West Berkshire Libraries newsletter
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To All West Berkshire Libraries customers
Welcome to our March news!
Happy World Book Day!
World Book Day takes place on Thursday 6 March this year, encouraging children and young people to read for pleasure. Many children receive book tokens at school which enable them to buy any of the special World Book Day titles from participating retailers. If your child has missed out on this for any reason, please let us know as we have tokens available in libraries too. Book tokens are valid until 23 March.
Check out the World Book Day website to find online stories and songs, free audiobooks and activities to try at home.
World Book Day events in West Berkshire Libraries:
Burghfield Common - World Book Day Rhymetime, 6 March 10:30-11am
Hungerford - World Book Day Rhymetimes, 5 March 10-10.30am and 11-11.30am
Lambourn - World Book Day Rhymetime, 7 March 11.30am-12pm
Newbury - World Book Day Storytime, 6 March 4-4.30pm
Pangbourne - World Book Day Storytime/Rhymetime, 6 March 10-10.30am
Thatcham - World Book Day Storytime, 6 March 4-4.30pm
Theale - World Book Day Storytime, 6 March 3.45-5pm
West Berkshire Council's 2025-26 Budget Proposals were approved at the Full Council meeting on 27 February, including a proposal to discontinue the Mobile Library service from 1 April 2025. In connection with this, we are expanding our At Home Service and investigating other venues for pop-up libraries, such as the one which has been running successfully for several months in Compton.
Our At Home Service already assists library members who are unable to get to a library through age, disability or other special circumstance. In such cases, our friendly volunteers visit members in their own homes, on a three-weekly basis. To find out more about this service, please ring 01635 519827 or email library@westberks.gov.uk.
The pop-up library will be visiting Compton Village Hall this month on Thursday 13 and Thursday 27 March, 10am to 12pm. Come along to find a selection of books for you to borrow. New library members are especially welcome.
A small conversation, a big impact! Learn about fostering at your local library
Could a simple conversation lead to something life changing? If you have ever thought about fostering, or even if you are just curious, we would love to chat with you.
Over the coming months, West Berkshire Council's Fostering Team will be visiting libraries across the area, offering a relaxed and informal way to learn more about fostering. Whether you are wondering if fostering is right for you or just want to understand how it works, this is your chance to ask questions and explore the possibilities.
Find us at your local library:
Newbury Library - 12 March 11am-2pm
Mortimer Library - 11 April 1.30pm-4.30pm
More from Find My Past
Find My Past is one of the world's largest hubs of historical records and members of West Berkshire Libraries can use it in our libraries free of charge.
Recent additions to the Find My Past collection include the 1924 Ladies' Who's Who, which includes contributions by women in the fields of culture, politics, science and more, and over a million new records of US passenger and crew lists from 1917 to 1957, which will be useful for anyone whose ancestors headed to the USA during this period.
Take a look at Find My Past in any West Berkshire library, either on one of our computers or on your own mobile device.
Our Winter Mini Challenge for children is over and our annual Summer Reading Challenge doesn't start until July, but we hope that younger readers will continue their regular reading in the meantime.
To encourage them, whenever they borrow a book from a West Berkshire library children can pick up one of our colourful character bookmarks. They can then collect 'stars' for their bookmark with every book they read. We have certificates for anyone who collects 10 stars and becomes a star reader! Read alone or with other family members. Audiobooks count too.
Not to be missed in March!
In addition to our regular activities, we have a number of additional events taking place in West Berkshire libraries this month:
Children of all ages are invited to our special Storytime and Colouring Fun sessions, when we will be reading some of the wonderful stories for under 5s, with colouring activities to follow:
- Thatcham Library on Monday 10 March, 3.45-4.15pm
- Hungerford Library on Tuesday 11 March, 3.30-4pm
Healthwatch West Berkshire will be at Newbury Library from 10am to 12pm on 13 March and 10 April. Healthwatch West Berkshire is a statutory body, dedicated to listening to the public voice regarding our local health services and providing feedback to help change and improve the services offered. An Engagement Officer will be available in the library throughout these times to hear the public's experiences and concerns.
Join us for a morning of fun-filled puzzles, brainteasers and 3D puzzles. This is a free event with no need to book, just drop in to Theale Library between 10am and 12.15pm on Saturday 8 March.
We have a ceramic workshop suitable for both adult beginners and experienced crafters taking place at Hungerford Library on Friday 28 March, 4.30-6.30pm. All materials are provided. Advance booking is essential, tickets £5 (non-refundable). Please contact the library for more information and to book your place: 01488 682660 or email hungerfordlibrary@westberks.gov.uk
Improvements to our e-library
We will be making some changes to our e-library next month which will make it easier for you to find the e-books, e-audiobooks, e-magazine and e-newspapers that you enjoy. Look out for further details in our April newsletter. Meanwhile, we recommend that you read your current titles before 31 March as existing loans and reservations may not carry over to the new service.
Our next newsletter will be out in early April. But don't forget that you can keep up with the daily news about everything that's happening in our libraries by following @WBerksLibraries on Facebook, Instagram and X (Twitter).
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