West Kirby Library

Very inspiring!

2008-11-13T13:34:00.002Z

Bound to the Word, by Barack Obama (courtesy of American Library Association)
President-Elect Barack Obama keynoted the opening general session at the American Library Association (ALA) Annual Conference in Chicago, June 23–29, 2005, while a U.S. senator from Illinois. This article, published in the August 2005 issue of American Libraries, is an adaptation of that speech, which drew record crowds and garnered a standing ovation.

Bound to the Word

Guardians of truth and knowledge, librarians must be thanked for their role as champions of privacy, literacy, independent thinking, and most of all reading.
by Barack Obama
If you open up Scripture, the Gospel according to John, it starts: “In the beginning was the Word.” Although this has a very particular meaning in Scripture, more broadly what it speaks to is the critical importance of language, of writing, of reading, of communication, of books as a means of transmitting culture and binding us together as a people.
More than a building that houses books and data, the library represents a window to a larger world, the place where we’ve always come to discover big ideas and profound concepts that help move the American story forward and the human story forward. That’s the reason why, since ancient antiquity, whenever those who seek power would want to control the human spirit, they have gone after libraries and books. Whether it’s the ransacking of the great library at Alexandria, controlling information during the Middle Ages, book burnings, or the imprisonment of writers in former communist block countries, the idea has been that if we can control the word, if we can control what people hear and what they read and what they comprehend, then we can control and imprison them, or at least imprison their minds.
That’s worth pondering at a time when truth and science are constantly being challenged by political agendas and ideologies, at a time when language is used not to illuminate but, rather, to obfuscate, at a time when there are those who would disallow the teaching of evolution in our schools, where fake science is used to beat back attempts to curb global warming or fund lifesaving research.
At a time when book banning is back in vogue, libraries remind us that truth isn’t about who yells the loudest, but who has the right information.
We are a religious people, Americans are, as am I. But one of the innovations, the genius of America, is recognizing that our faith is not in contradiction with fact and that our liberty depends upon our ability to access the truth.
That’s what libraries are about. At the moment that we persuade a child, any child, to cross that threshold, that magic threshold into a library, we change their lives forever, for the better. It’s an enormous force for good.
I remember at different junctures in my life feeling lost, feeling adrift, and feeling that somehow walking into a library and seeing those books, seeing human knowledge collected in that fashion, accessible, ready for me, would always lift my spirits. So I’m grateful to be able to acknowledge the importance of librarians and the work that you do. I want to work with you to ensure that libraries continue to be sanctuaries of learning, where we are free to read and consider what we please without the fear that Big Brother may be peering over our shoulders to find out what we’re up to.
Some of you may have heard that I gave a speech last summer at the Democratic convention. It made some news here and there. For some reason, one of the lines people seem to remember has to do with librarians, when I said, “We don’t like federal agents poking around our libraries in the red states, or the blue states for that matter.”
What some people may not remember is that for years, librarians have been on the frontlines of this fight for our privacy and our freedom. There have always been dark times in our history where America has strayed from our best ideas. The question has always been: Who will be there to stand up against those forces? One of the groups that has consistently stood up has been librarians. When political groups tried to censor great works of literature, you were the ones who put Huckleberry Finn and Catcher in the Rye back on the shelves, making sure that our access to free thought and free information was protected. Ever since we’ve had to worry about our own government looking over our shoulders in that library, you’ve been there to stand up and speak out on our privacy issues. You’re full-time defenders of the most fundamental liberty that we possess. For that, you deserve our gratitude.
But you also deserve our protection. That’s why I’ve been working with Republicans and Democrats to make sure that we have a Patriot Act that helps us track down terrorists without trampling on our civil liberties. This is an issue that Washington always tries to make into an either-or proposition. Either we protect our people from terror or we protect our most cherished principles. But I don’t believe in either-or. I believe in both ends. I think we can do both. I think when we pose the choice as either-or, it is asking too little of us and it assumes too little about America. I believe we can harness new technologies and a new toughness to find terrorists before they strike, while still protecting the very freedoms we’re fighting for in the first place.
I know that some librarians have been subject to FBI or other law enforcement orders, asking for reading records. I hope we can pass a provision just like the one that the House of Representatives passed overwhelmingly that would require federal agents to get these kinds of search warrants from a real judge in a real court just like everyone else does.
In the Senate, the bipartisan bill that we’re working on known as the Safe Act will prevent the federal government from freely rifling through emails and library records without obtaining such a warrant. Giving law enforcement the tools they need to investigate suspicious activity is one thing, but doing it without the approval of our judicial system seriously jeopardizes the rights of all Americans and the ideals Americans stand for. We’re not going to stand for it. We need to roll that provision back.
