Contact

What's happening in the Children's Library?

  • Over 1,300 of you have started this year's Summer Reading Game and a lot of you have already finished and won. Do not worry if you have not finished yet, there is still time for you to finish the game!
  • Alkrington Library's popular story times for under-fives are back! Story Time now every Thursday at 2.15pm during school term time. Our first fun session of stories, rhymes and craft will be on Thursday 16 September.
  • We have a Summer of fun in our libraries, including reading games, craft activities, competitions and a bit of magic.

Reading in the library

Homework Help

Do it online

Branch libraries

Reading groups' websites

Related pages

Children's library service

Wheatsheaf Library window display: Albert Shark says get your teeth into a good bookWe 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

Teenagers on a book-buying visit for darnhill Library

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

A Halloween party at Smithybridge LibraryEntertainments 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
  • Sign & Rhyme sessions for very young children
  • 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

Sharing a book at Junction LibraryServices for babies and young children

 
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.

Baby Sign and Rhyme sessions at the Wheatsheaf Library

From 11 November 2008 the Wheatsheaf Library is now providing Sign and Rhyme sessions for babies and children up to four years old and their parents and carers. Children can learn to use signs before they can talk, so encouraging babies and young children with signs helps them to communicate and reduces frustration. These free sessions include songs, rhymes and stories and the parents and carers will also be taught a few signs which they can use to help them communicate with their children in a fun and enjoyable way.

Sign and Rhyme sessions are held every Tuesday morning from 10.30am to 11.15am during school term time. There will also be time for a chat and a drink afterwards!

For more information, contact: 01706 924917

Pirate toys and booksRegular Early Years activities in our libraries

Under-fives' storytimes
(School term times only)

  • Alkrington Library
    Fridays 11.30am
  • Balderstone Library
    Thursdays 2pm
  • Belfield Library
    Mondays 3.45pm – 4.45pm
    All year round
    (In conjunction with SureStart)
  • Heywood Library
    Tuesdays 2pm
  • Junction Library
    Thursdays 1.30pm
  • Littleborough Library
    Fridays 2.30pm
  • Middleton Library
    Mondays 2pm
  • Milnrow Library
    Fridays 10am
  • Norden Library
    Thursdays 1.15pm
  • Smallbridge Library
    Tuesdays 10.30am
    (with Hamer Children's Centre)
    Fridays 10.30am
  • Smithybridge Library
    Mondays 2.30pm
    (In conjunction with SureStart)
  • Spotland Library
    Tuesdays 10.30am
  • Wardle Library
    Tuesdays 2.15pm
    (First and third Tuesday of each month. In conjunction with Meadowfields Children Centre)
  • Wheatsheaf Library
    Mondays 2.15pm

Baby Play (all year round)

  • Alkrington Library
    Mondays 2pm

Rhythm & Rhyme

  • Heywood Library
    Thursdays 10am
  • Littleborough Library
    Tuesdays 10.30am
    (School term time only)
  • Spotland Library
    Thursdays 10am

Sign & Rhyme
(School term times only)

  • Balderstone Library
    Fridays 10.15am
  • Wheatsheaf Library
    Tuesdays 10.30am

SureStart activities

  • Milnrow Library
    Tuesdays 3.30pm
    (School term time only)
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.

BookStart materials and booksBookStart

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.

Children using computersFree internet access for "Young Surfers"

Children with permission from their parents/guardians can use this service.

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.

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.