18 June 2013 New For All Family Historians!
Library staff Vivienne Thomas and Lydia Kingdon providing all the family history answers!
The Monmouthshire Libraries stand at the Gwent Family History Society Open Day last Saturday (8 June) was busy with a constant stream of visitors keen to find out more about their ancestors. Library staff resolved a wide range of customer queries – one looking for details of a Will, several hoping to confirm baptism and marriage dates, another customer looking for information on the King’s Head at Llanvair Discoed, someone else looking for details of a World War 1 nurse. Scandal, as always, was never far from the surface with hushed talk about whether a marriage might really have taken place given the lack of evidence!
Library staff answered 27 queries from customers using our online databases – Ancestry, Find my Past, Times Digital Archive 1785 – 1985 and Nineteenth Century British newspapers. Other customers were referred to the regular family history sessions being run in Caldicot, Chepstow and Monmouth libraries. In addition many people visited the stand and took away a range of leaflets and flyers. Over forty other stands were present at the event. If you’re interested in family history all Monmouthshire Libraries have a fantastic range of resources available. Call in soon!
30 May 2013 Rolls Hall – 125 Years
The staff at Monmouth Library celebrated 125 years since the Rolls Hall was built and given to the people of Monmouth.
Monmouth’s Rolls Hall (now housing the town’s library) was built in 1887 to commemorate the golden jubilee of Queen Victoria. It was a jubilee gift to the town by Lord Llangattock (J.A. Rolls), the father of Charles, one of the founders of Rolls-Royce. Portraits of Lord Llangattock, his wife and son hang in the main library.
A reminiscence session was held in the morning and staff gathered lots of memories and were able to copy a photograph of the first performance held in the Rolls Hall in 1888.
Tags: lord llangattock, rolls hall, rolls royce
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- Posted under Rolls Hall - 125 Years
10 May 2013 Tea Tasting
Twinings Tea Ambassador Mark Nicholls with Erica Sheppard, Library Staff and Friends of the Library Reading Garden
Chepstow Library hosted a tea tasting event in support of Macmillan Cancer Research.
Twinings Tea Ambassador, Mark Nicholls, told an attentive audience all about the history of tea and how to do tea tasting. Newly qualified in the art, all participants tasted a range of teas – some preferring the delicate taste of Ceylon Silver Tips, others the bolder flavours of Taiwanese High Mountain Oolong!
Library customers tea tasting!
The event was organised by Erica Sheppard, Macmillan Cancer Support and Information Co-ordinator, to promote the new Macmillan area in the library reading garden and to raise awareness of the ‘drop-in’ cancer information sessions and board game activities in Chepstow Library on alternate Thursdays. Please visit the library to find out more and to see the new willow arch in the garden.
Tags: chepstow library, macmillan, reading garden, twinings tea
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- Posted under Library News for May 2013, Tea Tasting
24 April 2013 Fablibrarian: World Book Night with Friends and other World Book Night givers in Caldicot Library
Thank you to all our Friends and World Book Night givers (pictured above) for all their support yesterday.
We had a fantastic day; first of all at the town market where we set up a stall and gave out World Book Night books to people walking past. It was a great opportunity to meet people who might not normally use the library and it was so sunny two of us got sunburnt!
For me the book buzz continued at Archbishop Rowan Williams School in Portskewett. With the support of the head teacher, Mr Murphy, we run an intergenerational reading group with some of the children and some of our older customers. Every session is lovely; the children are very enthusiastic and confident readers and the adults get real pleasure from joining in the discussion about the month’s chosen title.
In the evening the library hosted a World Book Night celebration. The evening started with four of the World Book Night givers talking passionately about some of the World Book Night titles. The plan had been to follow this with some refreshments, and then to move on to the book giving but everyone was so enthused about the books that nobody followed me into the meeting room! Instead everyone rushed over to speak to the World Book Night givers dotted around the library and listening to the library buzzing with book conversations was a lovely end to a fantastic day.
A special thanks to all our Friends for their support, both at the stall in the morning and during the evening celebration.
Tags: world book night
24 April 2013 World Book Night at Chepstow Library
Members of U3A Bookworms with their chosen book, The Siege by Helen Dunmore
Chepstow Library celebrated World Book Night with an evening of favourite books chosen by locally based reading groups and library staff. Those lucky enough to attend were treated to extracts from a wide range of thought provoking books.
Members of Between the Covers with Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte
Chepstow Library has an extensive collection of reading group sets and is keen to support both established reading groups and those setting up. Please visit the library or phone 01291 635730 if you want to find out more.
Library staff Shirley and Sallyanne with The Art of Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein
Tags: charlotte bronte, garth stein, helen dunmore, u3a, world book night
23 April 2013 Reminiscence Morning
To celebrate 125 years of the Rolls Hall serving the community of Monmouth and the local area, Monmouth Library will be holding a reminiscence morning on Friday 24 May from 10am until 1pm.
The staff would like to invite everyone to come along who would like to share their memories of the building and join them for a cup of tea or coffee and have a chat with a member of library staff who will make a note of your reminiscences. If you are unable to join us on that day and you would like to share your memories, please call into the library and speak to a member of staff.
There will also be an opportunity to view the photographic history of the Rolls Hall. However, the library staff would be interested to see any old photographs you may have.
Tags: rolls hall
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- Posted under Library News for April 2013, Reminiscence Morning
22 April 2013 What do librarians love most? Spreading the word about good books!
Please join us on Tuesday 23rd April at 7pm for our World Book Night celebration in Caldicot Library. Free books and free refreshments, what more could anyone want from an evening event?
If you know someone who hasn’t read a book in ages please encourage them to come along. It’s a great opportunity to pick up a wonderful book and thanks to our World Book Night givers there will be lots of free books given out during the evening. Everyone is welcome.
We (and some of our Friends) are also giving out World Book Night books in the town market from 10am until 12 noon.
The photo shows us with some of the World Book Night books. Here’s a snippet of some of our conversations about these books:
- Forgotten just how heart-wrenching this book is! (Noughts and Crosses by Malorie Blackman)
- A fascinating and intriguing story about Ireland’s past, divided loyalties and secrets (The Secret Scripture by Sebastian Barry)
- There is a dark undercurrent to this wonderful story but it was also warm and hopeful – and I loved it! (The Road Home by Rose Tremain)
- I gave this book to my Mum for Christmas, she told me off afterwards as it had made her cry so much! (Me Before You by Jojo Moyes)
For more information about what is happening in Caldicot Library, plus reviews of the books we’ve been reading, take a look at our blog or follow us on twitter.
Tags: world book night
