Gillingham Library

09/10/2026

More fantastic autumn leaf crowns were made at Library Gets Lively this week! The children especially loved lift the flap book Peep inside Autumn, discovering what different animals do at this time of year, and listening to the story of Squirrel and Bird. 🍂 🍁

Join us next Monday 10:15 - 10:45 for more autumnal Early Years fun with stories, songs and crafts.

08/10/2026

Come and browse our book display for Black History Month! 📚

We have a great selection from a range of authors and subjects, from historical non-fiction to modern romance and biographies.

07/10/2026

Go All In and Take 10 to Read to set a new GUINNESS WORLD RECORDS™ title! 📚 📖 ✨

On Thursday 8 October, the National Literacy Trust and British Council will attempt to set a new GUINNESS WORLD RECORDS™ title for the most people reading online in 12 hours, creating a shared reading moment that connects people across the UK and around the world.

From 9am to 9pm, a series of hour-long online events for all age groups will feature authors and creators and each session will include 10 minutes when everyone reads together. Participants can read whatever they’re into, from books and comics to magazines and articles, in any language, and only need to join one session to count towards the record attempt.

The four sessions:
Ages 5 to 8: A reading of Super Uma by Rashmi Sirdeshpande, followed by a draw-along activity with illustrator Nakul P.
Ages 8 to 12: Frank Cottrell-Boyce will read from The Blockbusters! and explore themes including cinema and culture.
Ages 12 to 16: Nathanael Lessore will discuss topics linked to What Happens Online, including digital identity, confidence, family and school life. (Please note that this event includes embarrassing anecdotes relating to bodily functions and toileting accidents. Some viewers may find these references unsuitable or uncomfortable)
Ages 16+: Coco Omer and Zubs, alongside reading ambassadors, will discuss their connection with reading and what it means for their wellbeing.

For more information, visit the National Literacy Trust website events page linked below.

https://orlo.uk/yVPz1

06/10/2026

It's Black History Month and this week Ruth is in the library chair reading The Fishermen by Chigozie Obioma. Set against the backdrop of wider political unrest in Nigeria, this novel follows the unravelling of a family as they are overcome by fear and superstition. When Benjamin and his brothers go fishing at a forbidden local river they meet a madman who prophecies that the eldest brother will be murdered by a fisherman. Longlisted for the Man Booker Prize in 2015, this powerful debut novel has led to Obioma being heralded as one of the most original new voices of modern African literature

03/10/2026

We had a great time last weekend manning a stall at Gillingham Rising on the Town Meadow. It was a fantastic community event and we hope to be back for more!
Our dalek was very well behaved and provoked much curiosity from the children, who also made some lovely autumn leaf Harvest crowns. 🍂 🍁 ✨

If you are curious about what the library has to offer, head over to the Dorset Libraries website or come in and see us. We have regular events for children and adults; fostering creativity, digital skills and of course reading!

02/10/2026

Thank you to everyone who came to Library Gets Lively this week! We had a lovely time singing "She'll Be Coming Round the Mountain" and making some mountain pictures. Join us next week when we'll be singing, having stories, and making a craft all to do with autumn. 🍂 🍁

Our next session is Monday 5th October, 10.15-10.45

29/09/2026

This week Naomi is in the library chair reading “Tell Me Everything” by Elizabeth Strout. Naomi loved this book. Each character Strout encounters is drawn with warmth and empathy. She does not hesitate to show their flaws and contradictions, their very human failings, their small but important triumphs. This novel features a host of her recurring characters – Lucy Barton, Bob Burgess and Olive Kitteridge, to name a few – and is set, like many of her novels, in the town of Crosby, Maine. And it is once again a delight to spend time with these people. We follow mostly Bob, who takes a case that echoes the biggest event of his childhood, and Strout takes us gently by the hand as she shows us the power of human connection in quietly transforming lives

28/09/2026

🫛 🥕 🥦 🍐

Got groceries you know you won’t use? Why not donate them to a community fridge & larder?

These fantastic community initiatives help reduce food waste by providing a place where individuals and businesses can share unwanted or surplus food, which others can then collect for free.

Check our Zero Waste Map to find your nearest community fridge & larder. The link is in the comments.

25/09/2026

Congratulations to everyone who completed the Summer Reading Challenge! It was great to see so many of you and hear about all of the books you've been reading... I think that next year we're going to need to make a bigger finisher's board! 🏆 📚

24/09/2026

✨ ⌨️ 📱 ✨

Pass it on -
Do you know someone who might benefit from using an iPad?
Our libraries have iPad's to borrow for up to 6 weeks - see link in first comment to find out more about this offer 👎
Share, like, comment on this post and lets help get everyone connected.