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It is 11:40 am on the 4th February 2012

Libraries

There are 18 libraries in Newcastle, all offering a wide range of services. Becoming a member of a library is free. You can join online, or by visiting any of the libraries in the city if you take proof of your identity with you.

Library services

As well as lending books, most libraries now have the following services:

Some libraries also offer a minibus service to enable older or disabled people to visit their local branch.

For details of the location and opening times of your local library, visit the Newcastle Libraries website, or contact them using the details given below.

The Lit & Phil is the largest independent library outside of London; housing over 150,000 books, 6,000 CDs, 10,000 LPs and a wide range of periodicals. There is also a programme of events that both members and non-members can attend; including book launches, concerts, lectures, readings and workshops that cover a variety of topics and issues. Most of these events are free.

To find out what’s on offer, contact them using the details below, or visit The Lit & Phil website.

Reading groups

Reading groups take place in libraries and other venues throughout the city. Groups meet monthly, select a book from the reading group list, read it at home, and then meet to discuss it at the following meeting. To find your nearest reading group, visit the Newcastle Libraries website, or, for more details, contact Barbara Bravey on telephone number 0191 277 4100, or by email at barbara.bravey@newcastle.gov.uk.

Mobile libraries

In addition to the many branch libraries throughout the city, there is also a mobile library that stops at 56 different locations every two weeks. For details of when the library will be in your area, see the current timetable.

For further information, contact the Mobile Library using the details given below.

Home Delivery Service

The Home Delivery Service is free and is available to anyone living in Newcastle who is unable to visit a library regularly because they are in ill health (either permanently or temporarily), or because they are caring for someone else.

The service currently visits approximately 700 people in their own homes and 120 care homes, sheltered accommodation complexes and day centres. They will visit every 4 weeks and can offer the following resources:

To apply to join the Home Delivery Service contact them using the details given below, ask about the service at your local library, or visit their website.

Internet access

Free Internet access is available in every library in Newcastle through the People’s Network. You will need to be a member of a library to use the service and you will be given a login number and password.

You will be able to use any library computer for up to 2 hours per day and you can book a session in advance to ensure that a computer is available when you want to use it. Some libraries have facilities for people who have a disability, such as a visual impairment, to enable them to use the computer more easily. Contact the library you wish to visit to book a session and to enquire if the computers will be suitable for your needs.

The City Libraries website has a page about internet access.

Reading assistance

Calibre Audio Library is a registered charity which provides a postal-based lending service of audio books on cassette tapes, CDs and in MP3 format. Its absolutely free with no subscription, no fines, no postage costs and no charge for lost or damaged books. Calibre is a nationwide service with 20,000 members, and all their books are recorded unabridged; so you can listen to your favourites, at home or on the move. As it is a postal service, you can exchange your books as often as you like. Currently there are over 8,500 titles in the library, including the latest bestsellers, classic fiction, detective stories, romances, and popular non-fiction like biography and travel.

The library is really easy to use. If you want to choose your own books, Calibre’s staff can help, but if you prefer, you can tell them what sort of books you like and they will choose for you - based on your preferences. Although the CDs and MP3 formats give better sound quality than cassettes, Calibre are committed to maintaining the cassette service for as long as possible - especially for older people.

If you would like to know more, or if you are interested in joining the library, contact them using the details given below, or visit their website.

Thunder is a free, talking computer software package promoted by Screenreader.net. It enables visually-impaired users to hear what is on the screen, access the internet, write e-mails and letters. Thunder can be used to access on-line banking, read scanned bank statements and bills, and keep track of family finances, overcoming many of the barriers to financial inclusion that visually-impaired people face. Available support includes email, a telephone helpline, newsletters and web resources.

For further information, or to download Thunder, visit the Screenreader.net website

Contact Information

Calibre Audio Library
Aylesbury, Bucks, HP22 5XQ.
Telephone : 01296 432 339, Fax : 01296 392 599.
Email : enquiries@calibre.org.uk

Home Delivery Service
Fenham Library, Fenham Hall Drive, Fenham, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE4 9XD.
Telephone : 0191 277 4271.
Email : homedelivery.library@newcastle.gov.uk

Newcastle Libraries
Telephone : 0845 002 0336.
Email : information@newcastle.gov.uk

Screenreader.net CIC
7 The Rookery, Orton Wistow, Peterborough, PE2 6YT.
Telephone : 01733 234 441.
Email : ask@screenreader.net

The Lit & Phil
23 Westgate Road, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE1 1SE.
Telephone : 0191 232 0192.
Email : library@litandphil.org.uk

Article last updated December 8, 2011 2:41 pm

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