Things in the library 23 April...

 Things that are 70...

As you may recall last year was our 70th birthday...celebrations sadly curtailed or cancelled, though we did create an online quiz or similar for each month of the year. However another 70th birthday to be celebrated is that of the Peak District - that glorious resource we are so fortunate to which we have easy access. The Peak District was the first of Britain’s 15 national parks and was designated on 17th April, 1951. It covers 555 sq miles (1,438km) in the heart of England (that’s about the size of Greater London). 

Some interesting facts:

• The lead for white paint in Vermeer’s painting of Girl with a Pearl Earring came from the Peak District.
• Peak District reservoirs supply surrounding towns and cities with 450 million litres of water each day. 
• Peak District blanket peat bogs act as a ‘carbon reservoir’ that locks in CO² - it’s almost as effective at combating global warming as the tropical rainforests. [Please buy peat free garden compost!]
• Mountain hares; the only UK population outside the Scottish highlands

Poet and recording artist Mark Gwynne Jones is creating a series of audio artworks to celebrate the 70th birthday of the Peak District National Park the third chapter will be released on 24 April, 2021.

Things for free... 

Today is World Book Night and we have been able to obtain some of the free books to distribute - going like hot cakes but still some available in the library; come and pick one up, read it and then pass it on. The book we have available is Stories to make you smile - a seriously entertaining collection of feelgood stories guaranteed to put the smile back on your face written especially by ten bestselling novelists.

Things about research with children... 

NatCen has published a blog based on their qualitative study looking at the feasibility of conducting research with children on child abuse. The research included interviews with professionals, children and parents and guardians and found that participants agreed a survey on child abuse completed by children would have societal and individual benefits. It also identified a range of issues that would need to be carefully thought through before piloting or administering a survey of this nature, to minimise the risk that children would be negatively impacted by taking part.

Things about food poverty... 

The House of Commons Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee has published a report following an inquiry looking at food poverty. The report estimates that 1.7 million children live in households without reliable access to sufficient affordable and nutritious food in the UK.  Recommendations to government include: the introduction of a Food Security Minister to ensure all relevant departments prioritise the issue of food insecurity; and ensuring that families with children eligible for free school meals continue to be able to feed their children.

Things about Reading Group... 

The Reading Group for SCH staff (and also some former staff and University staff) has been going since 2017 and didn't miss a beat when the pandemic struck, so we currently meet online. It works well and although it's not the same as being able to sit in a group to chat along with a drink and some nibbles it is a lovely group of people. If you want to be included in the mailing list for the books we are reading please contact the library. Our next book is 'The Midnight Library' on 5th May. If you want to see the books we have read previously and what we thought about them follow this link.

Things about e-books... 

We have access to e-books through national NHS collections as mentioned here last week but we also have some medical e-books which we purchase ourselves. These can be accessed for free via your NHS Open Athens account and if there is a particular book that would be useful for your team then please check out if it is already available to you or ask us if you would like to consider purchasing it. You can also request to 'borrow' a book for a short time if you don't think buying it is appropriate. Last year SCH staff used 31 titles, downloaded 6 books and 2 chapters. Items that we have already bought will be listed in our normal library catalogue and from the search page there is also another link to the Proquest e-book library as above. 

Things to make...

To celebrate St George's Day today how about tackling a traditional Yorkshire dish ...  a Yorkshire curd tart. If making pastry isn't your thing then you could buy ready made pastry - the filling is actually really easy but you need to prepare the curds overnight and use full-fat milk.