Libraries Update – March 2025
Libraries Report 2025
On 4 March, Councillor Hacking took a report on libraries to the Communities and Equalities Scrutiny Committee. The report describes activities over the last year and priorities for the future and how the library service is at the heart of our communities and continues to have a positive impact on people’s lives. Find out more and read the report at our Manchester Libraries blog.
Digital Inclusion Report 2025
At the same meeting, Councillor Hacking took a report on digital inclusion. The report gives an update on the Council’s digital inclusion work, since March 2024 including the implementation of the Digital Inclusion Action Plan. In February the Government released its Digital Inclusion Action Plan which includes our work as a case study of Local Authority best practice.
Chorlton Library Reopens 1 April!
Chorlton Library closed on 24 March 2024 to begin a full refurbishment and work on the Grade II listed building to enhance the existing structure of the building and unveil the fabulous dome which has been hidden for many years! Additional work included improvements to the exterior stonework and windows as well as the renewal of electrical and mechanical systems, to ensure the building contributes to lower carbon emissions to help the council meet its target of becoming zero carbon by 2038.
With the library service now back in the main part of the building, work can now begin on the next stage of the refurbishment to create additional meeting rooms within the existing structure that will be opening later this year.
We are excited to announce that Chorlton Library will reopen on 1 April! To celebrate, we have planned a range of events throughout April. Find out more at our Manchester Libraries blog.
See Myself in Books Festival
Read Manchester’s See Myself In Books Festival promoting representation in children’s books has got off to a flying start! We welcomed 350 children to our launch event at Stoller Hall with children’s authors and illustrators, Nathan Bryon, Dapo Adeola, Maisie Chan and UK Comics Laureate, Bobby Joseph. The children, from seven primary schools were treated to an inspirational morning, including author talks and a violin performance and all went home with a free book. During the festival, 3,000 children will meet 15 diverse authors. Here’s what some children have been saying:
“I want to be a writer and today was brilliant!”
“Wow! So I can write books too about my own life? That’s amazing!”
“It was important for us to see real authors because they are just like normal people like you and me and it makes me see that anyone could be an author!”
To accompany the festival, a new book gifting appeal has been launched to help purchase books for two new book collections for primary school children – one focusing on ethnic diversity and one on neurodiversity. If you can, please donate and encourage your friends, family, employers to get involved too at our, Just Giving, See Myself in Books page.
Women’s History Month at Archives+
Archives+ celebrated Women’s History Month by sharing a few objects from our collections with Central Library’s visitors. Over 25 members of the public and library volunteers attended our handling session for a friendly chat and a chance to have a look at some fantastic items. As we all know, Manchester spearheaded the Women’s suffrage movement, so it’s no wonder that leaflets and autograph letters from renowned suffragist Lydia Becker captured the attention of our visitors.
A photo of Mahatma Ghandi visiting a group of women millworkers in Manchester was also very popular. Visitors also showed interest in more recent objects from our broadside collection, including 1990s leaflets advertising leadership classes led by and specifically aimed at Black Women. The day ended with a fantastic talk by Dr Gary James, who presented his new book about legendary women’s football team Manchester Corinthians (here photographed on their 1960 tour of South America) at Central Library.
Visit our Manchester Libraries blog to watch a great documentary about them!
Business Events at the Generator
During March at Generator, staff collaborated with the Manchester Social Economy Alliance to deliver a series of workshops empowering entrepreneurs to turn their ideas into realities. The workshops covered all the basics, from business modelling to pitching, and received positive feedback from attendees.
At Generator Royal Mills, in addition to a podcasting workshop, staff hosted several members’ events. From a hands-on clay workshop to alternative networking, a women empowerment event, and a CIC’s launch event, we have loved seeing how creative our members can be and how versatile our space is.
At Generator St Peter’s Square, the monthly breakfast club and networking evening took place to help our community of entrepreneurs build deeper connections. We have also organised the Audacity Workshop, delivered by one of our members, to help entrepreneurs discover how to use courage, competence, and confidence to better showcase themselves and their businesses.
As the financial year draws to a close, the team has been reflecting on our achievements over the past year and the impact of our services on hundreds of businesses across Greater Manchester.
Generator is a project funded by the UK Government through UK Shared Prosperity Fund. Find out more at: https://generatormcr.org/
See Myself in Books – Withington Library
Withington library celebrated the See Myself in Books Festival with local families and children as local artist, Mandy delivered a fabulous workshop making clay peg dolls. The children looked at our lovely diverse book display and then modelled characters from their favourite books, some children also made a clay peg doll of themselves. It was impressive to see how the children used their new creative skills to make the peg dolls!
