Libraries - Children's services
We provide a range of library materials and services for
children:
Books and more to borrow
We have a whole range of books, videos, cassettes and CDs
including:
- Board books for babies and toddlers
- Story sacks and Little Monkeys packs for pre-school
children
- Picture books
- Stories to share
- Stories for children of all ages
- Information books
- Stories in languages other than English
- Large print books for visually-impaired children
- Novelty books for children with special needs
- Pop-up books for children to look at in the library
- Storypacks: cassette and book sets
- Reference books for children to look at in the library
- Poetry
- Sub-titled videos for children who are deaf or have impaired
hearing
- Sex education collections
- Teenage collections
- Young Adult collections
- Toys at Littleborough Library
Will you be ready for the Summer Reading Challenge?
This year's Summer Reading Challenge for children — "Team
Read" — starts on 1 July 2008. It is free to join: just call
in at your local library and pick up your Team Read pack. Read as
many books as you want over the summer but remember to let us
know what you have been reading by filling in the details in your
pack as you go along.
- When you have read your first two books, fill in the details
and bring your pack into the library and we will give you your
Bronze Prize.
- When you have read your next two books, fill in the details and
bring your pack into the library and we will give you
your Silver Prize.
- When you have read your next two books, fill in the details and
bring your pack into the library and we will give you
your Gold Medal.
- Everybody who completes the Summer Reading Challenge will get a
certificate.
The Team Read web site
Book Crawl
Book Crawl is the reading game for under-fives, encouraging them
to join the library and to borrow books by rewarding them with
stickers and certificates.
We have a big selection of sumptuous picture
books in our libraries, including hard-wearing board books that can
cope with sticky hands and sharp teeth.
Any child under five can join in the Book Crawl if they have
their own library ticket.
Free internet access for "Young Surfers"
Children with permission from their parents/guardians can use
this service.
Free advice
We can give helpful advice on choosing books for children,
including:
- Books for special times - lists of books written for children
which may help them cope with situations which are worrying,
unusual or just new to them eg divorce; adoption; a new baby in the
family, and so on
- An index of popular subjects for information books
- Spotlight promotions of authors
Entertainments and events
Entertainments and educational events go on in our libraries
throughout the year, including:
- Under-fives' storytimes
- Holiday storytimes and entertainers
- Craft activities
- User education sessions
- Bookstart and SureStart activities
- Talks to parents' groups
- Book talks in schools and libraries
- Visits to play schemes
- Arranging for schools and nurseries to visit libraries
- Blind or visually-impaired children visiting the
Wheatsheaf Library can also use our Kurzweil and Brailling
PCs. These PCs can "read" text out loud and can also convert text
into Braille print.
Featured on the Web Catalogue
Homework Help.
Neat Stuff.
Teens: Read up, Fed up, have your say!
Read up, Fed up is a national online discussion and voting forum
for teens hosted by Piczo. The campaign aims to help adults better
understand what teenagers love reading as well as what turns them
off.
If you're interested in having your say then log or register to
join the Read Up, Fed Up Forum and join the conversation. This is
not just about what teens like reading, but what they really don't
like reading too - the aim is to get them thinking and talking
about reading.
the Read
Up, Fed Up Piczo forum
BookStart
Bookstart is a national initiative providing free books to early
years children. We hope to instil a love of reading at an early
age, it has been proven that a good reader performs well across the
whole curriculum and it is never too early to start the reading
habit.
The Library Service is rolling out the Bookstart scheme in
Rochdale. We supply health visitors with the Bookstart and
Bookstart Plus packs and these are gifted to children at around 9
months and 18 months at the health checks. Should you miss your
visit from the the health professional but would still like your
Bookstart pack we have them at your local library, please don't
forget to take your red book along with you.
We have two Library Outreach Workers for Bookstart & Early
Years who visit every early years setting in the borough to gift
the Treasure Box - this is the Bookstart pack gifted at around
three years old. The visit for gifting the packs is always a
special occasion, accompanied by a fun storytime, rhyme and singing
session.
Book ahead
Book Ahead is a national initiative providing books for loan to
early years groups such as nurseries and playgroups. As part of the
scheme we have expanded our early years collections so that we can
provide a wide choice of books, particularly picture books, to help
young children learn to enjoy reading.
Book Ahead website
Boys Into Books
Boys Into Books is another national initiative, this time aimed
at boys in the 5 — 11 age group. We have used money from this
project to create a collection of books that we loan to
primary school classes.
Boys Into Books website