InfoIslington - Islington Reference Library

Word Festival 2013

This year’s Word Festival is bigger and more ambitious than ever. The Word Festival is an ambitious initiative of commissioned activities, events and workshops which focuses on and explores the pleasure of reading and writing and freedom of expression. It will start on 1 May 2013 and will be a celebration of the work of the borough’s literature sector, local writers and the local community. Through a unique collaboration between Islington Library and Heritage Services, Islington Arts Service, Free Word and the boroughs arts sector the activities, events and workshops will reach across communities in Islington. Download the full festival brochure here. Throughout May we’ll be celebrating reading, writing and freedom of expression with events including:

• Grandad, Dads and lads poetry event at Arsenal FC
• Creative writing workshops run by Birkbeck for young people
• Teen Book vote with an event at Waterstones, Islington Green
• Bookwraps – trees across the borough will be wrapped in bookjackets
• Week-long mini-festival of events in Archway area
• Personal play readings at a public picnic - written by professionals performed by young people
• Young people produced open-mic night in a local café - scripts, spoken word, rap with guest artists
• A mental health focussed creative writing project leading to a publication and performance
• Storytelling walks in various locations by storyteller Helen East
• Turkish Translator in residence working with comic artist in 3 secondary schools, resulting in sharing event and publications @ Free Word
• An audio magazine to accompany Talking news for Blind and Visually Impaired residents
• Intergenerational workshops in various art forms to be showcased at the Spring ball
• Guerilla knitting and story workshops and sharing event
• A creative night time walking workshop around cultural hotspots led by Innua Ellams resulting in a short film
• Reading Flashmobs and a lot more….

Bramber House Consultation

Bramber House was demolished in 2011. The Council is proposing developing this space and the area on which John Barnes Library stands to build new homes and a new library. The consultation ends on 20 December 2012. See the details here.

Library Photography Book Collection

The Islington Libraries collection of photography books previously held at the reserve stock at Finsbury Library is being transferred to the Central Library and many of the books are now on public display and can be loaned from the Reference Library at: Central Library, 2nd Floor, 2 Fieldway Crescent, London N5 1PF.

Blog Address

If you are reading this then you will have found this blog. In the redesign of the Council website it was moved and  can now be found under:

 Islington Life

News and events

Join the Islington online community

 at: http://www.islington.gov.uk/islington/news-events/onlinecommunity/Pages/default.aspx

Oxford Dictionary of National Biography

The just-published latest edition of the Oxford Dictionary of National Biography has been updated, to include articles on famous people who died in 2008.

The latest entries include playwright and director Harold Pinter, science fiction author Arthur C. Clarke, jazz trumpeter and broadcaster Humphrey Lyttleton, film director Anthony Minghella and popular artist Beryl Cook.

A total of 217 new biographies in the latest update mean that the Oxford DNB now includes a total of 53,084 articles and tells the life stories of 58,094 individuals. The print version runs to 60 volumes and a total of 63m words, while the online version available here from Islington Libraries is updated three times per year, in January, May and September. Biographies in the online version now include people who died in or before 2008. No living person is included and individuals who have died in the past three years will be added in subsequent updates and periodic printed supplements.

Online Resources in London Public Libraries

This is an A-Z list by title of the online databases made available by London public libraries. The list includes both remote-access and in-library resources – for the latter you will need to visit the library and use computers there.

To use the remote-access resources, you will need to be a member of the providing library, and to have your library membership card number and password handy.

Library Consultation

On 17 March 2011 the Executive Committee agreed to consult Islington residents and library users on the range of library services currently used and preferences for future library provision. This was set against savings having to be made of £250,000 in 2011/12 following cuts of £150,000 in 2010/11 and £180,000 in 2011/12. A detailed breakdown of the results of the survey and the Executive's decisions based on them can be found here.

Homework Help Web Sites

This fact sheet from Islington Reference Library published in July 2011 provides details of top web sites, examination past papers, online resources and homework help clubs.

Kensington and Chelsea Periodical List

Kensington and Chelsea hold one of the largest selection of current and retrospective holdings of periodicals in London.  This is now available on their web site and can be accessed here.

Artefacts Library

The Islington Education Library Service has a  a rich and diverse collection of artefacts to support and enhance teaching and learning in all aspects of curriculum topics and creative projects. Items can be borrowed by teachers from subscribing schools and by other teachers and users.