Biddulph, Burntwood, Burton, Cannock, Codsall, Kidsgrove, Leek, Lichfield, Newcastle, Perton, Rugeley, Stafford, Stone, Tamworth, Uttoxeter, and Wombourne added to their service offer from 12th April.

From Monday 12th April we reintroduced managed browsing and bookable study spaces and the mobile library service.

You are able to return and request books and order books for pick up via ‘order & collect’ and ‘grab & go’

We continue to offer our Home Reader service.

There are currently no overdue charges for the late return of items.

Public computers and printing are available for essential use within our open libraries if booked in advance. For more information about bookings or printing contact your local library.

The mobile library service returned to the roads offering an ‘order & collect’ service at a limited number of stops.

For more information about services at our 27 Community Managed Libraries please contact your Community Managed Library directly.

Telephone numbers for all Staffordshire Libraries can be found on the Staffordshire Libraries webpage.

When visiting a Staffordshire Library, you will be required to wear a mask or face covering. We will also be operating NHS Test and Trace within all our buildings. Books will continue to be quarantined after handling

You can follow us on Facebook or Twitter for a range of activities and events including Story Time, Baby Bounce & Rhyme and Craft Time. You can also join one of our Adult Book Chat, Creative Writing or Wellness groups. 

Our online library is open 24 hours a day for FREE eBooks, eAudio, eMagazines, eComics and eNewspapers.

We've been overwhelmed by the response to our re-opening of libraries since April; it has been wonderful to here how much you have missed us and value coming back to choose your books.

We received this delightful photo and message from one parent:

Someone was happy to able to browse in the Cannock branch again today! 

We'll both be in the garden this afternoon with our latest finds.

Another regular user of one of our libraries took the time to contact us and said:

“ I was saying to a friend who agreed with me, I haven’t missed the gym, I haven’t missed my dancing, but I have really missed being able to come into the Library to browse at my leisure.

The books the staff have been picking for me have really opened my eyes to different authors, people I would never have picked up, like Simon Brett, but who myself and my friends are sharing now. I have had vast numbers over the months, and there were very few that I didn’t finish. Even though I can now choose my own I would still like to have a portion chosen for me by the staff!

I’m looking forward to the day when I can come in and meet friends and sit and chat, but most of all I have missed being able to pop in daily, just because I am passing…”

Another parent said:

Great to finally take the kids back to @StaffsLibraries yesterday, they we so excited to get their hands on some fresh #books  

As we continue to recover our Library service don't forget that we offer 24hr access to our FREE online Library

You can follow us on Facebook for a range of activities and events including Story Time, Baby Bounce & Rhyme and Craft Time. You can also join one of our Adult Book Chat, Creative Writing or Wellness groups. Simply visit Facebook/Staffordshire Libraries to take part.

Follow us on Twitter for lots of updates, information and engaging posts from us and other partners in the world of books, libraries, museums, art and lots more.

Our online library is open 24 hours a day for FREE eBooks, eAudio, eMagazines, eComics and eNewspapers.

For more information about our services visit www.staffordshire.gov.uk/Libraries

Place a Reservation

Use our Order and Collect Service

Access our eLibrary

Access a range of FREE online resources

Get Creative this May!

Join in with weekly creative activities in our new Facebook group CreateMore! Everyone is welcome, whether you want to try something creative for the first time or you're already handy with a pencil or paintbrush. Our CreateMore artists will provide weekly activities and we'd love to see the things you make in response to them!

Join in by searching for @staffordshirecreatemore in Facebook and ask to join - it's free to take part and the CreateMore artists will be there to support you with any questions.

Mental Health Awareness Week

10th - 16th May

Mental Health Awareness Week is an opportunity for people to talk about all aspects of
mental health, with a focus on providing help and advice.

This year will focus on Nature and the Environment.
This theme has been chosen to reflect the evidence that access to
nature is of crucial benefit to our mental health, something which
millions of people re-discovered during lockdowns. It is important to note
that this was not the same for all of us. Ensuring everyone is able to share
in the natural world and experience the mental health benefits is vital.

Did you know?

• Approximately one in four people in the UK will experience a mental
  health problem each year.
• Feelings of loneliness have more than doubled over the lockdown period. One in four adults (24 per cent) in the UK have felt lonely. More than four in ten (44 per cent) of 18-24 year olds said they felt lonely.
• More than four in five (84.2%) Brits are worried about the effect that the Covid-19 pandemic is having on their life, with over half (53.1%) saying it was affecting their wellbeing and nearly half (46.9%) reporting high levels of anxiety.

