Library Service

Every year, the first week of June is VOLUNTEERS’ WEEK. It's a chance to recognise the fantastic contribution volunteers make to our communities – and to say thank you! To mark the occasion, each year we nominate a Library Volunteer of the Year…

2022 was the Library’s 140th year. Our founders Thomas Guille and Frederick Allès first opened the doors on Monday 2 January 1882. Our focus this year has been to celebrate the extraordinary story of how they made that happen. November saw the…

Have you ever wondered what librarians get up to when they aren't shelving books or helping you find what you need? Join our Arts & Culture Lead Sarah Fletcher as she shares her horticultural musings to help shed light on what 'weeding' means…

Community and Outreach Librarian Jackie works across the island helping to make the Library service accessible to all. Whether you find it difficult to get into town or just prefer to stay local, our Community Libraries offer services for children…

We love our work experience students. Every summer term we welcome several students to the Library to show them different aspects of the service, giving them insight into what it's like to work in such a varied environment at the heart of the…

For the last few months, 14-year-old Ben Gosling has been volunteering at the Library as part of his Duke of Edinburgh Bronze Award. Here’s his blog – along with some incredible photos! – on what it was like to volunteer here. -- Hi, my…

 Audiobooks are a whole new world of reading – and with our Library apps you can download your favourite reads for free.If you’re completely new to audiobooks, here are our top 7 reasons to give them a go. Not sure how to access audiobooks…

This week we’re saying goodbye to our Chief Librarian, Laura Milligan, who’s retiring after almost forty years at the Library.Laura first joined the staff in 1980, leading the computerisation of the service in the 80s and 90s before becoming…

If you asked us to describe 2021 in a single word, it would be ‘busy’.From launching our new Fab Lab to our most popular ever Summer Reading Challenge, not to mention all the ongoing challenges of the pandemic, it’s certainly been a memorable…

Every year in the UK, 200,000 children will experience the imprisonment of a parent. The resulting shame, guilt and fear makes these children more likely to fail at school and more likely to suffer mental health problems than their peers. Staying in…