Blog post from the North – August 2013

North Kensington Library

Hello to you all from our libraries in the North!

Summer reading and a missing model at North Kensington Library

Summer Reading Challenge display at North Kensington Library

This year’s Summer Reading Challenge has been fantastic.  We have had over 150 children start the challenge in the North in the first week alone. The first child to finish at North Kensington Library was an 11 year old from Thomas Jones School. It has been such a success that we have had to order additional supplies to meet the demand.

Creepy crafts on display at North Kensington Library

Children are enjoying Creepy House craft and story Sessions at all our libraries – examples of the children’s craft work are on display on the wall in the children’s library at North Kensington. Pop in and take a look at how creative our young readers are!

What ever happened to the KALC model?

I don’t know, I go away for a couple of weeks and when you get back something is missing. The KALC (Kensington Academy and Leisure Centre) model had been with us for so long it had become part of the fittings. On the plus side its removal has brought back much needed space to the adult lending library (on the ground floor) which has allowed us to improve the layout and display of stock, particularly the Skills for Life collection and the books in community languages.

Skills for Life and books in other languages at North Kensington Library

If you didn’t get an opportunity to examine the KALC model you can still pick up copies of the newsletter from North Kensington Library. There’s also more information about the project on the KALC web page – you can even watch the construction works live!

Information about the new Kensington Aldridge Academy, which is due to open September 2014 creating much needed secondary school places in the north of the borough, can be found on the Aldridge Foundation website.

Gaynor Lynch

Gaynor Lynch

Lending Librarian

North Kensington Library

Mr Wiz the Wizard at Notting Hill Gate Library

At Notting Hill Gate Library we were visited by Mr Wiz the Wizard! He helped the children build a Creepy House in the library. It was a very entertaining session and many thanks to Mr Wizard for staying longer than he supposed to do because kids enjoyed the event so much.

Nahid Mojhated

Senior Customer Services Assistant

Notting Hill Gate Library

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North Kensington Library blog

October is the month of literary awards and festivals. The Man Booker Prize always brings excitement and manages to cause controversy. Last year there were complaints about too many debut novelists being included.  Other years it has been accused of being too ‘high brow’, not having enough women authors nominated etc.

My favourite novel of the year did not even make it to the Booker long list, probably because it is a debut novel, written by a women and accused by some of being too popularist.  Madeline Miller’s The Song of Achilles ‘is a triumph of glitzy story-telling over literary depth’ (Philip Womack, Telegraph 30 may 2012).

Miller’s imaginative retelling of the tale of Achilles and his friend Patroclus is full of poetic imagery, heightened emotions and vivid, sensuous descriptions of the Greek landscape. I read it while lying under an olive tree and by the sea in Corfu, which added greatly to the books atmosphere and my enjoyment. It had nothing to do with the jug of local wine which I had by my hand of course.

Man Booker Prize Board

At North Kensington Library we are celebrating the Man Booker Prize 2012 with a people’s wall inviting you to tell us about your favourite new novel of 2012. It doesn’t matter what it is so long as it was published this year.

The Mann Booker Shortlist
Tan Twan Eng, The Garden of Evening Mists (Myrmidon Books)
Deborah Levy, Swimming Home (And Other Stories/Faber & Faber)
Hilary Mantel, Bring up the Bodies (Fourth Estate)
Alison Moore, The Lighthouse (Salt)
Will Self, Umbrella (Bloomsbury)
Jeet Thayil, Narcopolis (Faber & Faber)

Also this month a strange, large object landed at North Kensington Library. It may look like an alien invader but it is in fact a scale model representation of KALC (sounds like an alien to me). KALC is short for the Kensington Aldridge Academy and Leisure Centre. Visit www.rbkc.gov.uk/kalc for up to date information and links to important strategy and planning documents. The new academy is planned to open to year 7 students in September 2014.

Kensington Aldridge Academy and Leisure Centre

by Gaynor Lynch