For Children and young people;

• Research shows that 50% of mental health problems are established by the age of 14 and 75% are established by 24.
• More than one in ten children aged 10-15 say they have no one to talk to or wouldn’t talk to anyone in school if they feel worried or sad
• Almost two thirds of children aged 8-11 say they feel stressed, sad or worried at least once a month. Over a third of parents of children aged 4-11 worry about their child's mental health at least once a week. 

For more information on Mental Health Awareness Week and for ideas of how you can engage with nature and the environment visit the MHAW Website.

Read our article below on the power of bibliotherapy and try titles from our Reading Well collection!

Read, Talk, Share and NEW Reading Well Collections

At the beginning of the year The Reading Agency received funding from the Department of Culture Media and Sport to tackle loneliness and support mental health as part of the country’s COVID-19 recovery.

The Reading Agency have developed Read, Talk, Share to support this work and have gifted every library in England Reading Well Collections for adults, children and young people.

Each of our libraries in Staffordshire have received or are shortly to receive their collections and, in addition, we’re also pleased to be able to offer many of the titles through our Borrowbox App or via the eLibrary.

Find out more about Read, Talk Share 

Find out more about the:

Reading Well Collection for Mental Health 

Reading Well Collection for Young People’s Mental Health 

Reading Well Collection for Children 

Dementia Action Week

17th - 23rd May

What is Dementia Action Week?

Led by Alzheimer’s Society, Dementia Action Week is a national event that sees the public coming together to take action to improve the lives of people affected by dementia.

How can I take part in Dementia Action Week?

Whether you'd like to get involved individually, at work or as part of your local community, no action is too small.

Visit the Alzheimer's Society webpage to find out more, explore videos and other resources.

Become a Dementia Friend

The Alzheimer’s Society’s Dementia Friends programme is the biggest ever initiative to change people’s perceptions of dementia. It aims to transform the way the nation thinks, acts and talks about the condition.

Whether you attend a face-to-face Information Session or watch the online video, Dementia Friends is about learning more about dementia and the small ways you can help. From telling friends about the Dementia Friends programme to visiting someone you know living with dementia, every action counts.

Learn more about what it is like to live with dementia and turn that understanding into action. It’s really easy to do, find out how here

Join Dementia Research

Over 850,000 people are living with dementia in the UK. This short animation explains how you can get involved with Join Dementia Research, the UK-wide service that matches people to local dementia research studies. People with dementia or memory problems, their carers or anyone who is interested can sign up; you just need to be over 18. Find out more here

Staffordshire Libraries and Dementia Action Week

During Dementia Action Week we will be sharing information, videos and links across our Facebook and Twitter pages to guide you to useful information about Dementia and how you can get involved.

You can also borrow from a range of Dementia related stock titles, many that are part of the Reading Agency's Reading Well collection, available via request or 'Order & Collect' or check out the titles that are available on of Borrowbox App or from the eLibrary.

We have an exciting month for author events with two very different Book Chats on offer!

First up on 5^th May at 7.30pm is a mixed genre panel featuring Bonnie MacBird, Suzie Tullet and Tracy Baines.

Bonnie is an American screenwriter and actress and the original writer of the science fiction film, Tron. A fan of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle since the age of 10 she is the author of multiple Sherlock Holmes novels, with her latest The Three Locks, published on 1^st April.

Alongside Bonnie, we will be chatting to Suzie Tullett, author of humorous contemporary fiction and romantic comedy whose books include Six Steps To Happiness and The French Escape, and Tracy Baines, author of the bestselling gritty heart-warming saga series The Variety Girls.

Battle of Iron

A Ground-Breaking Zoom Event to Mark the 80th Commemoration of the sinking of The Bismarck and HMS Hood

One of the most remarkable battles of the second world war took place on 27^th May 1941 at sea between two warships from different eras. The Royal Navy’s Battle Cruiser Hood, beautiful and sleek had been the envy of many navies and was renown the world over. The Kriegsmarine’s Bismarck was the most powerful battleship in the world and thought to be the last word in sea power. The two would meet in the North Atlantic and what followed is a story of valour, tragedy, luck, misfortune, and the beginning of the end of the battleship as the ultimate weapon.

On the 80^th anniversary of the battle Andrew Lound performs a presentation stunningly illustrated with images, sound effects, video and models. Battle of Iron is a blow-by-blow account of one of history’s enduring incidents. In a remarkable Zoom presentation, the audience is transported to the operations room at the Admiralty following the changing fortunes of war. A human story of the futility of war.