In addition to the line about federal agents poking around in our libraries, there was another line in my speech that got a lot of attention, and it’s a line that I’d like to amplify this afternoon. At one point in the speech, I mentioned that the people I’ve met all across Illinois know that government can’t solve all their problems. And I mentioned that if you go into the inner city of Chicago, parents will tell you that parents have to parent. Children can’t achieve unless they raise their expectations and turn off the television sets and eradicate the slander that says a black youth with a book is acting white.
To some, that was perceived as speaking solely to the black community. I’m here to suggest that I was speaking to a basic principle, a worry, a challenge, a concern that applies to all of America. Because I believe that if we want to give our children the best possible chance in life, if we want to open the doors of opportunity while they’re young and teach them the skills they’ll need to succeed later on, then one of our greater responsibilities as citizens, as educators and as parents is to insure that every American child can read and read well. That’s because literacy is the most basic currency of the knowledge economy that we’re living in today.
The need to read
Only a few generations ago it was possible to enter into the workforce with a positive attitude, a strong back, willing to work, and it didn’t matter if you were a high school dropout, you could go in to that factory or work on a farm and still hope to find a job that would allow you to pay the bills and raise a family.
That economy is long gone. And it’s not coming back. As revolutions in technology and communications began breaking down barriers between countries and connecting people all over the world, new jobs and industries that require more skill and knowledge have come to dominate the economy.
Whether it’s software design or computer engineering or financial analysis, corporations can locate these jobs anywhere in the world, anywhere that there’s an internet connection. As countries like China and India continue to modernize their economies and educate their children longer and better, the competition American workers face will grow more intense, the necessary skills more demanding. These new jobs are not simply about working hard, they’re about what you know and how fast you can learn what you don’t know. They require innovative thinking, detailed comprehension, and superior communication.
But before our children can even walk into an interview for one of these jobs, before they can even fill out an application or earn the required college degree, they have to be able to pick up a book and read it and understand it. Reading is the gateway skill that makes all other learning possible, from complex word problems and the meaning of our history to scientific discovery and technological proficiency. And by the way, it’s what’s required to make us true citizens.
In a knowledge economy where this kind of knowledge is necessary for survival, how can we send our children out into the world if they’re only reading at a 4th-grade level? How can we do it? I don’t know. But we do. Day after day, year after year. Right now, one out of every five adults in the United States cannot read a simple story to their child. During the last 20 years or so, over 10 million Americans reached the 12th grade without having learned to read at a basic level. These literacy problems start well before high school. In 2000, only 32% of all 4th graders tested as reading-proficient.
The story gets worse when you take race into consideration and income into consideration. Children from low-income families score 27 points below the average reading level while students from wealthy families score 15 points above the average. While only one in 12 white 17-year-olds has the ability to pick up the newspaper and understand the science section, for Hispanics, the number jumps to one in 50; for African-Americans, it’s one in 100.
In this new economy, teaching our kids just enough so that they can get through Dick and Jane is not going to cut it. Over the next 10 years, the average literacy required for all American occupations is projected to rise by 14%.
It’s not enough just to recognize the words on the page anymore. The kind of literacy necessary for the 21st century requires detailed understanding and complex comprehension. And, yet, every year we pass more children through schools or watch as more drop out. These are kids who will pore through the help-wanted section and cross off job after job that requires skills they don’t have. Others will have to take that help wanted section over to somebody sitting next to them and find the courage to ask, “Will you read this for me?”
We have to change our whole mindset as a nation. We’re living in the 21st-century knowledge economy; but our schools, our homes, and our culture are still based around 20th-century and in some cases 19th-century expectations.
The government has a critical role to play in this endeavor of upgrading our children’s skills. This is not the place for me to lay out a long education reform agenda, but I can say that it doesn’t make sense if we have a school system designed for agrarian America and its transition into the industrial age, where we have schools in Chicago that let high school students out at 1:30 because there’s not enough money to keep them there any longer, where teachers continue to be underpaid, where we are not restructuring these schools and financing them sufficiently to make sure that our children are going to be able to compete in this global economy.
There is a lot of work to do on the part of government to make sure that we have a first-class educational system, but government alone is not going to solve the problem. If we are going to start setting high standards and inspirational examples for our children to follow, then all of us have to be engaged.
There is plenty that needs to be done to improve our schools and reform education, but this is not an issue in which we can just look to some experts in Washington to solve the problem. We’re going to have to start at home. We’re going to have to start with parents. And we’re going to have to start in libraries. We know the children who start kindergarten with awareness of language and basic letter sounds become better readers and face fewer challenges in the years ahead. We know the more reading material kids are exposed to at home, the better they score with reading tests throughout their lives. So we have to make investments in family literacy programs and early childhood education so that kids aren’t left behind and are not already behind the day they arrive at school.
