A new online book club for children aged between 8 and 12 has been launched by the City of Wolverhampton Council's library service.
The first book is The Boy Who Grew Dragons, by Andy Shepherd, which can be downloaded for free via BorrowBox. To sign up, visit Libraries.
Education Library Service senior librarian Jane Coleman will be providing online discussions and activities on the library service's Facebook and Twitter as part of the book club, and there will be a new title to read and discuss on a monthly basis.
Though all 16 council run libraries are currently closed, there are still plenty of ways in which people can access services virtually.
All library members can get hold of the latest collection of bestselling eBooks and eAudiobooks – for free – via the BorrowBox library on any Apple iOS and Google Android phone, tablet or computer. Titles can be borrowed for free for a period of 3 weeks, at which point they can be renewed or will automatically be deleted from people’s devices, meaning customers won’t be fined for forgetting to return books on time.
Anyone missing their reading groups can join in book discussions online through the library service’s Facebook and Twitter pages using the hashtag #StayingInReadingClub.
‘Virtual’ librarians can answer people’s queries online using the hashtag #virtuallibrarian on Facebook and Twitter, while anyone looking for recommendations can find staff reviews using the hashtag #LibrarySmashHits. Meanwhile, the ever popular storytimes for babies and children have moved online, with a new story posted every week on social media. Go to the Facebook playlist at or search #OnlineStoryTime to view the latest video.
Councillor Harman Banger, the City of Wolverhampton Council's Cabinet Member for City Economy, said: "While our libraries are physically closed during the coronavirus emergency, we're doing all we can to ensure we can still provide a service to library members young and old at home, including launching a new online book club for bookworms aged 8 to 12.”
It's free to join Wolverhampton’s libraries and people can sign up on line. Please visit Libraries or follow on social media at Facebook and Twitter for more information.
The latest information and guidance around coronavirus is available at GOV.UK and on the council’s own coronavirus pages at Coronavirus advice and information. There’s lots of advice on how people can protect themselves and their families from coronavirus from the NHS.
The council’s Stay Safe, Be Kind campaign offers clear and simple advice about how people can help themselves, and how they can support others who may be particularly vulnerable at this time. For more information, please visit Stay Safe Be Kind.
