Derbyshire Libraries eNewsletter - June 2021

Derbyshire Libraries eNewsletter - June 2021

This June - checkout all the stories and winners from our Creative Writing Competition, celebrate Make Music Day and HI VIS 2021, borrow books and eMagazines for Health & Fitness, and much more!


Our Current Provision

Our libraries are open for the following:

Services currently unavailable:

We will update our Library Updates page with more details as our services continue to re-open. Our Library Information Service continues to be monitored from Monday to Saturday, which you can reach on 01629 533444 or ask.library@derbyshire.gov.uk.


BBC Novels Writing Competition

Last month we shared with you the amazing news that we had over 130 entries into our writing competition on the subject of 'Isolation', as part of the BBC Novels That Shaped Our World project. This month, we're delighted to let you know that the winning entry was 'A New Normal' by C.Burke, with second place going to 'Search: How to Make Friends' by H.Larder, and third place going to 'Isolation is...' by B.Crossley. Congratulations to our winners who all received book tokens as prizes, and thank you to everyone who entered!

You can read the winning entries, as well as three highly commended stories, on our website. We have also collected all of the 130+ entries into an anthology which you can download from BorrowBox. We're sure you'll agree that we have a very talented pool of writers in Derbyshire!


Make Music Day 2021

Celebrated in 125 countries, Make Music Day 2021 is all about sharing a love of music through free events! You can find a list of what's happening here, as well as register your own event if you've got a brilliant musical idea that you want to share.

Don't forget that we have a whole host of music-related items that you can borrow from our libraries. From musical scores to musical biographies, have a glance on the shelves of your local library or search our online catalogue to put in your requests.


HI-VIS 2021

From 7-20th June we'll celebrating the different ways you can access reading as part of HI VIS 2021 (formerly Make A Noise In Libraries). From eBooks which enable the enlarging of text or changing of background colours, to Large and Giant Print books, and our great audio book and eAudiobook collections, we're determined that nobody in Derbyshire should be without access to a book. Contact your local library or the Library Information Service on 01629 533444 / ask.library@derbyshire.gov.uk to find out more about all of our accessible formats.

If you're looking for a great place to start with our eAudiobook collections, why not check out our uLIBRARY app, which has a great selection of authors and is all completely free!


Online Reading Group

Our online reading group has been meeting since February. We have had lively discussions of a range of books from the quirky ‘Last Family in England’ to the not quite so loved ‘A Shape of Water’. Our June book is ‘The Doll Factory’ by Eiizabeth Macneal. We also chat about anything else we have read recently. It’s a great way to find new authors as we have a wide range of reading tastes.

We ‘meet’ six weekly on Wednesday mornings via MS Teams and choose our reads from the multiuse titles available on BorrowBox. We still have room for more members so if you are interested in joining our group you would be welcome. Please contact: ask.library@derbyshire.gov.uk or tel: 01629 533444 for further details.


Theme of the Month: Health & Fitness

Our theme for May is 'Health & Fitness', and we have plenty of books that cover sports, healthy eating, wellbeing and much more, that you can get from your local library or reserve on our online catalogue. We also have lots of eMagazines which you can get from PressReader or Libby!

To celebrate this theme, we're bringing you a special BOOK-OFF! We don't want to give away the theme just yet, but let's say that if you're a fan of a good cook-book then you might just want to check this one out...starting Monday 7th June!


Carnegie & Kate Greenaway Medals

The winners of the world's most prestigious children's book awards are announced on Wednesday 16th June. You can find out more about the medals on the official website, and if you've read any of the books on the two shortlists then we'd love to hear your opinions! We've created a special page on our own website where you can find resources for all 16 books, and then leave a mini-review about any that you've read, as well as vote for who you think should win.


National Crime Reading Month

June is the official month to celebrate everything you love about Crime Fiction, and as well as offering you access to amazing collections of crime novels in our libraries and on our eLending platforms, we're also going to host talks from Sarah Ward (5th), Roz Watkins (12th), and Sophie Draper (19th) on Facebook about their books and their inspiration behind choosing the crime genre. Keep an eye out on our Facebook page for more details as they're announced!