We have to get books into our children’s hands early and often. I know this is easier said than done, oftentimes. Parents today still have the toughest job in the world. And no one ever thanks parents for doing it. Not even your kids. Maybe especially your kids, as I’m learning.
Most of you are working longer and harder than ever, juggling job and family responsibilities, trying to be everywhere at once. When you’re at home, you might try to get your kids to read, but you’re competing with other by-products of the technology revolution, TVs and DVDs and video games, things they have to have in every room of the house. Children eight to 18 spend three hours a day watching television; they spend 43 minutes a day reading.
Our kids aren’t just seeing these temptations at home, they’re seeing them everywhere, whether it’s their friend’s house or the people they see on television or a general culture that glorifies anti-intellectualism so that we have a president who brags about getting C’s. That message trickles down to our kids. It’s too easy for children to put down a book and turn their attention elsewhere. And it’s too easy for the rest of us to make excuses for it. You know, pretending if we put a baby in front of a DVD that’s “educational,” then we’re doing our jobs. If we let a 12-year-old skip reading as long as he’s playing a “wholesome” video game, then we’re doing okay, that as long as he’s watching PBS at night instead of having a good conversation about a book with his parents, that somehow we’re doing our job.
We know that’s not what our children need. We know that’s not what’s best for them. And so as parents, we have to find the time and the energy to step in and help our children love reading. We can read to them, talk to them about what they’re reading, and make time for this by turning off the television set ourselves.
Libraries are a critical tool to help parents do this. Knowing the constraints that parents face from a busy schedule and TV culture, we have to think outside the box, to dream big, like we always have in America about how we’re going to get books into the hands of our children.
Right now, children come home from their first doctor’s appointment with an extra bottle of formula. They should come home with their first library card or their first copy of Good Night Moon.
I have memorized Good Night Moon, by the way: “In the great green room there was a telephone….” I love that book.
It sould be as easy to get a book as it is to rent a DVD or pick up McDonald’s. What if instead of a toy in every Happy Meal there was a book?
Libraries have a special role to play in our knowledge economy. Your institutions have been and should be a place where parents and children come to read together and learn together. We should take our kids there more.
We should make sure our politicians aren’t closing libraries down because they had to spend a few extra bucks on tax cuts for folks who don’t need them and weren’t even asking for them.
Opening doors
Each of you has a role to play. You can keep on getting more children to walk through your doors by building on the ideas that so many of you are already pursuing: book clubs and contests, homework help, and advertising your services throughout the community.
In the years ahead, this is our challenge, and this has to be our responsibility. As a librarian or a parent, every one of you can probably remember the look on a child’s face after finishing their first book.
During the campaign last year, I was asked by a reporter from the Chicago Sun-Times if she could interview me about the nature of my religious faith. It was an interesting proposition. I sat down with the reporter, who asked me some very pointed questions about the nature of my faith, how it had evolved. Then the reporter asked me a surprising question. She asked me, “Do you believe in heaven? And what’s your conception of it?”
I told her, you know, I don’t presume to know what lies beyond, but I do know that when I sit down with my six-year-old and my three-year-old at night and I’m reading a book to them and then I tuck them in to go to sleep, that’s a little piece of heaven that I hang onto.
That was about a year ago, and what’s interesting now is watching my six-soon-to-be-seven-year-old reading on her own now. My four-year old will still sit in my lap, but my seven year old, she lies on the table and on her own. She’s got the book in front of her. She’s kind of face down, propped up. And I say, “Do you want me to read to you?” “No, Daddy, I’m all right,” she says, and there’s a little heartbreak that takes place there.
Yet, when I watch her, I feel such joy because I know that in each of those books she’s picking up, her potential will be fulfilled. That’s not unique to me. It’s true of all of us who are parents. There’s nothing we want more than to nurture that sense of wonder in our children. To make all those possibilities and all those opportunities real for our children, to have the ability to answer the question: “What can I be when I grow up?” with the answer “Anything I want. Anything I can dream of.”
It’s a hope that’s old as the American story itself. From the moment the first immigrants arrived on these shores, generations of parents worked hard and sacrificed whatever was necessary so that their children could not just have the same chances they had, but could have the chances they never had. Because while we can never assure that our children will be rich or successful, while we can never be positive that they will do better than their parents, America is about making it possible to give them the chance, to give every child the ability to try. Education is the foundation of this opportunity.
The most basic building block that holds that foundation together is the Word. “In the beginning was the Word.”
At the dawn of the 21st century, where knowledge is literally power, where it unlocks the gates of opportunity and success, we all have responsibilities as parents, as librarians, as educators, as politicians, and as citizens to instill in our children a love of reading so that we can give them a chance to fulfill their dreams. That’s what all of you do each and every day, and for that, I am grateful.

