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To All West Berkshire Libraries Customers
Welcome to our January news!
 West Berkshire communities are coming together to create welcoming, warm spaces across the district this winter. You can find details of warm spaces in your area here: https://www.westberks.gov.uk/warm-spaces.
If you have a warm space that you would like added to the map, please email rhys.lewis@westberks.gov.uk. Meanwhile remember that we are always pleased to see you in your local library, where a warm and friendly welcome awaits you.
You can find details of library locations and opening hours on our website. Please be aware that the opening hours at Lambourn Library changed slightly this week: the library now closes at 5.30pm on Tuesdays (30 minutes earlier than at previously) and remains open until 1pm on Wednesdays (1 hour later). Opening hours on Fridays and Saturdays are unchanged.
 We know that personal circumstances sometimes make it difficult to visit a library. If you or someone you know is unable to get to get to us, perhaps because of age, disability or for some other reason, we may be able to come to you.
Our friendly At Home service delivers books in person on a three-weekly basis, free of charge, to library members who cannot visit us. To find out more, please ring the At Home service on 01635 519827 or email library@westberks.gov.uk.
 What would you like to do to improve your health and wellbeing this year? Our wellbeing bags are packed full of activities and ideas for you, including colouring sheets, card games and suggestions for learning a new skill. Library members can borrow a bag for three weeks, free of charge.
Reserve a bag online and collect it from your local library. (You can collect your reservations from our Mobile Library too.) We are sure you will find something of interest inside!
If your New Year’s resolutions included volunteering, we may have an opportunity for you. We have a wide range of volunteer roles across Culture and Libraries and our friendly team is always looking for new members.
Please ring Gemma Taylor, Culture and Libraries Volunteer Officer, on 01635 519533 if you would like to find out more about volunteering with us, or email cultureandlibrariesvolunteers@westberks.gov.uk. Alternatively, complete the short form on the West Berkshire Council website and we will get back to you.
 Improve your IT skills this year with a computer course at Newbury Library. We provide individual tuition in weekly 1-hour sessions on Tuesday afternoons, suitable for both beginners and for anyone seeking further help with IT. You decide what you would like to cover. We can help you explore word processing, spreadsheets, Zoom, Skype and more, on PCs, laptops, tablets or phones.
The cost for a course of 10 sessions is £35. For more details and to book, please email rav.gopal@westberks.gov.uk.
 We are running a repeat of our popular, FREE 12 week coding course for 9-11 year olds, starting on 9 January. Each week we email participants with a fun project to try at home, with full instructions provided. You can use a computer in any of our libraries if you don't have one to use at home and members of our Code Club Team are happy to provide assistance to anyone who needs it.
For more information and to sign up your child, please email library@ westberks.gov.uk as soon as you can and we’ll make sure you don’t miss the first session.
 More online fun for children: remember that they can visit the Winter Mini Challenge website any time between now and 20 February to enjoy online games, author videos, suggestions for what to read next and lots of fun activities. Anyone who reads 3 books and adds them to their online profile will also earn themselves a Winter Mini Challenge certificate.
All of our regular activities in libraries resumed this week after the holiday break. These include our Rhymetimes for babies and young children with their parents or carers, which take place weekly in every library across the district, as well craft sessions, art clubs, book groups and opportunities to knit and natter, practise your language skills, try some gentle exercise and lots more.
Educafe returns to Newbury Library on Wednesday 11 January. Come and join us between 11am and 2pm to make and meet friends and learn new things. As always, there will be delicious, refreshments available for you to enjoy, free of charge.
Don’t forget our online activities too, which include book-related crafts for children every weekend on our social media and monthly Storytimes.
To find out what’s happening near you, check with your local library or search the West Berkshire Directory. Facebook users can see what’s coming up by following @WBerksLibraries and going to our Events listing. Also remember that you can keep up with the latest news about everything that’s happening in our libraries by following @WBerksLibraries on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.
We look forward to welcoming you again soon!
Our next newsletter will be out in early February.
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