Spotlight 27: Libraries

Crowds awaiting the arrival of Elizabeth, the Duchess of York, who opened Sheffield's Central Library in July 1934.

Image © Sheffield City Council. Picture Sheffield (s03396)

In the first of a series of dedicated Library Spotlights for Families, we’re turning our focus to Libraries. Although our gates may be closed, our virtual doors are open! Throughout this week our Facebook and Twitter pages will feature a host of activities to keep children entertained at home.

For a preview of a few of these treats, along with some items for older readers at the end of the post, read on…

Sheffield Children's Book Award

Click on the image for a full-size view of all the shortlisted books!

Did you know that Sheffield has its very own Children's Book Award?

We recently announced this year's shortlist, featuring fantastic books for young readers of all ages, from babies to teenagers. You can check out several of these brilliant reads for free in our eLibrary - just click the following titles:

Level Up!
Perfect for fans of
David Baddiel & Minecraft

The Land of Roar
Dragons, mermaids
& ninja wizards await...

Toffee
A powerful tale of
a crossgenerational
friendship

No Ballet Shoes in Syria
A Ballet Shoes for the 21st Century

What do libraries mean to you?

Beki from Highfield Library has created a brand new Library Word Cloud activity to get children thinking about the books they love to read and what they enjoy most about visiting the library.

We'll be featuring this activity on our social media pages this Tuesday. Please share your Word Clouds with us - we'd love to see what you create!

Click the images for a full-size view of the instructions

Looking for a little extra inspiration? Take a look at these wonderful poems about the magic of books: "friends who take you far".

Rise and shine with Friday rhymes!

Did you know that children can join the library from birth? Children of any age can be signed up as library members here. While our branches are closed, new members still have access to thousands of books and magazines on our eLibrary - all for free!

Once our libraries reopen there'll be plenty of board books and picture books for babies and toddlers to discover, along with our regular rhyme times and storytimes. In the meantime, why not enjoy some rhymes and stories online?

Kick off your Fridays with Sheffield Libraries' fabulous weekly Rhyme Time on our Facebook and Twitter pages. Join Laura for loads of fun songs, stories, actions, and dances, including all-time classics and new favourites!

Laura sings Humpty Dumpty, with a little help from Bookstart Bear!

Check out the latest video - and be sure to tune in on our Facebook and Twitter pages at 9:00am this Friday for the next event!

And what better way to relax after a lively Rhyme Time than with a fabulous story?

In The Word Collector, a little boy creates his very own library of words, celebrating their poetic sounds and power. Here's a lovely reading by Barack and Michelle Obama, recorded for Chicago Public Library's Live from the Library series.

On a sillier note, here's a great reading of Don't Go There!, one of the shortlisted stories for Sheffield's Toddler Books Award.

Peek into the past with Picture Sheffield

What did your library look like forty years ago? Or even further back?

Our Archives and Local Studies Library has some fascinating historical photos of Sheffield's libraries.

Here's just a small selection of some of the images available on the Picture Sheffield website. You can browse for images of individual libraries and other Sheffield buildings using the site's Advanced Search page.

Inside one of our mobile libraries in 1966 (s30066)

An unusual visitor at Jordanthorpe Library's
Celtic and Anglo Saxon Heritage Exhibition in 1985 (s29973)

Young readers outside Hillsborough's Junior Library
(photo dated between 1920-1939; t03641)

A colourful mural decorating the former Parson Cross Library
at Margetson Crescent, painted in 1985 (u08565)

Sandbags outside Central Library in 1940, while the library staff prepare for fire watching duties (s03577; s03560)
This Reading Sheffield blog post includes an interesting account of the role Central Library played in
supporting the community during the Blitz.

Sanctuary among the shelves

In this episode of the British Library's Anything But Silent podcast, interviewees and members of the public reflect on the ways that libraries have provided them with a place of refuge, calm, and companionship.

The podcast includes an extraordinary segment in which reporter Mike Thomson explores how an underground library set up in 2012 in Darayya, Syria, provided a place of hope in the middle of a siege.

 

Listen to the podcast here.

"I can hear the library humming in the night"

If today's images and stories of libraries have inspired you, check out the latest Creativity During Corona post.

Claire from Central Library has some excellent Libraries-themed creative writing prompts lined up on our Facebook page.

When Central Library reopens, we'll be creating an exhibition - part-art installation, part-social history - displaying the pieces that Sheffield residents have written in response to Claire's Creativity During Corona posts. Please share your creations on our Facebook page!