Robert Tressell event 2nd May

2008-05-02T09:54:00.006+01:00

As part of their activity to commemorate Liverpool being European Capital of Culture 2008 UNISON, the largest public sector trade union in the UK, hosted a series of readings from "The Ragged Trousered Philanthropists" by Robert Tressell at various venues in the north-west. They also gave away copies of this much-loved classic novel to everyone who attended the readings.

On Friday 2nd May we were delighted to welcome Roger Lyon on BBC Radio Merseyside to West Kirby library. Roger read extracts of the book and then invited discussion from the audience. It was clear that many issues raised in the book are still relevant in today's Britain.

After the readings, copies of the book were handed out and Roger signed many of them while everyone enjoyed refreshments and further informal discussions.

Thanks go to both UNISON and Roger for a thoroughly enjoyable and thought-provoking afternoon.

Friends event on Thursday, 1st May 2008

2008-05-01T12:56:00.001+01:00

"People of the Plains" - a general history of the Plains Indians from
John Gould, arter Member of the Museum of the American Indian(Washington DC)

Thursday 1st May at 2.30pm.

Wirral Book Fest - John Siddique and Holly Green

2008-04-15T23:26:00.016+01:00

On Tuesday 8th April: 2-3.30pm West Kirby library hosted "The best words" from John Siddique and Wirral’s Young Poet Laureate, Holly Green. Acclaimed poet John Siddique shared his favourite poems and some of his own gems,supported by Holly Green.

Click on photos to view large!

Paul Irons introduces the two poets, Holly Green and John Siddique.

Holly Green, Wirral's Young Poet Laureate.

John chats to the official photographer.

Holly responds to the audience.

Holly reading a favourite poem.

The audience

John sharing a poem that means so much to him.

John and Holly take questions from the audience.

Wirral Book Fest April 8th - Playaways Launch

2008-04-15T23:22:00.005+01:00

Our second Book Fest event was the official launch of "Playaways", the new, MP3-style audio book. We were joined by Maggie Mash, who gave a reading and a talk on her work as a narrator of talking books.

Click on photos to view large!

Playaways are now available to borrow from West Kirby Library. Use your own headphones or purchase a pair from us for £1.

Maggie Mash trained as an actress and worked in the professional theatre before starting her broadcasting career in Forces Radio. Later branching into voice-over work, Maggie now records audiobooks and provides the voice for such things as airlines’ in-flight videos and the national mental arithmetic SATS tests. Her voice is perhaps best-known for the years in which she was continuity announcer at Yorkshire Television.

Wirral Libraries Book Fest - April 7th

2008-04-15T23:12:00.011+01:00

Riverside Writers started off the Wirral Book Fest with a session called "Words from wordsmiths" - an entertaining evening of great writing.

Click on photos to view LARGE!

Wirral Bookfest Events at West Kirby Library

2008-04-03T15:29:00.002+01:00

Monday 7th April: 7-9pm Words from Wordsmiths: Horror, humour and beauty—diverse readings of original fiction by members of Riverside Writers.

Tuesday 8th April: 10am-12noon Have your heard a good book lately?
Publishers W.H. Howes interactive display and demo of the talking book from cassettes to ‘Playaways’ - pre loaded digital books. Ideal for visually impaired book lovers.

Tuesday 8th April: 2-3.30pm The best words—John Siddique and Wirral’s Young Poet Laureate. Acclaimed poet John Siddique shares his favourite poems and some of his own gems. Supported by Wirral’s Young Poet Laureate, Holly Green.

All events are FREE.

Click HERE for a full programme of Wirral-wide BookFest Events.

