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 Library Volunteer Newsletter Autumn 2019
FREE Get Safe Online Sessions
There are still some spaces available on our Free Get Safe Online Information Sessions being held in September
Would you like to know about the latest guidance on online safety and update your skills and knowledge to help library customers stay safe online? Come along to meet Frankie Blow the Stay Safe Online expert from the Community Safety and Wellbeing team who will be running two free sessions in Horsham and Bognor. The sessions are now available to all library volunteers and will cover:
- How to help our library customers stay safe online
- Up to date information and advice on the latest national guidance
- Key staying safe online resources that will help you in your volunteer role
- Information about a new Volunteer Fraud Prevention Project we are working on in partnership with Sussex Police
There will also be the opportunity to network with other Library Volunteers over a cup of tea and piece of cake. If you would like to come along, please select a date below to book your space on Eventbrite and use the password getsafeonline
Thursday 12 September, 1.00pm – 4.30pm at Horsham Library
Tuesday 17 September, 1.00pm - 4.30pm at Bognor Regis Library
If you have any questions about attending this event please contact christine.broggi@westsussex.gov.uk
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"During my first month as the new Cabinet Member for Fire and Rescue and Communities I have heard from many residents concerned about the future of their local library"
Read the full statement here.
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Libraries for Learning
During September we will be celebrating all things learning. Britannica Online is a fantastic learning resource and is the first place to look for information on absolutely anything. It's available 24/7 on your computer, tablet or smart phone.
Why not give it a look and use it to answer our fun quiz:
- Which volcano erupted in 1980?
- By what date were fireworks widely in use in England and France?
- Which is the oldest bridge in Paris?
- When was the first known royal residence in existence in Windsor?
Libraries for Learning will also be Topic of the Month for September (see later article) and look out for the answers to the quiz in our next eNewsletter.
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The computer system used by staff in West Sussex libraries is being updated at the beginning of October to a new system called Spark. We are moving over to Spark because our current system was very old and Spark is much more intuitive, easier to use and includes lots of updates and improvements.
The new system will be going live at your local library during the week commencing 7th October 2019. The changes will only affect the staff computers and will not affect the public self-service kiosks or anything that customers see or use on their computers at home.
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All library staff are currently being trained on the new system and will be practicing over the next few weeks. However the new system looks very different and things might take us a bit longer for the first few days while we get used to the changes. |
Read, Learn and Relax with our new eBook app
Don't forget that from the end of August customers will no longer be able to download eBooks using the Libro app. Instead all our eBooks, eMagazines and eAudiobooks will be available via the RB Digital app.
This is great news if you already use our service for eMagazines or eAudiobooks as you won’t need to do anything except open the app and start borrowing eBooks as well!
If you are new to RB digital you will need to:
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Register for an RBdigital account using your West Sussex library card
- Download the RBdigital app to your device from the relevant app store
- Sign into the app with your new username and password
We are always happy to help, so please email us if you have any queries.
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The Fun and Break (FAB) Service is looking for volunteers (over 18) to make a difference to families with disabled children. FAB volunteers offer a couple of hours per week to enable a child to have a short break. This might include taking the child or young person out to an activity - to a club, swimming or the park - or staying with them in the child’s home, playing together, baking, reading, doing arts and crafts or simply relaxing.
This enables parents, carers and siblings to have a rest, catch up on day-to-day activities or spend time with each other. To find out more:
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The new library volunteer forum met for the first time on July 15th with volunteer representatives from libraries in Selsey, Willowhale, Bognor, Chichester and Steyning.
Would you know who to contact if you had a question about your volunteer role?
One of the items we discussed was who to contact if volunteers have a question about their role. To help in future we have now added a list of Key Contacts and details for each library to the Volunteer Webpages.
Would you like the opportunity to provide feedback?
The group also discussed introducing an Annual Volunteer Survey to give library volunteers the opportunity to provide feedback to us about your volunteer role. More information will follow shortly, but if you have any comments or thoughts about an annual volunteer survey please let me know by email.
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Volunteer Manual- Topic of the Month
Each month we will highlight a different topic from the volunteer manual which may be relevant to your volunteer role.
The topic for July/August was Families in Libraries to tie in with the Summer Reading Challenge.
The topic for September is Libraries for Learning to tie in with our monthly stock promotion as we celebrate all things learning accross West Sussex Libraries
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