Libraries Update – January 2025
Full Volume: The Manchester Libraries Podcast!
Manchester Libraries are turning up the volume with the launch of our official podcast, Full Volume: The Manchester Libraries Podcast! This exciting new monthly show takes listeners behind the shelves, offering a lively mix of book reviews, exclusive interviews, library news, and insider insights, all packed into a snappy 40-minute episode. Hosted by Central Library’s Alan Lynch, the podcast has been a passion project in the making, recorded over the past year in the Central Library’s podcasting suite.
The first edition is a must-listen, featuring an exclusive interview with Neil MacInnes OBE, Manchester City Council’s Head of Libraries, Galleries, Culture and Youth, Play and Participation Services, who shares his vision for 2025. Plus, Dame Jacqueline Wilson discusses her new adult novel ‘Think Again’, and our reviewer of the month, Danny Middleton, gives his verdict.
Councillor John Hacking, Executive Member for Employment, Skills and Leisure says:
“I am absolutely overjoyed at the launch of the new podcast. Thanks to everyone involved in getting our first edition out into the world, I look forward to being in an edition later this year. The Council values its libraries massively and having our own podcast is another step forward and other way to share our services with the world.”
Listen now on Spotify, Apple Music, and more!
Manchester Local Images Website is Live!
With generous support from the National Lottery Heritage fund, our new Manchester Local Images website is now live! We’re pleased to announce that this brilliant and free new resource is now available for use by everyone, whether you live or work in Manchester or across the region or the globe. It’s a unique historic record of our fabulous city and now holds over 90,000 photographs of buildings, people, places and events from the 1880s right up to the 2000s. Project officer Malcolm Cohn has been working hard with a dedicated group of volunteers to digitise and repackage batches of prints from the Town Hall Photographers department to ensure their longterm survival and access.
We’ll be hosting a Local Images Week from 24 February to 1 March dedicated to celebrating and exploring the new website, plus there’ll be the first of several podcasts coming up on Full Volume, the new Manchester Libraries podcast series. We’ll also be appearing in local libraries with fun sessions for library staff and customers to introduce the new site and how to get the best out of it using features. Look out for our postcards and pop-ups in your local library and if you have memories, thoughts or feelings about your Manchester places, we’d like to hear them so get creating them in your Collections and get in touch!
Saturday Spectacular at Central Library
On 18 January, we hosted another Saturday Spectacular at Central Library, a highlight of our monthly calendar that’s become a firm favourite for families. These lively afternoons offer something for everyone, with free activities including film screenings, themed crafts, workshops, and, of course, free popcorn!
This month’s event was no exception, drawing a wonderful turnout. Thirty children and 23 adults enjoyed a free screening of Brave (2012), followed by an afternoon of creativity as families made their own bear masks inspired by the film.
Meanwhile, adults joined a special Chinese Calligraphy workshop, which offered a fascinating introduction to the art of calligraphy. This free class, attended by 15 adults and 4 children, provided a perfect preview of our upcoming Chinese New Year celebrations in early February. Check out our full programme of free Chinese New Year activities on Eventbrite!
Holocaust Memorial Day
On 27 January we remember the day when the Soviet army liberated Auschwitz-Birkenau, the most infamous Nazi concentration camp, where more than 1.1 million people were murdered, including nearly 1 million Jews. As 2025 marks the 80th anniversary of this event, at Central Library we curated an archive display to reflect on the importance of remembering the Holocaust. The Library holds significant collections on this subject, including photo albums and letters that belonged to young Jewish refugees who arrived in England through the kindertransport. These objects tell a really important story on how the Holocaust affected Jewish communities in Manchester, and it has been a real privilege to share them with our visitors.
Music Evermore – The Forum Library Creative Space
In early January, the Creative Space at the Forum Library came back to life, bustling with activity. Among the highlights are the sessions with Music Evermore, who run Rock Band sessions for young people every Monday and Tuesday from 4 – 6. These sessions have been thriving, with an average of 20 students attending each week.
To celebrate the students’ progress, Music Evermore hosted a fantastic end-of-year performance. The event gave the young musicians the chance to shine on stage and perform in front of a live audience, a proud moment for both the participants and their families. Parents in attendance also enjoyed seeing the remarkable growth and talent of these young performers.
New Welcome Sign – Withington Library
As part of the Holiday Activity Fund sessions at Withington Library, children and library staff teamed up with local artist Caroline for an inspiring art workshop. Together, they designed, created, and crafted a beautiful new ‘Welcome to Withington Library’ sign, repurposing an old wooden sign they had in the library.
The children collaborated with the library staff and Caroline to decide on the wording and imagery that would best represent the library. Once the plan was in place, everyone got to work drawing and painting, bringing their vision to life with creativity and enthusiasm.
The finished sign now takes pride of place at the library entrance, warmly welcoming all our visitors. It’s absolutely fabulous, and we couldn’t be happier with it!
Harmony Horizons – Moss Side Powerhouse Library
Powerhouse Library has been alive with the vibrant sounds of the brilliant Harmony Horizons project. Free, weekly sessions led by the talented Godfrey and Richard from Z-Arts, our group of under-5s has been singing, stomping, and filling the library with joyful noise.
