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To All West Berkshire Libraries Customers
Here's the October news from West Berkshire Libraries, including details about the services we are currently able to provide in line with government guidance on managing the risk of COVID-19.
 We know that many of you love your local library and greatly appreciated the services we were able to provide last year, including an extension of our online provision during lockdown. Thank you for all the kind words you sent us during the year and in response to our recent Annual Report.
On a regular basis we review the services we offer and think about what changes we might need to make to improve them. We’re currently undertaking a review of the whole library service and we would like to hear how YOU think we could change to make the service better. We are also looking to the future and thinking about how we might need to develop the library service over the coming years.
You can take part in different ways. Please complete our online survey (which should take about 5-10 minutes). Alternatively you can email your comments to library@westberks.gov.uk or leave a note on our social media with the hashtag #LoveWestBerksLibraries. As always, we also welcome your comments when you visit.
We’ll be collecting your feedback and suggestions until 15 November and this will inform a review of the West Berkshire Libraries Service. Once completed, the final report will be considered by elected Council Members at an Executive meeting in spring 2022 and will be published on the West Berkshire Council website.
Please have your say – we would love to know your views.
 This week is Libraries Week. This is a national celebration of libraries of all types, organised by CILIP, the library and information association, and supported by partners including Arts Council England. We hope you'll agree that there is plenty to celebrate in West Berkshire Libraries!
One cause for celebration is the reopening of Newbury Library following recent work on the building. We're delighted with the improved lighting system, which uses energy efficient LEDs and will provide significant savings in CO emissions and energy costs. The building also now has autism friendly lighting in the Children’s Library and Carnegie Lounge, with thanks in part to funding from West Berkshire Council’s Autism Partnership Board. Drop in any time to see the difference this has made.
 Congratulations to library member Laura Girling, pictured here at Burghfield Common Library, who won a wi-fi tablet in the prize draw for our Grown-ups2! Challenge. Over 600 adults took part in the Grown-ups2! Challenge to read three library books over the summer. We hope you all enjoyed your reading. If you came across any books that you particularly loved - or loathed - don't forget to share your comments with our friendly Facebook group, West Berks Reads.
As COVID restrictions have eased, many of the regular group activities in our libraries have been able to resume.
Burghfield Common Library: Craft Club, Knit & Natter, Lego Club, Rhymetime
Hungerford Library: Book Group, Craft & Chat, Lego Club, Rhymetime
Lambourn Library: Art Group, Book Group, Knit & Natter, Rhymetime
Mortimer Library: Monday Book Group, Rhymetime (from 2 November)
Pangbourne Library: Book Group, Coffee and Chat, Rhymetime/Storytime
Thatcham Library: Arts and Crafts Group, Colouring Club, Craft Club, Duplo Play, Family History, Lego Club, Rhymetime
Theale Library: Craft and Colouring Club, Duplo Play, Play Bridge, Quick Craft, Rhymetime
Following its reopening, Newbury Library will also be restarting some of its regular activities soon, including Craft & Chat, Lego Club and (from 19 October) Tuesday Rhymetimes.
For details about any of the above, please contact your local library. Other regular activities will resume as it becomes safe to do so.
 In every case, please help us to protect our communities by continuing to wear a face covering when you visit, sanitise your hands and maintain social distancing. Thank you.
In addition to our regular activities, we have a number of other things happening this month.
  Newbury Library is part of PEACE CAMP, an exciting project by artist Jemima Brown to mark the 40th anniversary of the Greenham Women’s Peace Camp. You’ll find some of Jemima’s sculptures camping amongst the book shelves here and in other locations around the town until the end of November.
Newbury Library will also be hosting a photo exhibition about NHS research in the Thames Valley, highlighting work supported by the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR). This will run until the end of the year.
 We're pleased to be working with the Corn Exchange, Newbury, who are running a Creative Arts Club for over 55s at Hungerford Library on Tuesdays, 10.30am-12pm, until 2 November. Over five weeks, participants will have the chance to try a variety of different arts forms. These sessions are free and there is no need to book – just drop in to have fun. A second Arts Club will run at Theale Library on Thursdays,11 November-9 December, 2.30-4pm.
Our online fun continues with a special Halloween Horror Week on Instagram starting 25 October, when we’ll once again be highlighting some of our favourite scary books.
Don’t forget that we have new online crafts for children every Saturday on Facebook and Instagram and every Sunday on Twitter. We also release a new online storytime on the first Tuesday of each month. You’ll find a link to this on all of our social media channels and you can find some of our earlier storytimes - and more - by searching for West Berkshire Libraries on YouTube.
We’ll have some special activities for children coming up in some of our libraries over half term, too. Follow @WBerksLibraries on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter to keep up with news about these and everything else that’s happening in libraries.
You can find details of all West Berkshire Libraries opening hours, including our Mobile Library timetable, on our website: www.westberks.gov.uk/libraries.
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