This year we’re celebrating the centenary of our libraries, which help people and communities fulfil their potential – one of the key priorities in Our Council Plan.
Our photo shows four generations of a family in Pulborough, who all use their local library and are a good example of how our libraries cater for all ages.
Great-grandma Jill, grandma Julie, mum Ashley and two-year-old Maeve are all regular users of the village library. They enjoy choosing library books as well as attending regular activities such as baby rhyme time.
Ashley said: “Going to the library is such a nice, free thing to do. It is so easy to walk there, and the staff are so lovely. I bring Maeve to baby rhyme time and the staff make a big effort to get to know all the children’s names. It is like visiting some friends and they make visiting the library extra special.”
Books and reading are the bedrock of our libraries, and available to borrow free of charge to every age group, but our libraries are certainly not just about borrowing books.
Councillor Duncan Crow, Cabinet Member for community support, fire and rescue, said: “We have 36 libraries right across the county and they are at the heart of our communities. You might be surprised at the wide range of services they provide.
“One of the most important aspects is the help they provide for vulnerable people – which is another of the county council’s key priorities.”
Below we highlight just some of the activities geared to specific age groups that you can take part in:
Toddlers
Under-fives enjoy songs and nursery rhymes at Rhyme Time, a fun way to develop a love of music and language.
Children and teenagers
There’s a huge range of services, activities and resources available for children and teens, including the annual summer reading challenge, which this year has a Story Garden theme.
Other activities include
- board games and construction clubs
- support for the Duke of Edinburgh Award
- toy libraries – free to use and available in all 36 of our libraries
Families
We’ve got a lot of support for local families including:
- online help and advice for parents with children learning to read.
- resources and services for children and young people with special educational needs and disability (SEND).
- homework and study support.
- a ‘family corner’ Facebook group, a place where the whole family can come together to share stories, sing songs and enjoy all that libraries have to offer.
Adults
- If you enjoy reading, discussing books and meeting new people, then one of our library-based reading groups could be for you.
- No need to book for the Knit and Natter groups. Just bring our sewing, knitting or crochet, and enjoy a good chat!
Vulnerable adults
We help many of our more vulnerable residents access the services available at our libraries including:
- Home Library Direct where volunteers visit housebound people to bring them books, audiobooks and other resources free of charge.
- services and resources for people living with dementia, their carers, families and friends, including a memory management borrower ticket; Melody for the Mind singing sessions, Reading Well for dementia booklist and reminiscence collections.
- how you can borrow resources from the library if you are in a care home or go to a day care setting.
Cllr Crow added: “Our libraries literally start at the cradle, as babies in West Sussex are signed up to the service when their births are registered.
“They continue to be a welcoming place for all ages, whether you visit a library in person, use our digital services, or have volunteers visit you at home via our Home Library Direct.”
