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 Welcome to Your Library News
Welcome to this month's Library newsletter. This September we are bringing you a curated collection of exciting updates, upcoming events, book recommendations, community spotlights, and much more. Whether you're an avid reader, a passionate learner, or simply love the welcoming atmosphere of our libraries, this newsletter is tailored just for you.
Stay connected, inspired, and discover new opportunities to feed your love for books and knowledge. Get ready to embark on a literary journey as we share the latest news and treasures from our libraries right to your inbox.
 Meet The Author@ Westmorland & Furness Libraries
Join us for one of these great meet the author events soon. Our author events are a fun and relaxed way to get up close to your favourite authors for discover someone new! The authors are always pleased to meet readers and happy to chat about their writing and their books. All are welcome.
Meet the Author Marilyn Parkes- Seddon
Penrith Library
Wednesday 16th September 7pm
Returning to her roots, Marilyn brings the haunting landscape of the Moors to life in this gripping novel. She will take us behind the pages of The Shoebox and her other works, sharing her writing methods, inspirations and creative process.
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Each bringing a very different world to life through their writing. Find out about their new books-Rose & Renzo and Liesel's War. There will also be the opportunity to buy a copy through Hedgehog books.
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An Afternoon with Paula Hillman
Ulverston Library @ The Coro
Wednesday 23rd September 2.30 pm
Join us for a fun afternoon with popular local author Paula Hillman. Find out about her writing journey and delve into the world of her newest mystery romance book The Silver Road.
A perfect afternoon whether you are an avid Paula Hillman fan, new to her work or just love books and authors. Everyone is welcome. Paula will have books to purchase on the day.
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My Life & Books with Helen Phifer @ Penrith Library
Penrith Library
Friday 2nd October 6pm
We are delighted to welcome our Author Ambassador for the National Year of Reading, Helen Phifer to Penrith Library. Helen became a global bestseller with her very first novel, The Ghost House, and has gone on to publish many titles featuring the popular characters Detective Morgan Brookes, Lucy Harwin, Beth Adams and Maria Miller. Meet Helen and find out about her life and writing career to date in this not to be missed event.
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An Afternoon with Hank Williams
Ulverston Library @ The Coro
Wednesday 28th October 2.30pm
We are delighted to welcome local author Hank Williams to Ulverston library. Join us to hear about Hanks writing journey and discover his atmospheric debut fiction novel, What Fools We Have Been.
An exploration of memory, identity, and the trail of damage left in the wake of wartime trauma. It asks: What is it that makes us who we are? Is it possible to repair the wreckage of the past?'
A fascinating afternoon awaits whether you are new to Hank’s work or just love books and authors. Everyone is welcome.
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W&F Libraries Read Together
Last Friday of each month at 3 pm on Facebook
W&F Libraries Read Together is a new monthly digital book club for the National Year of Reading, and everyone is welcome.Every month, a Book of the Month will be selected from BorrowBox spotlight titles, which are available for simultaneous borrowing of eBook and eAudiobook downloads on BorrowBox. Septembers chosen book is Sword Crossed by Freya Marske. Available in eBook and eAudio now on Borrowbox. Let's read together. Join us on the last Friday of each month at 3 pm on Facebook to chat about the chosen book in the comments!
Borrowbox is free for library members
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 Read To The Beat Comes To An End
What a summer it’s been!
The 2026 Summer Reading Challenge, Read to the Beat, has come to an end, and we've had an amazing time celebrating with all of our fantastic participants.
From creative crafts and exciting events to stories, activities, and plenty of reading adventures, it has been wonderful to see so many children and families getting involved. Thank you to everyone who joined us throughout the summer and helped make this year's challenge so memorable.
We hope you've enjoyed reading, discovering new books, and making lots of happy memories along the way.
 Get Ready For School Bags
Starting school can be exciting but it can also be challenging and daunting for children and their families. Make the transition to school as smooth as possible by helping your child to be school ready. With the help of a grant from Libraries Connected for the National Year of Reading, Westmorland and Furness Libraries have created 50 Get Ready For School Bags, designed especially for children about to start school and their families.