Library Elf

2008-04-02T15:36:00.001+01:00

Wirral Libraries - Library Elf Would you like to be reminded when your library books are due back?
We know our customers lead busy lives and sometimes it is difficult to keep track of when library books and due back. With this in mind we have discovered Library Elf - an excellent free service that will send you emails reminding you return or renew your books before the date they are actually due back. With Library Elf, you can:

Receive email notices of items before they become due
View the due dates of
various items in a calendar format
Be notified of reservations as they become available
Consolidate your library accounts or those of your entire family
..and much more!
Library Elf - How does it work?

Library Elf is a third party web-based service which helps library users keep track of their loans and hopefully avoid them becoming overdue. When you sign up for the free service, you can tell Elf to send you email reminders before the items you have on loan reach their due date, or when they actually hit the date. It’s up to you how many reminders you receive and how far in advance of the due date they should start arriving.

Sign up for Library Elf - click HERE to go to the Library Elf website OR
go to Wirral Libraries website and scroll down to the Library Elf logo and follow the “Sign Up” link from the home page and fill in the details required. You will find Wirral shown in the “List of Libraries” under the “International” heading among the UK listings.
NOTE: When entering your library card number, LEAVE OFF the initial 'B' and just enter the last eight digits.

Disclaimer Please note: Library Elf is a third party service which is independently run and not affiliated in any way with Wirral Libraries or any other library service. Wirral Libraries makes no guarantee about the nature, efficiency or availability of Library Elf and we cannot be held responsible for any failings of the service. We describe the service above in good faith as an option, which is available to Wirral Library users. But we remind our customers that Wirral Library members remain responsible for items borrowed on their library cards and will be liable for any fines or other charges which may accrue, irrespective of any alerts which Library Elf may or may not provide.

World Book Day

2008-03-06T21:39:00.018Z

Today we celebrated World Book Day in the company of Black Horse Hill Infant School.The chiildren come to the library in classes for stories and fun, dressed as their favourite storybook characters. To add to the fun, the teachers dress up too! This year Laura and I (Julie) also dressed up as the characters Meg the witch and Mog her cat from the "Meg & Mog" stories. We had a really great day!

I did not take any photos of the children; but I wanted to capture some of the flavour of the day so here are pictures of the adults!

Our thanks go to Mrs Crook (Paddington Bear) who organised it all, to the teachers who enter into the spirit of the day so enthusiastically, the children who make it all worthwhile...and not forgetting the parents, grandparents and other helpers who accompany the children and keep them safe.

My personal thanks to Laura, who is just so good with the children and who worked so hard today!

Bob the builder

Jack (without his beanstalk!)

Peter Pan

The wolf from Red Riding Hood

Little Red Riding Hood herself!

Cinderella

Another Bob the Builder

Bob AGAIN!

Maid Marion meets Paddington Bear

The Granny from Red Riding Hood

Princess Leia from Star Wars

Robin Hood

The lovely Meg

Meg and Paddington planning the day...

Adult Reading Group - March

2008-02-19T13:33:00.003Z

The Adult Reading group meet to discuss "Double Fault" by Lionel Shriver on Thursday, 6th March between 6 and 7 pm. Refreshments will be served. All welcome - even if you haven't read the book!

The Bookseller, Feb 3, 2006
'Purposeful and provocative novel... fans of Kevin won't be disappointed'

Observer Review, May 7, 2006
‘A brilliant tale of doomed love’

Do you agree with the reviews?

News from Knit & Natter

2008-02-08T15:01:00.000Z

The next meeting of the knit & Natter group will be on 29th February.

The following meeting (14th March) will be to plan the "Children's Knit-in" session.

The "Knit-in" will take place on 28th March.

Regular meetings will resume on 11th April.

Introducing "KNIT CLUB"
"The first rule of Knit Club is never talk about Knit Club...."
Knit Club is the "younger sister" of Knit & Natter and will be held on Thursday evenings at West Kirby Library, from 5.30 7.00 pm. All ages are welcome, especially young mums and teenagers.Informal tuition, fun and great refreshments...come along and join us! The first meeting will be held on 10th April.

Some library facts and figures...

2008-02-01T15:13:00.001Z

Some facts about public libraries in England:

There are about 3100 public libraries in England and 460 mobile libraries.
More than 60% of people have a library ticket
96% of people believe that public libraries are a valuable community resource
There were over 274 million visits to public libraries during 2002/3, an increase of almost 4 million on the previous year
35% of the population visit public libraries at least once a month
More people visit libraries than go to cinemas or attend football matches
There are 92.4million books in 3,500 public libraries and every year more than 318million book loans
There are a further 34million issues of other material, including DVDs, videos, talking books
Libraries provide over 60million hours a year of high speed access to the internet through the People's Network
Library staff answer 58.5million enquiries a year
More thatn 22,000 library staff run the service.

