Bradford LIbraries

A site for news, reviews and events at Bradford Libraries

National Year of Reading

It’s the National Year of Reading and as serious book lovers, we are encouraging library users to challenge themselves this year! Why not try reading in a new genre, or perhaps just make that extra slot of time to delve into a good book?

We want to encourage people of all ages to read and write about books they love (or don’t). We encourage reviewers of ALL ages to submit to this site and to keep the passion for reading alive. You can submit reviews to Andrea.Hardaker@bradford.gov.uk. Submit as often as you like. We just ask that books as borrowed from our service. We need the author, title, your name, a short biog, a short plot summary and your thoughts. That’s it! Up to 500 words.

In terms of our collections, we have all sorts of promotions on throughout the year, from World Book Day (and Night, April 23), to Crime Reading Month (June), LGBT+ events (February), Autism Acceptance Month (April) International Women’s Day (March) Holocaust Memorial Day (January) Black History Month (October) and so much more. Follow us on Facebook at Bradford Libraries, or Insta, X or check out the council website here Libraries | Bradford Council

Other Things we Do (BESIDES READ…)

We think reading is an important life skill and champion books at every opportunity. However, sometimes reading can be a lonely affair and let’s face it – we all just wanna have fun. That’s why we put on a load of events tailored around YOUR reading habits to bring you together in our libraries. We want our public spaces to be welcoming, fun, bustling and bursting and we aim to bring joy into your lives in whatever way we can. We will ALWAYS have the very best books we can find to suit your interests with some fun, educational and social activities to match!

Last weekend we had a fantastic time with podcaster Stephen Miller who spoke to a packed audience full of ‘uncanny’ fans about the historic case of the Keighley Poltergeist. Mill girl Gwendoline Morley was haunted over 100 years ago when she worked at Prospect Mill in the town. Her granddaughters Patricia Fashoni, Susan Howard and her great granddaughter Elle Fashon turned up to the event and are pictured here alongside Stephen. We learned all about the involvement of Sherlock Holmes author Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and how Gwendoline coped with the haunting.

You can find info on ghostly books or Conan Doyle here; https://bradford.ent.sirsidynix.net.uk/client/en_GB/default/search/results?qu=Arthur+Conan+Doyle&te=

As for Digital…

We are living in digital times and the library aims to stay ahead. That’s why we have a range of digital services on offer for you.

Tomorrow, April 22, is Earth Day. If you are a lover of the environment this is exactly the right time to explore your passion. We have all sorts of ‘earthy’ magazines to offer in our magazine app, Libby. https://www.bradford.gov.uk/libraries/library-services-online/e-newspapers-and-e-magazines/

All you need to do is download the app and you can search through various magazines to find what you are looking for. They have everything from business to fashion or environment. It really is worth a browse…

We can also offer you audible books and e-books via our Borrowbox app. https://www.bradford.gov.uk/libraries/library-services-online/e-books/

Feeling overwhelmed by the tech? Don’t panic. If you are struggling, we will gladly help you.

We offer regular sessions in Learn My Way – a programmed designed to help you navigate the basics of the internet but if your needs are more aligned with finding out about your tablet or phone, watch out for the BDigital team who come into our libraries regularly to help with just that!

We want you to enjoy our service as much as possible and work very hard to ensure we cover all your interests!

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