Each bag contains a selection of picture books with reassuring stories about starting school to help build confidence, a fact book or basic task book to assist with early learning and a folder of helpful information for parents. There is also a game to help with number recognition and sharing.
The bags can be borrowed free of charge for three weeks and they can also be requested free of charge if your preferred bag is not available at your local library.
Look out for these special ‘Peep the Sheep’ Get Ready For School Bags at your local library.
Registration From Birth
It is now easier than ever for families in Westmorland and Furness to start their child’s reading journey from birth!
Parents registering the birth of their baby are now being offered the opportunity to get their baby’s first library card at the same time. This exciting collaboration between Westmorland and Furness Libraries and Registrars highlights their commitment to supporting early literacy and family wellbeing.
As part of the standard birth registration process, parents are now asked if they would like to register their baby for a library card. Each baby who joins will receive, A special ‘My First Library Card’, A free book, kindly donated by BookTrust, An information card highlighting activities and resources available for babies and children in local libraries. A fantastic new initiative from our local libraries as they support more families with literacy from the very beginning!
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 Happy Book Club Day UK!
Happy Book Club Day UK! In September, book clubs across the UK are making reading visible. We are encouraging everyone to take your books beyond your usual meeting place, celebrate reading together and inspire others to discover the joy of book clubs.
Get your books out! Show us what you or your book club are reading. Share a photo, tell us what you think and invite others into the conversation. Because every reading rebellion begins with someone opening a book.
Did you know that Westmorland and Furness libraries lend reading group sets? If you are interested in joining or starting a book club check out our dedicated book club page.
Find out about Book Club Hub from The Reading Agency with lots of information and support and freebies for book clubs!
Dinosaur Day @ Penrith LIbrary
We had a wonderful time at Penrith Library taking part in Dinosaur Day. Borrowers were able to pop into the library and look for the Golden Dinosaur as part of the Dino Trail. Whilst they were in the library they could also explore our fantastic collection of dinosaur books and discover something roar-some to read!
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 Poetry Evening with The Corner Laughers @ Kendal Library
We were delighted to welcome The Corner Laughers and local poets to Kendal Library for a fantastic evening of song and spoken word. Karla Kane and Khai Huynh were thrilled to return to Kendal library to perform acoustic versions of songs from their album and back catalogue. They were fantastic as always. they were joined by wonderful local poets Geoff Cox, Ann Grant, Jonathan Humble, John Alexander Scott and Simon Sylvester who delighted us with readings of their wry and humorous poetry! A great night was had by all.
Libraries on Tour
The lovely Claire from Penrith Library and Sue from Cumbria Adult Learning have been out and about promoting all things libraries and learning at the local Sainburys in Penrith, they had lots of lovely converstations with the community. Thank you to Sainburys staff and everyone who came to say hi. Did you spot them?
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 Our Library Community Recommends!
We asked our community, if they could recommend one book to pick up now what would it be. Thank you to everyone who left suggestions. Some fantastic book recommendations and lots of lovely conversation generated. why not try one of these great books yourself?
 Green Libraries Book of The Month!
The Map of Leaves by Yarrow Townsend
Orla has been on her own since Ma died, living in a woodshed by the river, with only her beloved garden for company. It provides all she needs. But when sickness come to the land, Governor Atlas decrees that plants are the cause, and must be destroyed.
Armed with her mother's book of remedies, Orla steals away on a river boat, setting off to discover the truth and save her garden. But she's not the only stowaway. Soon she, Idris and Ariana must navigate the rapids of the Inkwater to a poisonous place from which they may never return....
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 Out Of This World
The vast open wilds of space are endlessly fascinating. Be it stories of aliens, robots and the unexplained or fascinating facts about black holes and supernovae, there is a book for you. This year of reading, if you love space, be it the Milky Way or far, far away, then go all in. Star gazing and planet hopping with our pick of books that are simply out of this world. Find our picks on Borrow Box here.
eBooks on BorrowBox
So many fantastic eBooks to borrow for free with your library card.