This Zoom version of Andrew Lound’s dramatic live show will keep the audience on the edge of their own seats.

Thursday 27^th May 7:00pm

Tickets £4 per household, please book through this Eventbrite link

Donate I.T. to help local people get connected

Staffordshire County Council is working with the Community Foundation for Staffordshire to provide recycled I.T. equipment to local people.

There are still people in our communities who don’t have the I.T. equipment they need to learn, apply for jobs, access health services, and reduce loneliness.

To help we’ve set up eight drop off points within libraries, where people can donate I.T. equipment they’re no longer using.

What do we need?   

• laptop (with charger)
• tablet
• keyboard
• mouse

Find out more - ask about the scheme at your local library or visit the web page www.staffordshire.gov.uk/DonateIT

It's Staffordshire Day Quiz Time!

As part of Staffordshire Day yesterday we posted these two quizzes on our social media, but here's another chance for those of you who haven't tested your Staffordshire knowledge to have a go!

Cultural Staffordshire Quiz

Staffordshire Day Quiz

There's also a Staffordshire Day Oat Cakes Jigsaw for you to try.

Friends of Perton Library presents…‘Meet the Archaeologists’

In the first in a planned series of talks organised by the Friends of Perton Library the local ‘Archaeology in Mind’ group will be giving a Zoom presentation about their excavations of the RAF Perton site in Bluebell Walk, Perton during 2019 and 2020.

Discover Perton’s Second World War History and explore what remains to be seen and the artefacts that the team excavated.

Wednesday 12^th May from 7pm to 8pm

FREE

Please register on Eventbrite here

Reading Friends

In libraries we appreciate what a difficult time it has been for many people, but we’ve also seen the value attached to working with our communities to help people feel connected.  Telephone Reading Friends is available to support customers who are interested in books and reading but, for whatever reason, are finding it difficult to visit their local library at this moment in time.

Customers are matched with a member of library staff or a volunteer and telephone book chats take place once a week for a 4 week period.

The chats are entirely flexible in their content but will have books and reading at their core.

If you are interested in this service please visit the webpage or email us at  reading.friends@staffordshire.gov.uk

Please pass on the word about this offer for anyone you think might benefit, family, friends or neighbours! Find out more about the Reading Friends National Scheme here

Your Play-Ready Baby 

A free 6-week online adult learning course for parents /carers of children aged 0-3 years to help you support your child’s emotional, social, communication and physical development through play and practical activities.

Online content can be accessed at a time to suit you. Weekly Zoom sessions will provide support. Open to all residents of Staffordshire (not including Stoke-on-Trent).

To book, or for more information, please email burton.library@staffordshire.gov.uk, call 01283 881204 or you can book direct through Eventbrite 

Your School-Ready Child 

A free 6-week online adult learning course for parents /carers of children aged 3-7 years to help you support your child’s emotional, social, communication and physical development through play and practical activities.

Online content can be accessed at a time to suit you. Weekly Zoom sessions will provide support. Open to all residents of Staffordshire (not including Stoke-on-Trent).

To book, or for more information, please email burton.library@staffordshire.gov.uk, call 01283 881204 or you can book direct through Eventbrite 

The Night Sky in May

Find out what is going on in the night sky this May by downloading this useful guide to all things astronomical. The guide was created by our Perton Library Astronomy Group member, Doug.

The Night Sky in May

eMagazines and eComics

Avoid those costly magazine subscriptions and read eMagazines & eComics online from Libby for FREE thanks to a membership with Staffordshire Libraries.

Either download the Libby App on your smart phone or device or visit the eLibrary to find out more.

Join us for Elmer Day

Saturday 29th May is Elmer Day when we all celebrate our favourite patchwork elephant, the creation of author and artist David McKee. Elmer remains one of the most widely read children’s book series of all time, selling over ten million copies worldwide.

On Elmer Day we will be sharing story and craft videos throughout the day on our Facebook and Twitter pages.

Children who visit our libraries can also pick up Elmer activities when they collect or choose their books so they can have fun at home with Elmer.

Find out more about Elmer

Have you visited the Oxford Dictionary of National Biography yet? It's FREE to access from home with your Library card number. 

ODNB contains over 60,000 biographies, 72 million words, 11,000 portraits of significant, influential or notorious figures who shaped British history.

As yesterday was Staffordshire Day we're focusing on Staffordshire born writer and poet Henry Newbolt; 1862-1938.

Start searching by following the ODNB link on our Online Resources page.