With the promise of warmer days and drier weather, we look forward to welcoming more of you back in to our libraries as we continue with our calendar of events:

The Swindon Festival of Literature is currently underway, and with a few days remaining, there is still time to book tickets for a live event. 

We are looking forward to hosting an afternoon of live music and storytelling in our courtyard at Central Library for Swindon's Lost Words. And as a partner of Swindon Dementia Action Alliance, we will be hosting our first Expo to support Dementia Action Week.

If you reserve books on a regular basis, why not try one of our reservation subscriptions?

For £30, our Super Reserver allows you unlimited reservations over 12 months at no extra cost!  It's great value for customers who reserve more than 22 items in a year.

If you tend to save your reading for holidays, our Mini Reserver offers unlimited reservations over a 90-day period.  At only £7.50, this is a great saving if you plan on reserving more than six books within a short period of time.

Subscriptions start from the day of payment.  Please speak to a member of staff within a library for more details.

If you are not sure how to register for our eReading services, we have created a guide for you to follow.

AbilityNet has advice on making your device easier to use if you have a disability.

All events within our libraries are promoted on social media but we are aware not everyone has this resource.

Our Library website not only allows you to check your account, and look through our library catalogue, it also has an events tab at the top (circled in the picture) which we are currently updating to show all of our upcoming library events. 

There are some wonderful events taking place this week as part of the Swindon Festival of Literature, including author events, writing workshops and the popular Children & Families Day.

If you haven't seen this year's programme yet, see what's on and to book your tickets.

Swindon Libraries also have copies of all books being promoted throughout the week, so reserve your new read now.

Virtual Festival events that took place in 2020 and 2021 are still available to enjoy online too.

In celebration of the Swindon Festival of Literature, Swindon Museum and Art Gallery is showcasing artworks inspired by books and stories at Central Library. 

This exhibition brings together prints and paintings inspired stories, historic episodes and personal narratives.

Opening times: Monday – Friday, 10am-5.30pm, Saturdays 10am-4pm (closed Sundays and Bank Holidays)

Loneliness is the theme for this year's Mental Health Awareness Week, acknowledging the impact loneliness has on our mental wellbeing and highlighting the practical steps that can be taken.

"Loneliness is affecting more and more of us in the UK and has had a huge impact on our physical and mental health during the pandemic. Our connection to other people and our community is fundamental to protecting our mental health and we need to find better ways of tackling the epidemic of loneliness. We can all play a part in this." Mental Health Foundation

Swindon Libraries hold a wide range of books supporting mental health issues, as struggles can be amplified alongside feelings of loneliness.  Each core library has a full set of the Books on Prescription collections, covering a wide range of topics and supporting children, young adults and adults.

Swindon Borough Council has also pulled together a list of mental health support within Swindon.

Inspired by The Lost Words by Robert Macfarlane and Jackie Morris, Swindon Libraries celebrates the lost words of Swindon and North Wiltshire.

Storyteller and poet John Row will introduce specially commissioned songs, stories, and music from local favourites Canute’s Plastic Army, Chantelle Smith, and SGO, and fellow storyteller Baden Prince.

Join us on the day as John and Baden also weave a story based on words and memories from the audience.

Admission is FREE. Reserve a place or drop in on the day.

The Swindon Dementia Action Alliance (DAA) are committed to making Swindon a Dementia Friendly Community.

This Dementia Action Week (16 - 20 May), the DAA are holding events aimed at increasing awareness around Dementia and providing a safe space for people living with Dementia, and their loved ones, to meet like-minded people and access the support and resources that they need.

Our Expo event is an opportunity to meet local businesses and organisations who support people living with Dementia, and their carers and loved ones, as well as a public Dementia Friends training session which is open to all and starts at 11am.

Expo stands include: Swindon Carers Centre, Home Instead, Alzheimer's Society, Herbert Protocol and more.

Artswords Writers' Café is a meeting place for new writers, experienced writers and anyone interested in writing. We chat, we read, we explore, and we discover, interesting things about writing.

If you have any piece of writing you’d like to share with others, please bring it along. Or better still, if you are happy for others to see your work first, please send to matt@lowershawfarm.co.uk well before the meeting date, and it will be sent to people who say they will be joining us.

Everyone and anyone interested in writing and reading is welcome!

The theme for this year's Summer Reading Challenge has been revealed and it's... Gadgeteers!

This summer, The Reading Agency is partnering with the Science Museum Group to inspire children across the country to get excited about reading through science and innovation.

It's going to be fantastic! We'll include more information in the coming months as we prepare to launch on 9 July. 

The Summer Reading Challenge is the biggest annual event in our libraries, encouraging children to read for pleasure, when there can be a 'dip' throughout the summer holidays.

Thousands of children within Swindon take part, and we wouldn't be able to support so many if it wasn't for our 'champions' who volunteer a few hours a week at a library, handing out rewards to our young readers.

We are currently recruiting volunteers for Summer Reading Challenge 2022 – this is a short term volunteering opportunity from 9 July 2022 to 10 September 22 for two to four hours each week.

If you are aged 18 years or over, and are interested in joining our team, registration forms are available in the core libraries (Central, Highworth, Park, North and West Swindon).

Our Local Studies team has shared this wonderful photograph of May Day celebrations in Edwardian Swindon circa 1905.

To explore thousands more old photos of Swindon, please take a look at their online gallery: www.flickr.com/swindonlocal

And email them (localstudies@swindon.gov.uk) if you have any local history questions.

If the brighter days are making you want to get outside a bit more, the Visit Swindon website has some great suggestions for outdoor places you can visit in the area.

Choose from a selection of beautiful Victorian parks, larger country parks, or even head out to the Ridgeway - there's so much to explore in and around Swindon.

We're in the final planning stages to launch our Lego and photography competitions... full details will be announced in the coming weeks and the June newsletter, along with our Jubilee plans.