Cakes & Makes with the West Kirby Knitters

2008-01-26T16:53:00.000Z

The Knit & Natter group invite you to a sale of work and homemade cakes, plus refreshments. Beautiful handcrafted items will be available at very reasonable prices.

Join us on Friday, 22nd February from 10.am to 4 pm.

Valentine's Day

2008-01-25T16:35:00.000Z

The "Friends" invite you to spend Valentine's Day afternoon at West Kirby Library for an hour of song with "The Concourse Singers". Join in or just listen; we promise this event will be most enjoyable! Then we will serve a delightful afternoon tea, with both sweet and savoury items to tempt you!

The afternoon starts at 2.30 and will end around 4 pm. Tickets (available from both Hoylake & West Kirby Libraries) are priced at just £3 (£2.50 for "Friends") and includes the cost of refreshments.

Adult Reading Group - February

2008-01-18T13:33:00.001Z

The adult reading group will meet on February 7th at 6 pm to discuss "Frankie and Stankie" by Barbara Trapido. All welcome, and refreshments are provided!

In "Frankie and Stankie" Barbara Trapido returns to her South African roots
with a highly autobiographical novel which tackles one of the most divisive
political issues of the twentieth century as she tells the story of Dinah
growing up in 1950s South Africa. Using simple straightforward language, Trapido
wields humour to great effect in exposing the lethal combination of prejudice
and ignorance.Dinah’s father, a maths lecturer, shouts loudly at the daily
championing of apartheid on the radio. Her mother, a quieter dissenter, makes
friends with Francis-the-Gardener, an Indian who helps her create a gorgeously
exotic front yard. Since racism is not a part of the de Bondt household, Dinah
is mystified when she is asked at school if she would ‘rather have a native girl
or a koelie to make her sandwiches.’ (page 30). She has never heard a black
women referred to as a ‘native girl’ and has no idea what a ‘koelie’ is. The
novel follows Dinah through the increasingly dark days of the National Party’s
rule, to her marriage to a one-time political activist and the couple’s arrival
in 60s Britain. As Dinah grows from a thin asthmatic little girl into a bright
stylish university student, she makes a succession of increasingly colourful
best friends: Angela chooses the non-academic domestic science route and is
displaced by a wilder friend; Catherine, the daughter of a rabidly anti-Catholic
mother, eventually converts to Catholicism; and Maud is the daughter of a
coalminer’s wife and her racehorse-owning lover. Shortly after Dinah arrives at
university in Durban she begins a three-year affair with the urbane but slippery
Didi which finally ends when she realises that he has betrayed her. Her
friendship with Sam leads to marriage and then to London, as Sam flees the
persistent attentions of Special Branch.

Knit & Natter 11th January 2008 (and then following alternate Fridays)

2008-01-11T12:38:00.000Z

The West Kirby "Knit & Natter" Group meets alternate Fridays mornings at 11 am, for an hour of knitting, crochet, sewing and of course a good chat! Refreshments are provided. This friendly and enthusiastic group ran a beginners knitting course for schoolchildren during the October 2007 half-term holiday and held a Sale of Work in aid of library funds on 30th November 2007. The range of goods and the quality of the workmanship was outstanding(see photos below!)

The next meeting is on Friday, 11th January and alternate Fridays after that. All ages and both sexes are very welcome. Informal tuition and advice is available and beginners most welcome.

Both charitable and personal work is catered for. Donations of unwanted wool, needles etc would be gratefully received.Why not come along, make new friends, improve your knitting skills and have fun!

Playaways!

2008-01-08T12:20:00.000Z

Coming soon to West Kirby Library!

What is Playaway?

Playaway is the newest format of audio, combining a wide variety of content with an easy-to-use player all in one small unit. When you borrow your Playaway, all you have to do is press play to start listening immediately – there is no need for a separate player.

Playaway is the most simple and immediate way to enjoy music and audiobooks. Its portability allows users to enjoy their favourite authors and titles on-the-go, whenever and wherever.

What makes Playaway unique?