Bee Speaker by Adrian Tchaikovsky, Skipshock by Caroline O’Donoghue, Dark Diamond by Neal Asher, Exodus by Peter F. Hamilton and Space by Tim Peake.
Explore eBooks here.
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eAudio on BorrowBox
Listen to the stories that inspired what you love. Our BorrowBox collection includes so great examples including,
Europa by Greig Beck, Gold by Isaac Asimov, Halo: Empty Throne by Jeremy Patenaude, Spark by Rachael Craw and Lost to Eternity by Greg Cox.
Explore eAudio here.
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ePress on BorrowBox
Did you know that we have a huge collection of digital newspapers and magazines all available with your library account through BorrowBox. If you love outer space there is a great choice including,
SFX UK
Explore ePress here.
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 Prehistorically Good
Who doesn’t love a dinosaur? These amazing creatures from a long-ago time capture our imagination with endless discoveries and about their lives. It’s hard to believe that these mammoth creatures walked the planet we now walk and lived in a world completely unrecognisable to ours today. From the huge and terrifying to the tiny and cute dinosaurs are amazing. If you love dinosaurs then this year of reading why not go all in and become an expert in the endlessly fascinating prehistoric world. Find our picks on Borrow Box here.
eBooks on BorrowBox
So many fantastic eBooks to borrow for free with your library card.
Ice Age by Andy Day, Knowledge Encyclopedia Science by DK, An African History of Africa by Zeinab Badawi, Impossible Monsters by Michael Taylor and A History of the World by Jeremy Black.
Explore eBooks here.
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eAudio on BorrowBox
Listen to the stories that inspired what you love. Our BorrowBox collection includes so great examples including,
How Life Works by Philip Ball, Nursery Earth by Danna Staaf, The Rise and Fall of the Dinosaurs by Steve Brusatte, The Dinosaur That Pooped the Past! By Tom Fletcher and How Do Dinosaurs Say Good Night? By Jane Yolen.
Explore eAudio here.
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ePress on BorrowBox
Did you know that we have a huge collection of digital newspapers and magazines all available with your library account through BorrowBox. If you love antient history there is a great choice including,
Smithsonian Magazine, All About History by History Extra.
Explore ePress here.
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Green Libraries Week 2026
Green Libraries Week, led by CILIP, is the national, annual celebration of libraries, across all sectors – from public libraries on the high street to national, health and academic libraries – where we focus on libraries leading climate and sustainability initiatives for their users and communities.
Look out for activities in your local library.
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Regular Events and Activities
Explore a world of fun and learning! Are you ready for an exciting spring filled with captivating events and activities? Look no further than Westmorland and Furness Libraries! Did you know that alongside our exciting events, we offer a variety of regular groups and activities that cater to different interests and promote lifelong learning. Many of these regular groups are completely free, including Baby Bounce and Rhyme, Lego Club, Craft Club, Storytime, Knit and Natter, Chess Club, and many more.
Explore the wonderful opportunities available to you!
Check out our regular groups and activities. 👇
Barrow Group Libraries - Walney, Roose, Askam, Ulverston, Dalton & Ormsgill
Penrith Group Libraries - Alston, Appleby, Kirkby Stephen & Shap
Kendal Group Libraries - Ambleside, Grange, Kirkby Longsdale, Milnthorpe, Sedbergh & Windermere
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Follow Us on Social Media
Stay connected with us on social media! Did you know that Westmorland and Furness libraries can be found on across social media. Pop on over to your chosen platform to keep up to date and informed about all the latest happenings at Westmorland and Furness Libraries!
Join our growing online community and be the first to know about the engaging activities and resources we have in store for you.
Don't miss out - follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram today!
👉 Follow us on Facebook
👉 Follow us on Instagram
👉 Follow us on tiktok
👉 Download the library app
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