European Championships 2021

It's taking place a year late, but for football fans it's almost time for the European Championships to take place! From 11th June to 11th July we'll be able to watch some of Europe's best teams vying to win the coveted trophy, and you can get up to speed with our collection of football eMagazines via PressReader! Head over there to check out World Soccer, Four Four Two, Match of the Day, and more!


Derbyshire Record Office

Like the Sewing Bee? Love these patterns!
There are some amazingly colourful and vibrant pattern books in the archive of Edmund Potter & Co, calico printers from Glossop. Edmund was the grandfather of Beatrix Potter and he used to send her small samples of fabric, which she would use to make clothes for her toys. She would then make paintings of those dressed up characters and make up stories about them…

The pattern books cover the Victorian and Edwardian periods and make you realise the world back then was a lot more colourful than we imagine! You can see more patterns, including some shocking pinks and yellows, on our blog.

To stay up to date with our latest news, follow us on Twitter.

Free Online Events

If you have missed visiting the record office for our talks and workshops, then you’ll be pleased to hear that we are announcing our new programme of online events.

Our first talk is our ever popular ‘Introduction to the Record Office’ – find out who we are and the services we offer, the collections we hold and how you can access them, whether in person or remotely.

Our second talk is ‘Building History’ - from maps and plans to census records, tithes to old photos, discover sources for tracing the history of Derbyshire buildings. When was it built? How has it changed? Who lived/worked there?

- Talk: ‘Introduction to the Record Office’ - Thursday 17th June, 7-8pm, Free

- Talk: ‘Building History’ - Tuesday 27th July, 7-8pm, Free

For more information, and to book a place, visit the record office blog.

Further events will be listed in the coming weeks so sign up to our blog to receive notifications of what’s coming up.


Buxton Museum & Art Gallery

100th Birthday Tribute to Mr Oliver Gomersal

We are delighted to share in celebrating the 100th birthday of the museum’s friend and patron, Mr Oliver Gomersal, on 21 May 2021. Mr Gomersal is a lifetime Buxton resident, born when the town was recovering from the First World War, and becoming again a lively spa treatment destination.  

Oliver worked in a printing works in London before the Second World War and joined the Royal Air Force during the war. Afterwards, he got a job in the treasurer’s department for the Borough of Buxton at the Town Hall, “right at the centre where everything was happening”, and worked for the authority until his retirement.

Oliver has the most fantastic memory, is fascinated by history and is a mine of stories about Buxton in the last 100 years, and even before. His grandfather settled in Buxton as an ironmonger in the late 19th century, and his father, Arthur, worked at Hanson’s auctioneers.

Oliver gained an appreciation of art from his father. In the 1970s he and his sister generously bequeathed their father’s collection of Victorian watercolours to the museum. These pictures are frequently included in the museum’s exhibitions. We are currently exhibiting four coastal scenes, just because we have missed going to the seaside in recent months! The Gomersal Bequest was the forerunner of other significant gifts to the museum from other collectors.

Since then, Mr Gomersal has generously given further gifts of objects and pictures, many reflecting events and activities in the town. Most recently, in 2019, he donated another two watercolours by a favourite painter of his, William Hull (1820 – 1880), along with a sketchbook of Hull’s drawings and a series of letter books.

Mr Gomersal has met every curator of the museum, except the very first (although he was a toddler when he met Mr Sarjant who died in 1924). It is always a pleasure to see him at the museum.

We are very grateful for his interest and support for our work and wish Mr Gomersal a happy centenary birthday, continued good health and enjoyment of life.

For more stories like this one, please visit the Buxton Museum & Art Gallery blog.