Playaway is the easiest way to listen to a book or music – the only thing you need to do is press play! Each Playaway contains an entire book or music compilation, regardless of length (up to 80 hours!). A Playaway weighs only 2 ounces and can easily fit in a pocket for ultimate portability and multitasking. They come with an automatic bookmark function that remembers where you left off. Playaways have a universal headphone jack that can be used with a number of mobility accessories including portable speakers, FM transmitters, and audio cables to listen in virtually any environment.

Look out for Playaways available to hire from late January onwards.

"When Cotton was King" - a "Friends" event at Hoylake Library

2008-01-07T12:27:00.000Z

The "Friends of Hoylake & West Kirby Libraries" present a talk by Dr Nigel Hall MA (Oxon), D. Phil. entitled "Liverpool; when cotton was king" on Thursday, 17th January at 7.30 pm,

at Hoylake Library.

Tickets £2.00 (£1.50 for "Friends") available from both libraries.

Reading Group

2008-01-03T15:48:00.000Z

The adult monthly reading group is meeting on 3rd January to discuss "The man who ate the 747" by Ben Sherwood.

“This is the story of the greatest love, ever. An outlandish claim,
outrageous perhaps, but trust me..." And so begins the bestselling novel hailed
as a new kind of American love story with a fresh voice and whimsical style that
critics called “masterful,” “mesmerizing,” “wonderfully inventive” and
“heartwarming.”J.J. Smith is Keeper of the Records for The Book of Records, an
ordinary man searching for the extraordinary. J.J. has clocked the world's
longest continuous kiss, 30 hours and 45 minutes. He has verified the lengthiest
single unbroken apple peel, 172 feet 4 inches. He has measured the farthest
flight of a champagne cork from an untreated, unheated bottle, 177 feet 9
inches. He has tasted the world's largest menu item, whole-roasted Bedouin
camel. But in all his adventures from Australia to Zanzibar, J.J. has never
witnessed great love until he comes upon a tiny windswept town in the heartland
of America, where folks still talk about family, faith, and crops. Here, where
he least expects it, J.J. discovers a world record attempt like no other: Piece
by piece, a farmer named Wally Chubb is eating a Boeing 747 to prove his love
for a woman.
(Please visit Ben Sherwood's website for more information)

Happy New Year!

2008-01-03T15:43:00.000Z

West Kirby library staff would like to everyone a very happy, healthy and prosperous

New Year!

Merry Christmas!

2007-12-20T15:38:00.000Z

The staff at West Kirby library wish you all a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

West Kirby Lions Gift Tree

2007-12-08T20:06:00.001Z

An opportunity for West Kirby people to give gifts to children across the Wirral, and really brighten their Christmas! On Saturday 8th December Father Christmas visits the library to collect in all the presents. This event was very successful last year and we hope to make it an annual event.

Wirral Potters Exhibition, December 2007

2007-12-08T20:03:00.001Z

"Friends" Christmas Coffee Morning

2007-12-06T13:13:00.000Z

You are cordially invited to our Christmas Coffee Morning on Friday, 14th December
10 am - 12 noon.
Tea, coffee, sherry and mince pies!
Raffle of Christmas hamper.
Festive goods and crafts for sale.
Don't miss it!

Christmas Opening Hours

2007-12-06T12:50:00.000Z

Monday 24th Dec Closed
Tuesday 25th Dec Closed
Wednesday 26th Dec Closed
Thursday 27th Dec 9.00-7.30
Friday 28th Dec 9.00-5.00
Saturday 29th Dec 9.00-1.00 2.00-5.00

Monday 31st Dec 9.00-3.30
Tuesday 1st Jan Closed
Wednesday 2nd Jan Closed
Thursday 3rd Jan 9.00-7.30
Friday 4th Jan 9.00-5.00
Saturday 5th Jan 9.00-1.00 2.00-5.00

User Group

2007-11-25T12:39:00.000Z

Did you know that the library has a User Group? They meet every other month and give us very useful feedback on the way the library service is run and make suggestions for possible improvements.

The group is made up of a number of library users who have agreed to meet with us six times a year for about an hour.We are very grateful to them for their support of the library and for the honest and frank opinions they offer us.

If you would be interested in joining our User Group either now or in the future please let us know. In particular we would welcome some young members!

An evening with a Liverpool Pilot...

2007-10-03T09:09:00.000+01:00

The "Friends" were delighted to welcome John Curry to the library on 27th October to talk about his life as a Liverpool Pilot. John's talk was very much enjoyed as was his sequence of photographs showing us exactly how an enormous container vessel was eased into dock!Refreshments were served afterwards.

