Calverley Library for 6 years, our first thought was "wow, what a friendly place" So relaxed and Julie especially makes you feel so welcome and is very helpful. It's so organised and a great space, excellent variety of books and for the young children too. We have never been to a library like this, which is so friendly but peaceful too. Great place, see you soon."
"I just wanted to say a big, big “thank you” to all the team at Moor Allerton Library and to all those working at the Leeds libraries in general.
We benefit so much from your hard work and organisation. You provide such a reliable and efficient service and we feel very lucky to have free and easy access to so many books and resources. We also love being able to reserve and renew particular books through the app and even borrow audiobooks through borrow box .
My two girls have always loved books and stories and they wouldn’t have been able to read half so many without Leeds libraries. We also home educate now and being able to borrow books on just about any topic is so helpful.
I hope this wonderful service continues for many years to come and that you know how much the community appreciates it."
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These are just a few of our Unlimited Use e-Audio books available on BorrowBox for your summer holidays. They're all free to download with your library card and you won't have to wait! Check out the selection here: https://leeds.borrowbox.com/
Find out more
Did you know we have two further library newsletters, where you can find out more about family friendly activities, local history and books and reading? Sign up here:
Thank you for reading our latest newsletter. We look forward to welcoming you soon - get in touch or find your local library
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