Derbyshire Adult & Community Education

Step into online learning 

Have you had your learning put on hold because you haven’t been able to ‘get online’? This free 3 week introductory course is designed to help you! During the sessions you will: be introduced to accessing Microsoft Teams be shown how to use email with Microsoft Office 365 to contact your tutor(s) complete an English, maths and digital skills checks to identify areas you would like to develop be given support and guidance at each session at a structured pace to ‘ease you in gently’ to online learning have opportunities to ask questions and get feedback to help you get online.

Current available sessions: Tuesday 8, 15 and 22 June from 12.30pm to 3pm online Thursday 10, 17 and 24 June from 9.30am to midday online Tuesday 29 June, 6 and 13 July from 12.30pm to 3pm face to face at Alfreton Adult Community Education Centre Friday 2, 9 and 16 July from 9.30am to midday online.

To book your place now, email swad.kickstart@daces.derbyshire.gov.uk


Multi-Use Titles

Every month we get a new selection of titles on our BorrowBox app of both eBooks and eAudiobooks that can be taken out by multiple users at one time. These stay multi-use for 60 days, so if you have a book club and you're looking for your next title then one of these could be your next choice! 

You can find these titles on the main BorrowBox page, identified as a collection with 'No Waiting!' or 'Available Now!'. Titles available from June for both eBook and eAudiobook are:

  • A Falcon Flies - Wilbur Smith
  • Sputnik's Guide to Life on Earth - Frank Cottrell Boyce
  • The Wicked King - Holly Black
  • The Ungrateful Refugee - Dina Nayeri
  • The Shadow King - Maaza Mengiste


This Month We Recommend You Read...

We're got more of the excellent children's books available on our eBook and eAudiobook collections on BorrowBox to share with you this month, which are great choices for you and your family.

First off on BorrowBox, it's The Swallows' Flight by Hilary McKay. In this companion novel to The Skylarks' War (also available to borrow!) we find the next generation of characters as they move from childhood to the threshold of adulthood amid the chaos and conflict of the Second World War. Erik and Hans admire swallows over the rooftops of Berlin, little thinking that one day they will be flying above England, risking their lives in a war they both detest. Ruby and Kate, great friends despite their differences, find themselves racing towards a danger that neither of them could possibly have imagined. Meanwhile Rupert and Clarry work secretly for peace – and a brighter future for them all . . .

Our second pick on BorrowBox is the ninth book in the Murder Most Unladylike Mystery series by Robin Stevens, Death Sets Sail. Daisy Wells and Hazel Wong are in Egypt, where they are taking a cruise along the Nile. They are hoping to see some ancient temples and a mummy or two; what they get, instead, is murder. Also travelling on the SS Hatshepsut is a mysterious society called the Breath of Life: a group of genteel English ladies and gentlemen, who believe themselves to be reincarnations of the ancient pharaohs. Three days into the cruise their leader, Theodora Miller, is found dead in her cabin, stabbed during the night. It soon becomes clear to Daisy and Hazel that Theodora's timid daughter Hephzibah, who is prone to sleepwalking, is being framed. And within the society, everyone has a reason to want Theodora dead... Daisy and Hazel leap into action and begin to investigate their most difficult case yet. But there is danger all around, and only one of the Detective Society will make it home alive...

Our eAudiobook pick on BorrowBox this time is The Dog Who Saved the World by Ross Welford. When eleven-year-old Georgie befriends an eccentric retired scientist, she becomes the test subject for a thrilling new experiment: a virtual-reality 3D version of the future. But then a deadly disease threatens the life of every dog in the country and Georgie’s beloved dog, Mr Mash, gets sick. And that’s only the start of her troubles. Soon, Georgie and Mr Mash must embark on a desperate quest: to save every dog on earth, and maybe even all of humanity …… without actually leaving the room. This is time travel – but not as you know it!

Need a further suggestion? We're always delighted to suggest a story! Contact us on Facebook, Twitter, or ask.library@derbyshire.gov.uk and we'll do our best to find you something fantastic!


Library Love

We have been receiving so many kind comments over the past few weeks about how important and useful our customers have been finding our online library offer. If you would like to contribute and share your stories and comments, please email us at: ask.library@derbyshire.gov.uk.

 

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