News and Events in libraries
Adult Learners’ Week is the UK’s largest annual festival of learning; inspiring thousands of people each year to discover how learning can change their lives.
This year we bring to you a range of courses, talks and presentations on subjects ranging from Yoga to downloading ebooks, garden design to coffee.
Yoga For You Beginners Yoga taster session
Working with the breath to support and direct movement of the body, this class is designed to raise individual awareness. Exploring the range of mobility of the main joints in the body through simple postures and observing the quality of the breath. The practice will focus our minds and channel our energy for the afternoon. Shital has been practicing yoga for over twelve years working with Jane Dawson, and completed a teacher training course with Dave Charlton and Ranju Roy, focused on the teachings of Krishnamacharya and his son Desikachar. She is a member of the British Wheel of Yoga and Association of Yoga Studies.
Saturday 12 May 3.00pm – 4.00pm Twickenham Library
Tickets £2 including refreshments, to book please contact your local library or book online
Confidence for Women: A workshop with Confidence Coach Annette Earl
How you feel about your appearance can affect your confidence and influence you to avoid doing what you want in life. Annette’s workshop is aimed at women who want to increase their confidence and be more assertive. Using coaching tools and techniques, this workshop will help you to develop your confidence and create the life you want by improving your relationship with your reflection and allowing you to ‘make friends with the mirror’.
Tuesday 15 May 7.00pm - 9.00pm Hampton Library
Tickets £2 including refreshments, to book please contact your local library or book online.
From Bean to Cup
Learn about coffee with Astrora Coffee
Want to know a thing or two about gourmet coffee and how to prepare it at home? Many people enjoy a cup of coffee every day, but not as many know the story behind this popular beverage. Staff from Astrora Coffee will talk about the origins of coffee, the harvesting, the processing, the roasting, and the "cupping" or tasting. There will be plenty of advice on how to brew the best coffee at home. Join us to discover all the different processes, the hard work and the passion it takes to grow and prepare excellent coffee.
Organised in partnership with Astrora Coffee, 31 Broad Street, Teddington. Visit www.astrora.co.uk for more information.
Wednesday 16 May 6.00pm – 7.00pm Teddington Library
Tickets £2 including refreshments. to book contact your local library or book online
Whitton Brook: A Walk Through Local History
Join local author and historian Ed Harris for a talk about the ancient Whitton Brook, which has served as the borough boundary since the Doomsday Book. Ed’s book ‘Whitton Brook, formerly Birket’s Brook: A Small River Journey Through Whitton History’ tells the definitive story of this ancient waterway from pre-history through to 2011. The book suggests a historical walk along the ancient route, from the site of the Duke of Argyll’s former estate at Whitton Park to Moor Mead Bridge.
Wednesday 16 May 7.00pm Whitton Library
Tickets £2 including refreshments, to book please contact your local library or book online.
The 15-Minute Rule: Take control and get ahead with Caroline Buchanan
Meet local author Caroline Buchanan and hear her speak about her latest inspirational book The 15-Minute Rule – how to stop procrastinating and take control of your life. The 15-Minute Rule is designed to help us deal easily with all the difficult things that we have a tendency to put off - such as tax returns, the dreaded paperwork, decluttering, spring cleaning, giving up bad habits, losing weight etc. The 15-Minute Rule can also help you to bring all sorts of wonderful things into your life such as love, a new career, financial freedom, improved wellbeing, fulfilling your ambitions– in fact anything your heart desires. Caroline’s book is intended to inspire people to make the most of their potential. What’s more – following the 15-Minute Rule is fun! Caroline Buchanan is a journalist, author, Agony Aunt for Now Magazine and Relationships Expert for WeightWatchers magazine. She is also a Relate trained counsellor with years of experience working with both couples and singles. She is fascinated with relationships including the one we have with ourselves.
Thursday 17 May 7.00pm – 8.00pm Richmond Library
Tickets £2 including refreshments, to book please contact your local library or book online
Laura de Beden Designing with plants and nature: successful relationships
Join Landscape Architect Laura de Beden for her illuminating and entertaining lecture ‘Designing with plants and nature: successful relationships’. Laura has always loved plants and been aware of their presence or absence in a place. Having worked on a large range of landscaping projects including hospitals, leisure centres and housing developments, Laura now specialises in the design of urban and rural gardens and large estates. Laura runs her own landscape practice, lectures internationally and writes on landscape issues. A chartered member of the Landscape Institute, Laura lectures for the National Trust, NADFAS and the Hardy Plant Society. She was also appointed senior lecturer and course director in Garden Design at Kingston University’s School of Architecture & Landscape where she taught for many years before going freelance.
Friday 18 May 3.00pm – 4.00pm East Sheen Library
Tickets £2 including refreshments, to book please contact your local library or book online.
IT Taster sessions in Adult Learners’ Week
Whether you want to get started on eBay, discover social networking or download an eBook, our 2012 Adult Learners’ Week IT taster sessions are a great place to start. Tickets £1
Blogs Monday 14 May 11.00am book online
Introduction to eBooks Monday 14 May 2.00pm book online
Introduction to Ebay Tuesday 15 May 11.00am book online
Online Shopping Tuesday 15 May 2.00pm book online
Facebook Thursday 17 May 11.00am book online
LinkedIn Friday 18 May 11.00am book online
All sessions are at the Information and Reference Library
An evening with Madeline Miller: Shortlisted for the Orange Prize 2012
The story of the epic Trojan Wars brilliantly told for a new generation. Madeline Miller is a passionate advocate for the classics and for the value of the classical stories in the modern world. Deeply immersed in the Greek and Roman myths as a reader, student and teacher, she has spent ten years writing The Song of Achilles. It is a truly extraordinary debut.
Madeline Miller has a BA and MA from Brown University in Latin and Ancient Greek, and has been teaching both for the past nine years. This is her first novel and it is already a NY Times bestseller.
Thursday 31 May 7.00pm – 8.00pm Twickenham Library
Booking is essential and tickets are £2.00, to book visit your local library or book online.
Mid-Summer Craft Fair at Twickenham Library
Come to our mid-summer craft fair, with lots of stalls including artwork, jewellery, candles, patchwork items, scarves, plus a travel photographic exhibition by Meenakhi Borooah.
There will also be a special children’s storytime at 2:30pm with Ali Pye, illustrator of the popular new children’s book Where is Fred.
Saturday 16 June 11am - 4.00pm at Twickenham Library. Free entry.
Library mailing list
Join our library mailing list for regular updates and news of forthcoming events.
Children's events
For details of other library events for children and teens, please see the Young People's Library Service news and events page.
Storytime
All libraries hold a storytime for the under-5s once a week; see the Storytime page for details.
Tiny Teddies
Most libraries also hold monthly bounce and rhyme sessions for pre-school children, called Tiny Teddies. These sessions are great fun and include songs, rhyme and stories. All these activities are free of charge.