Things in the library 24th April...

Things about our birthday...

Our 70th birthday party was organised, invites sent, party food planned (thank you Co-op) and birthday cake ready to be baked……. then Covid-19 hit, and we had to cancel our plans for Friday 1st May. Please help us to celebrate, remotely or at a social distance. We can’t do a birthday drive by, but we’d like you send us a birthday message of some sort  about the library, our service or staff (past and present). Tell us what you like or love, tell us your memories and experiences of the library over the 70 years it has been open.
Email us or send us a message on one of our social media platforms  (Twitter, Linkedin, Facebook) and use our hashtag #IllingworthLibraryis70 so we can follow.

If you are working on Western Bank site then join Sarah in the library next Friday 1st May for Coffee and Cake.

Things we can still do...
Just about everything really....we can still help you join the library, request articles, do literature searches and provide most of our Book a Librarian services remotely, including 1:1 training. Additionally the library has been opened as a Covid-19 conversation-free zone with hot drinks provided, colouring sheets, and some computers available for use - at a social distance. We have 160 e-books available and are always happy to consider additional purchases. Please keep library staff and each other safe by hand-washing before you enter and adhere to social distancing. We share a 70th birthday year with Peanuts comic strip.

Things to watch...
The University of Sheffield have a long history of public lectures and video recordings of many of the ones given since 2014 are available online, from speakers as diverse as local artist Joe Scarborough to Nicola Sturgeon, MSP and First Minister of Scotland.

Things to keep children safe online...
Net Aware, the website keeping parents and carers up to date with the latest news about social networks, apps and games their children are using, has updated their content to include information on Snapchat's new mental health feature, having a Netflix party, and information about video chat, video sharing and live-streaming.

Things about parent education...
Health Professionals (HPs) play an important role in supporting parents to care for their children, by facilitating parents' knowledge and skills development through parent education. This is achieved through teaching, whereby planned strategies, based on principles of how people learn, enable learning. Despite Learning Principles being the fundamental tenets of the learning process, how HPs perceive and use Learning Principles in their practice is neglected in the healthcare literature. This article is a scoping review of the literature around this subject.



Things to read...
The Reading Agency has ideas, activities and challenges from across their programmes to entertain and educate yourself, your family or those you may be teaching remotely.
The activities available to download will be refreshed every couple of weeks, and they have The Reading Agency Toolkit available for you to download, which gives some great hints and tips for keeping well and reading during this time of isolation. The Reading Agency are also responsible for producing the lists of Mood Boosting Books - 54 of which we have available for loan in the library.

Amazon Kindle also have a range of free books and digital magazines available for download - you
can read them via the free Kindle reading App even if you don't have an actual Kindle.
If you live in Sheffield you can access free ebooks, audiobooks, comics via Sheffield Libraries and most other local authorities will provide similar services. For other Sheffield Library events check their Facebook page




Things about salads...
I have been enjoying lots of lovely salads from my husband's favourite book whilst on staycation in my garden over the last two weeks. I can't reproduce his recipes here but have just discovered a website that has a salad recipe finder so if you put in any ingredient that you have available many suggestions of lovely salads will come up.  You can also search for spicy salads, quick and easy, children friendly and many other themes....salad will never be boring again!

Things back in the library...

Things about our COVID19 free zone...

The Library, F Floor, Stephenson Wing (Grey lifts) has been set up as a‘COVID conversation-free zone’, where you can spend your breaks or just take a breather. It does not have views over Weston park...despite what the Trust's well-being email said....but will be supplying staff with free hot drinks and biscuits and has  lots of natural light for those of you who work in windowless environments.We will also have our colouring sheets out.
Please do wash your hands before entering and when leaving (there are toilet facilities directly in front of the lifts) and maintain the usual social distancing rules when in there.  This space will be available from Monday and will be open 8.30am to 5pm, Monday to Friday.

Things about reading group...
We successfully met via a Google Hangout on Wednesday evening. The book to be reading for the May meeting on 6th May is Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern, careful there are several books with this title.  If you don't normally take part in Reading Group perhaps now is the time to start. I expect we will meet via Hangout at 6.15 but please email the library and ask to be out on the mailing list if you want to be kept informed. You will have to provide your own drink and nibbles!





Things virtual...

Blackwell's Bookshop has launched a three-week virtual book festival.   All events will take place on Twitter @blackwellbooks use #BlackwellsVF with live discussions with authors and the opportunity to ask questions. Today's event at 4pm will be ‘Me Not You – The Trouble with Mainstream Feminism’ by Alison Phipps.

Things we can still do...

We are managing to do one to one training on most of our Book a Librarian topic. Feel free to request a session and we will work out a way to do this with you if we can. If there are a few of you wanting the same training and we can all get together at the same time that will make it more efficient. If you need to contact us for anything please use the library emails rather than our individual ones, this is so that whoever is 'on duty' can answer the emails and avoids unnecessary duplication of work.

Things for disabled children...
Contact, the charity for families with disabled children, has updated its advice and support page with information relating to Coronavirus. The webpage includes information on: children with complex health needs; coronavirus and children’s education; and coping at home. The Council for Disabled Children has published an open letter from the Children and Families Minister to children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities, their parents, families and others who support them signposting guidance published over the past week


Things to help with working @home...
Remember to take breaks away from the computer and regular walks around the house or garden. Also bear in mind the times when you are naturally more alert and those times when you flag a little. This article from Evernote is helpful in suggesting '4 Ways to Stay Focused and Get Stuff Done'.

Also if you are starting to gather some emails or documents that you can't do anything about until you are properly back at work then set up a 'Post Covid19' folder or label in your file structure so you can park things there . That way you won't keep looking at them in your inbox but you will easily be able to find them all in one place when we are working normally again. Ask us if you need help with this.

Things for children who are anxious...
The NSPCC's library have put together a collection of 25 book titles for children who are worried or anxious, you can see them listed on their library catalogue. You won't be able to access the books from here but many will be available to buy online.
The NSPCC also have some suggestions and links if you're worried a child may be struggling with their mental health or has anxiety about coronavirus.
The children's commissioner has created a children’s guide to coronavirus to help explain the situation. The guide aims to answer children’s questions about coronavirus, tell children how to stay safe and protect other people and how to help them make the best of their time at home.

Things to eat...
Not one specific recipe this week but a link to some store cupboard recipes .








Things even further away from the library...
I am about to go on holiday for two weeks - sadly no further than my garden now but those dandelions don't know what is about to hit them...no excuses for any weeds this year. There may not be any blogs for the next two weeks so stay safe, take breaks when you can and have an unusual but Happy Easter.