Each month we’ll tell you about the fantastic library services on offer at the three libraries in the north of the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea:
- North Kensington Library
- Notting Hill Gate Library
- Kensal Library
As with the blog posts from our other branches we’ll tell you about any special events we’ll be holding and we’ll also introduce you to the staff. We hope you’ll enjoy finding out more about our libraries in the north but please do let us know via the comments section if you’d like us to cover anything else.
News From the North by North Kensington Library’s Lending Librarian
Autumn has brought a flurry of activity to the north of the borough.
On Friday 2 November a bumper crowd of 32 children plus their carers attended an Autumn/Halloween themed story and craft session in North Kensington’s Children’s Library led by Customer Services Assistant, Ellen Pankhurst and myself. The children helped create a magnificent, frieze with autumnal trees, witches and spooky houses. It is amazing how children let their imaginations run wild with a few bits of coloured paper, glue and pencils. There is even a Nemo up a tree! If you don’t know who Nemo is you will have to come and take a look.
If you are ever stuck for ideas of what to do with your children on a horrible wet weekend, all the libraries have plenty of fun activity books which you can borrow. You don’t have to spend a lot of money on expensive craft materials. Often old boxes, packaging and pictures cut out from magazines and a little imagination is all you need for hours of fun activity.
Strictly Come Dancing visited North Kensington Library on Wednesday 14 November to film for a broadcast on Saturday 17 November. Fans were treated to a view of Flavia Cacace looking at the book shelves while Louis Smith (yes an Olympic medalist was in our library!) performed press-ups on the floor. If you’ve been inspired by Strictly Come Dancing – books, CDs and DVDs on ball room dancing and dancercise can be borrowed from our libraries.
On Thursday 15 November, as part of the Nour Festival of Arts (celebrating contemporary art, design, film and music from the Middle East and North Africa), North Kensington Library saw the launch of a new book collection comprising books in Arabic; works in translation and Arabic children’s books.
Some of the titles included are:
- The now classic ‘Cairo trilogy’ by Naghuib Mahfouz; ‘The Art of Forgetting’ by Ahlem Mosteghanemi who is one of the best-selling female authors in the Arab world.
- Children’s picture books ‘Hamda wa Fisaikra’- The tale of Hamda, or the Gulf Cinderella (Arabic edition) by Kaltham Al-Ghanem and ‘Al Intissar Ala Abu Derya – Victory Over Abu Derya’ by Mohamed Salem
- ‘Raweyat Al Aflam -the Movie-maker’ (Arabic Edition) by Hernán Letelier; ‘Asrar Sagheera – Little Secrets’ (Arabic edition) by Lebanese producer and TV host Rita Khoury
- ‘Islamic Art in Detail’ by Sheila Canby.
Gaynor Lynch, Lending Librarian
Baby Rhyme Time at Notting Hill Gate Library
Notting Hill Gate Library’s Baby Rhyme Time is going from strength to strength and has been getting bigger and better. Parents and carers bring their babies and toddlers for a fun session of storytelling, singing and rhymes. One parent said:
“We love coming in and listening to all the lovely stories and songs”
We recently had our biggest session yet, with the highest number of visitors in more than 6 years thanks to Adrian Lewis who runs them. Adrian joined the library in November last year , he worked previously for Hammersmith and Fulham’s Library Service who are now one of our Tri-Borough partners. He starts the sessions with stories, mainly ones where the children can interact with, using puppets and props to make it more exciting and ends with popular songs and rhymes. He said:
“I have been doing the session for a year now, I am amazed at how popular it has become. We all have a really good time and I love seeing the smiles it puts on their faces”
Favourites stories include
- The Gruffalo by Julia Donaldson
- Very Hungary Caterpillar by Eric Carle
- Dear Zoo by Rod Campbell
Baby Rhyme Time takes place every Friday at 10.30am at Notting Hill Gate Library.
Ihssan Dhimi, Senior Customer Services Assistant
Introduce a Friend to the Library and Get a Free DVD Loan!
From 15 November to 1 December 2012 Kensal, Notting Hill Gate and North Kensington libraries are running a special promotion to encourage you to get a friend to join the library. You both will then get a free DVD loan. To take advantage of this offer one of you must already be a member and the other either a new or ‘lapsed’ member (membership expired). The offer is open to adults and children and must be taken on the day that the new member joins.
rbkc libraries blog 