Libraries

Book Libraries

There are two libraries in the Centre, one for under threes and one for over threes. Children may borrow a book at any time, we encourage parents to be responsible for helping children to choose a book, signing it out and in and using the special carrier bags for transporting them home. We have a wide range of fiction and non-fiction books which reflect our multi-cultural world, people of varying abilities and the equalities of gender. We encourage parents to join the public library with their child.

Jigsaw Library

Our jigsaw library is used exclusively for visiting three year olds. Children who are attending for one day only prior to receiving their five session place take home a jigsaw to link one weeks visit with the next and to encourage problem solving, memory skills and hand eye co-ordination.

Listening Library

This library consists of several child cassette recorders, tapes of stories, a story book and a carry bag. It is used for four year olds who are taught independently how to use the tape recorders in order that they can take them home for a maximum of three days and listen to stories as often as they like without asking their parents for help. This enables children to be independent, enjoy their favourite stories, learn to use a piece of ICT equipment, become accustomed to books, behave as a reader, memorise stories, sentence and words…the list is endless, children love the listening library.

Toy Library

Our Toy Library has been open since 1987 and continues to be successful and well used. It has its own designated room and is run by two paid workers and one volunteer.

• Opening times are: Thursdays (term time only) 9.00am-11.30am & 12.30pm-3.00pm and child minder’s toy library: Monday mornings (term time only) 9.00am-11.30am.

There are over 150 toys available for children aged up to six years and there are over eighty members. Each child pays 25p each week to take home a toy in a bag, these are returned every week. Funding comes from a variety of sources - the BBC Children-in-Need provide us with grants. We have had funding from SRB, the Glossop Mayor's Fund, Sunshine Club, the Lottery and the Glossopdale Community Chest.

We are members of the National Association of Toy and Leisure Libraries and continue to attend their training. We also hope to establish permanent toy library workers which are not dependent on annual charity funding. We also have a separate toy library for child-minders.