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To All West Berkshire Libraries Customers
Welcome to our July news!
 We’re excited to tell you that West Berkshire Libraries will once again be working with national charity The Reading Agency over the coming months to bring you a Summer Reading Challenge for children.
We are challenging all children of primary school age in West Berkshire to borrow and read six library books between 1 July and 15 September.
This year’s fantastic challenge is called Gadgeteers and has been produced in partnership with the Science Museum Group as a celebration of science, ideas and innovation, as well, of course, as encouraging children to read for pleasure.
If you have children aged 4-11 years, bring them along to any of our libraries to sign up for the challenge from 1 July. We’ll give them a special collector’s poster when they start and they can collect stickers for it as they read. We’ve got medals and certificates for everyone who completes the challenge.
Pre-school children and others who are not yet reading can also have fun through visiting their local library, looking at picture books – perhaps with a parent or carer – and collecting their own stickers to complete a Mini Challenge card.
Both challenges are a lot of fun and it’s all FREE!
P.S. Don’t forget to bring your library card with you every time you visit the library.
 Adults and older children can also join the fun this summer by taking our Grown-ups2! Challenge.
Just borrow and read three library books by 15 September to enter our prize draw to win a WiFi tablet.
Read anything you like, fiction or non-fiction. Audiobooks, e-books and e-audiobooks count too. Sign up from 1 July and enjoy a summer of reading.
 We aim to bring the pleasure and benefits of reading to everyone, but we know that approximately 1 in 3 adults in the UK do not read regularly for pleasure and 1 in 6 adults in this country find reading difficult. This is where The Reading Agency’s Quick Reads can help.
These are short, engaging books by bestselling authors that are specifically designed to be easy to read. Since 2006, over 5 million books have been distributed across the country through the initiative, 5 million library loans have been registered and, through outreach work, hundreds of thousands of new readers each year have been introduced to the joys and benefits of reading.
West Berkshire Libraries stock all the latest Quick Reads. Come and take a look at the collection on the shelves at Newbury Library or check our catalogue to see what’s available and reserve the book of your choice to collect from the library nearest to you
 This month, Educafe comes to Theale Library. Join us on Friday 1 and Friday 8 July, 12-2pm to find a range of activities for parents and carers with babies and young children, English language practice, a chance to meet friends old and new and have a chat, and lots of delicious (free) cakes!
Educafe is also continuing every Wednesday, 11am-2pm, at Newbury Library up to and including Wednesday 20 July, after which it will be taking a summer break. As always, everybody is welcome.
 We are currently able to offer free access for all our library members to Brillder, a new online resource designed primarily for secondary school students which provides an enjoyable, interactive way to study and learn through over 200 game-type units, called ‘bricks’.
Students can have fun trying to complete their chosen brick against a clock and taking part in occasional competitions, as they work their way through a catalogue of varied topics in more than a dozen subjects, including History, Maths, English and Science.
Brillder aims to provide an ideal resource for revision or for independent learning, particularly beneficial for anyone seeking to apply to university, but we think that adults will enjoy it too. Sign up on the Brillder website using your library card number and PIN, add an email address and your own password and then start studying online via any computer or mobile device.
 We look forward to welcoming children and their parents and carers at Thatcham Library on Saturday 9 July, 11am, when you can hear local authors Ben and Jo Harte read from their book Do you know the colours of the rainbow?. Materials will be provided for some colouring fun afterwards. This activity is free, no need to book.
 Theale Library is starting a LEGO Club for 6-12 year olds, which will run every Monday during the school holidays from 25 July, 2-4pm. Drop in to have fun building your own creations. Children under 8 will need to be accompanied by an adult.
Most of our regular activities, such as weekly rhymetimes, craft sessions and our monthly LEGO Clubs, continue in all libraries until the end of term.
Throughout the school holidays, we will have a number of special activities for you to enjoy. Don’t miss our August newsletter for all the details and meanwhile follow @WBerksLibraries on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter to keep up with latest news about everything that’s happening in our libraries.
 Our VIP Book Group for visually impaired adults meets monthly to share thoughts about a selected audiobook. This group was started in 2001, after West Berkshire Libraries took part in a national project involving the RNIB (Royal National Institute for the Blind), NLB (National Library for the Blind) and Calibre Audio. This month’s meeting was a special one, as members celebrated 21 years of friendly book chat!
The group usually meets at Newbury Library on the 4th Monday in the month, 10.30-11.30am. For information about joining, please ask in the library or email library@westberks.gov.uk.
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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