A series of events is being held across Kirklees during February to celebrate the region’s libraries.
Next Saturday (Feb 6) will see the 5th National Libraries Day, with events and activities held across the country to promote the different ways that modern libraries help people, families and communities.
In Kirklees, where the library service has been subject of much controversy amid plans to scale it down to save cash, the whole month of February is being used to showcase the service’s work.
Events include Kirkburton Library presenting ‘blind date with a book’ where readers can take a chance and pick up a mystery book that’s been wrapped, ready to be borrowed, on February 13.
Friends of Birstall Library are running their Pop up Café on February 18.
Visitors can take 10 minutes out of their daily routines to call in, choose a new book and put their feet up with a cuppa. The group hopes it will become a regular feature on its calendar.
Visitors to Honley Library’s ‘Big Books’ event on February 19 can help to make one of a series of giant artworks. Those attending will be inspired by the works of author Jeremy Strong who will be featuring at the Pageturners Festival at Huddersfield Library. The giant book will then be displayed at the Pageturners Children’s Reading Festival finale.
Clr Graham Turner, Kirklees Council Cabinet member for Resources, said: “The sheer breadth of activities and services one can access at a local library is simply staggering. Customers can find new authors and favourite novels; join in at story time or rhyme time; search for jobs; complete a digital skills course; attend knit and natter or local history groups, and find out what’s happening locally.”
For further information about the events in Kirklees contact Communities and Leisure Service on 01484 226300 or by email at frontline.services@kirklees.gov.uk.
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The library service in Kirklees has been at the centre of huge controversy in recent months, amid plans to overhaul the service to save money.
The shake-up involves a plan to fully fund and staff only eight of the current 26 libraries.
The plan is set to save about £1.8m, and will see Lepton and Thornhill Lees closed, along with the mobile service, and a further 16 libraries sustained with just one member of staff, supported by volunteers.