Full Volume: The Manchester Libraries Podcast
‘Full Volume: The Manchester Libraries Podcast’ takes listeners behind the shelves of our city’s much-loved libraries. Presented by the Central Library’s own Alan Lynch, every month the podcast lifts the lid on a treasure trove of insider tips, exclusive interviews, book reviews, and much more. Listen to Episode Three: DJ Paulette!
RFK Human Rights Trust Exhibition – Gorton Library
RFK Human Rights Trust visited Gorton Library to deliver an amazing Interactive Human Rights session with Cedar Mount Academy, secondary school. Helen from RFK Human Rights UK, worked with two groups of young people throughout the day. Attendees were given a brief overview of Human Rights and the importance of standing up for your rights, as well as an introduction to different types of activism. The young people were then invited to check out the 30 Articles of Human Rights Declaration Exhibition which is currently on display in the library, and to discuss the Rights which spoke to them most.
Next up in groups, the young people agreed on something they felt was important to them all, and designed a protest sign based on this subject. Once finished, the groups were invited onto a podium to put their point across and inform others of why it was important to stand behind. The young people were incredibly pro-active and had lots to share. They were an absolute credit to their school and teachers and the library staff loved having them to join us for the day.
Conversation Club – Central Library
According to recent studies, children who read for pleasure are more likely to succeed in school and enjoy better mental wellbeing than children who don’t. For this reason, libraries, schools and cultural organisations in the UK and Ireland mark World Book Day every year, with activities and events designed to foster a love of reading in children. This year, library staff ran the regular Conversation Club for ESOL learners on World Book Day and discussed the importance of reading for fun with our learners.
Many of the members are from Hong Kong and had never heard of World Book Day before – and they certainly didn’t know that children usually wear fancy dress for it! It was a great day to enjoy some interesting conversations, topped up with some book gifting at the end (because sometimes adults deserve free books too)! If you’d like to find out more about our Conversation Club, visit LibraryLive to stay up-to-date on future sessions.
Knitting & Crochet Group – Avenue Library
Our super talented Knitting & Crochet Group at Avenue Library have had a busy month decorating their post box to celebrate World Book Day, and then more recently for the change of seasons to spring. The skilled group created the post box themselves over a year ago – they even measured a real post box to recreate an accurately sized post box! New decorations are designed and created regularly so that the display can be changed according to upcoming events and the time of year. Impressive!
Nature Project – Arcadia Library
Arcadia Library have been part of a fantastic project funded by Libraries Connected, the project has linked libraries and nature together. Local folk joined Arcadia Library staff, Park Ranger Rick and Mindfulness practitioner and teacher Karen Welsh for a delightful stroll around Highfield Country Park. On the day, we were thankfully blessed with mild spring weather. Highfield was glorious!
Karen invited us to walk in silence paying attention at different points throughout the walk to the sounds around us, at other times we paid attention to the textures of nature, such as the leaves, lichen on branches, and fungus growing out of wood stumps. Each activity lasted 10 – 15 minutes, and then everyone shared their experiences. After the walk everyone headed back to the library to share lunch and laughter and get to know each other more. The response from participants and staff alike was overwhelmingly positive and ask for more walks please!!
Nature Project – Forum Library
The Forum Library hosted a planting session during their weekly Age Friendly coffee morning, which was part of the Nature Project. It gave customers an opportunity to plant seeds and gain an insight into the planting process. Attendees each then had a lovely plant or two to take home. It was an interactive, fun, and informative session, giving many participants the chance to learn something new. Everyone who took part expressed how much they enjoyed themselves, and how they found it extremely relaxing and engaging.
Hungarian Day of Remembrance at Central Library
15 March marks the anniversary of the 1848 Hungarian Revolution, as Hungarians all over the world wear cockades and hold events to celebrate Hungarian independence. Not many people know that one of the heroes of the Hungarian Revolution, Lajos Kossuth, visited Manchester in 1851, an occasion commemorated by a plaque in our Town Hall, not far from Central Library. Due to Central Library’s connection with the plaque, the library was chosen by the Hungarian Consulate in Manchester as a venue for their official celebrations. 80 children danced and performed in front of 200 Hungarian visitors on the day. There was also plenty of entertainment for the little ones, with an area of the library’s ground floor taken over by a big and exciting cardboard castle! Library staff were very pleased to have been chosen as a venue for this wonderful event, and look forward to more opportunities to celebrate our diverse Manchester communities in future.