Membership of the "Friends of Hoylake & West Kirby Libraries" costs £3 per year for an individual and £5 per year for two people living at the same address and entitles subscribers to discounted entrance to events and regular newsletters. If you would like to join, membership forms are available at both Hoylake and West Kirby Libraries.

Our next event will be a pub-style quiz on November 2nd. Details to follow!

Coffee morning update!

2007-09-29T12:20:00.000+01:00

We are pleased to report we raised an amazing £102 for Macmillan with our coffee morning and raffle on 28th September. Thanks to the staff for baking cakes, selling raffle tickets and serving the refreshments and to the public for their enthusiastic support!

Adult Reading Group meets next on October 4th

2007-09-25T12:35:00.000+01:00

This month we will be discussing "The Abortionist's daughter" by Elisabeth Hyde. From 6 pm in the library; refreshments provided!

Coffee Morning for Macmillan!

2007-09-25T12:25:00.000+01:00

Join the World's Biggest Coffee Morning at West Kirby Library
World's Biggest Coffee Morning is one of the biggest fundraising events in the UK, with an estimated 2 million people raising their mugs for Macmillan last year. This year's event takes place on Friday 28 September (or choose a date that suits you) and with your help we aim to help Macmillan raise over £7 million for people affected by cancer.

10.30 - 12 noon.

A talk on the Liverpool Pilots by John Curry

2007-09-08T16:03:00.000+01:00

The "Friends of Hoylake & West Kirby Libraries" invite you to join them for
"Guardians of the dawn - the Liverpool Pilots" - a talk by John Curry, Liverpool Pilot.

To be held on Thursday 27th September 2007 at 7.30 pm in West Kirby Library.Refreshments will be served. Tickets £2 (£1.50 for "Friends") available from both libraries.

This promises to be a fascinating talk from a very talented speaker - don't miss it!

The end is in sight for the Big Wild Read!

2007-09-07T15:49:00.000+01:00

Don't forget that the Big Wild Read finishes on 22nd September! Certificates will be printed and medals ordered and then visits will be made to schools and nurseries to present them to all the children who have taken part this summer.

Big thanks to everyone who has made this our most succesful reading challenge ever!

Enjoy a "Book at Breakfast"

2007-09-06T13:24:00.000+01:00

Wirral Libraries, together with "Get into Reading" invite you to enjoy a "Book at Breakfast" every Friday morning at West Kirby Library. From 10 am to 11.15, relax with tea, coffee, toast and other breakfast treats as short stories, poems and novels are read aloud and discussed in a very friendly atmosphere. Contact Julie on 0151 929 7808 for details or just turn up - you'll be most welcome!

Friends of the Library event

2007-07-12T23:27:00.000+01:00

Tonight the "Friends" hosted a very informative and entertaining talk from Group Capt. C.T. Moore, secretary of the Royal Liverpool Golf Club, on "The Open Golf at Hoylake - one year on". We learned a lot about the sheer determination and effort involved to make the Open such a huge success - plus lots of fascinating insider information on the problems faced by the organisers. Who would have thought that someone would have to be trained to handle natterjack toads and that special care was taken to avoid disturbing the nesting habits of the resident skylarks?

Membership of the "Friends of Hoylake & West Kirby Libraries" costs £3 per year for an individual and £5 per year for two people living at the same address and entitles subscribers to discounted entrance to events and regular newsletters. If you would like to join, membership forms are available at both Hoylake and West Kirby Libraries.

Our next events will be in September.Watch the noticeboard for details.

Katie Fforde at West Kirby Library!

2007-07-12T10:36:00.000+01:00

On June 15th the author Katie Fforde came to the library to talk about her work. Katie is the author of books such as "Living Dangerously", "Flora's Lot", "Paradise Fields" and "Practically Perfect" to name but a few! Her latest title is "Going Dutch" and Katie read an excerpt from this which was enthusiastically received.

Her audience were full of questions for Katie which she answered with great humour and candour. After the talk she happily signed copies of her books (on sale courtesy of Linghams Booksellers of West Kirby) and posed for photographs.

If you would like to be included on our mailing list for author visits and literary events please contact us on 0151 929 7808, by clicking on the "Get in touch" link to email us or simply call in at any Wirral library.

Welcome to West Kirby Library's Blog!

2007-07-11T14:07:00.000+01:00

Thank you for visiting our blog. Here you'll be able to find details of library events, activities and promotions plus give us YOUR feedback on what we do. Please check back often as this blog will be regularily updated.You are welcome to leave comments.