The summer holidays are almost upon us and whether that means finding activities to entertain the children for six weeks or escaping to a pool or beach somewhere, your library card can help fill the upcoming weeks. It’s free to join your local library if you live or work in Warwickshire and easy too – just see our joining pages here if you’re not already a member.
To give you plenty of ideas for this summer, here’s a quick run through what you can access with your library card.
The library itself
In our libraries, you’ll find books to escape into, books to entertain you, books to educate you and books to delve into on our shelves. Whether it’s fiction, true crime, holiday guides or anything in between, pop along and have a browse of our shelves. You’ll find books for grown ups and for children, Graphic Novels, Spoken Word, Large Print, magazines in some of our libraries and books galore! You’ll find the opening times for our libraries here and we look forward to welcoming you. You can search the library catalogue if you are looking for a specific title or if you’re not sure and want some recommendations, check out our ‘Reading Ideas‘ page or speak to a member of staff who will be more than happy to help you find something to read this summer.
If you’re school aged, when you visit your library, why not sign up to Space Chase, this year’s Summer Reading Challenge? Read any six books over the holidays, come and tell us a bit about them and you’ll earn a medal and certificate, with other goodies along the way. You can read books about space, books about bugs, books about history, story books, anything you like (and e-books and e-audio books count too). You can also help us compose a ‘Poem to the Moon’ by writing us a few lines of poetry on a rocket template available in libraries (we need 253 to land on the moon this summer so we need your words!). You’re also invited to come along to the many activities we’re hosting – we’ve got craft sessions and ‘Let’s Make’ sessions showcasing the digital equipment you can access in our libraries. For more information, pop into your local library or have a look here (for some events, you may need to book in advance).
We’ve also got access to computers in many of our libraries and printing facilities so if it’s a last minute boarding pass you need printing and you’ve run out of ink, your library card gives you PC access, you just pay for your printing. Get in touch with us if you have any questions about what’s available in your local library – our contact details are here.
Online
Your Warwickshire library card also gives you access to lots of material online too. Even though the holidays are just starting, and we don’t want to remind you of the dreaded ‘H’ word (homework), if you do need information resources, you can find lots on our Information and Learning page. From access to Encyclopedia Britannica, to Oxford Reference Guides, from Naxos Music to the Times Digital Archive, you’ll find the answers at your fingertips.
We have e-books, e-magazines and e-audio books for you to download – browse the various options here. Why not try our Borrowbox service and find something to listen to on those long car journeys? An exciting adventure story or gripping romance could help make those traffic queues bearable. We’ve recently been enjoying ‘The Doll Factory’ by Elizabeth MacNeal (though lots of other people are waiting for this one at the moment – it’s one of the popular books of the summer) and Stephen Fry reading Sherlock Holmes is the perfect car journey companion. If you’ll have younger children in the car with you, then Lissa Evans’ ‘Wed Rabbit’ has been getting the thumbs up or you could try the classics – you’ll find Peter Rabbit, Winnie the Witch and the Gruffalo listed too. It’s easy to use the service – download the app, sign in with your library card and browse what’s on offer. Alternatively, you could browse our Overdrive catalogue for what’s on offer there or catch up with the latest edition of Gardeners’ World or get ready for the new football season with FourFourTwo from our e-magazines collection.
If you realise while you’re away that you need to renew any books you’ve borrowed from the library, you can do this online by logging into your account. Likewise, if your eye is caught by the book being read by the person on the sun lounger next to you, you can request a copy online too or see if there’s an e-book version available to download.
So, there’s lots available for you this summer from Warwickshire Libraries to keep both the children and yourself entertained and busy. If you’re out and about and you pass one of our libraries, pop in and say ‘hello’, share a quick story or let us know your favourite summer read.
Happy summer holidays!
Warwickshire Libraries 