Using djembes, shakers, and acoustic guitars, the children explored cultural heritage through music, learning to play rhythms and songs from their own traditions. The project emphasised the power of music to foster social cohesion and promoted mental wellbeing. Their spirited rendition of The Lion Sleeps Tonight has become a library favourite, bringing smiles to everyone and often getting the whole library humming along. Library staff absolutely loved hosting Harmony Horizons at the library and were truly sad to see the project come to an end.
Students from the University of Central Lancashire visit Archives+
Manchester Archives played host to a busy visit from History students from the University of Central Lancashire at Preston who were escorted by tutors for a tour of our Archives strongrooms and a talk about using primary historic sources in research for dissertations. This included how to search and order documents using our public archives catalogue, GMLives.org, to view in our public searchroom, as well as how to find and explore our online sources as members of Manchester Libraries. We were very pleased to showcase documents from the Assheton of Middleton collection which we’re exploring and preserving with funding help from National Lottery and Manchester Libraries Development Trust.
In our Archives Searchroom we displayed original documents from this fascinating collection of medieval to 18th century papers, drawing out some of the stories. Due to the fragile nature of the documents, we used surrogate versions to give the students a taste of palaeography, the art of reading handwritten manuscripts in Latin or Old English to decipher the detail and contents. We looked at an example of Court Rolls from Lady Anne Assheton’s time trying to decipher local names and which official jobs they did, and at a Bond or financial penalty relating to the good conduct (or otherwise) of Sir Ralph Assheton.
Chinese New Year Celebrations – North City Library
Regular attendees of the Hello Saturday craft group gathered for a fun-filled session celebrating Chinese New Year. The group got creative and made some fantastic lion crafts inspired by the traditional lion dances associated with the festival. The colourful and intricate designs brought a festive atmosphere to the library, as participants enjoyed learning about the cultural significance of the lion in Chinese New Year celebrations.
In addition to the lion crafts, attendees also explored their creative sides with Lego building and paint-dabbing activities. The Lego session sparked imaginations as the group worked on unique creations, while the paint-dabbing allowed for vibrant and expressive artwork to emerge.
It was a lively morning filled with creativity, cultural appreciation, and community connection, showcasing the amazing talents of the Hello Saturday group. We’re already looking forward to seeing what they create next!
Business Support – The Generator
The Generator has kicked off 2025 with a busy month! As well as our regular Networking Evening and an Open Days at both locations to welcome new members, we have facilitated several new workshops. Two Canva workshops, one for beginners and one for those familiar with the design tool, have proved very popular and attendees enjoyed learning new skills in the practical, hands-on sessions.
Another highlight of this month has been hosting a presentation by Innovate UK for small businesses who are looking for support to grow their innovative businesses. They were able to learn about the Innovate UK Business Growth Programme and how it can help with internationalisation and scaling-up. A workshop covering the applications of ChatGPT for a small business was another first, and informed attendees about using the tool to streamline their business processes and help with aspects of customer service.
At Breakfast Club, members shared both the threats and opportunities they experience as entrepreneurs in the Greater Manchester business ecosystem, as well as what support would be most helpful for them from local stakeholders. Manchester Youth Council have resumed their weekly meetings at the Generator. The young people have begun work towards their new campaign focusing on hate crime awareness in the local area, and we are excited to see what they achieve.
The Generator project is funded by the UK Shared Prosperity Fund.
Winter Well-being event with Manchester Museum and Longsight Library
This month, Manchester Museum welcomed us for a fantastic Winter Well-being event, and the museum was buzzing with families! Longsight library staff led a rolling story session in the Wild Gallery, sharing picture books with well-being themes. These included Victor the Wolf With Worries, which gently explores anxiety, and Hank Goes Honk, featuring a very grumpy (and sometimes mean) goose who learns the importance of kindness.
After the story session, we headed upstairs to join the information stalls, where we delivered a mammoth friendship bracelet-making afternoon. Many of the families who attended the story session joined in, along with some parents and young(ish) adults. Together, they created two bracelets each—one to keep and one to give to a friend. It was a heart-warming day of creativity, connection, and community spirit, and we were thrilled to be a part of it!
Italian Storytime – Central Library
Italian Storytime has become a beloved fixture at Central Library, with Beatrice and Judith always going the extra mile to entertain both children and adults. But in January, they truly outdid themselves with a special session dedicated to La Befana, one of Italy’s most cherished traditions!
According to Italian folklore, on the night between 5 and 6 January, La Befana, a kind-hearted old witch, flies from house to house on her broomstick, filling children’s stockings with sweets and chocolates if they’ve been good, or a lump of coal if they’ve been naughty!
The session brought this enchanting tradition to life, delighting the 17 children in attendance. And the highlight? Our very own Rosalind transformed into La Befana herself, much to the joy of the young audience!
North City Library Gets a Refresh!
Exciting changes have arrived at North City Library! The space has recently undergone a mini refurbishment, bringing a fresh new look and an even more welcoming atmosphere for visitors of all ages.
One of the biggest updates is in the Children’s Library, where a brand-new floor has been installed, making the space even more inviting for little ones to explore, read, and play. Alongside this, the library has had a fresh coat of paint, brightening up the space and giving it a revitalised feel.
To complete the transformation, new furniture has been added, creating a comfortable and modern environment for library users to relax, read, and enjoy everything the library has to offer. Whether you’re looking for a cosy corner to read with your child or a refreshed space to browse for your next book, North City Library’s new look is sure to delight.
Pop in and see the changes for yourself, library staff love to hear what you think!
