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PHASED REOPENING PHASED REOPENING

***PHASED REOPENING OF LIBRARIES***

We are planning a phased reopening of our libraries from w/c 6th July. Find out more by following this link - Phased reopening of Devon Libraries.

During the period of lockdown - No fines were applied, and any items on loan were extended to 31st August. As libraries reopen, we will revert to our normal terms and conditions for fines and fees.

 

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Barnstaple Library is a busy and vibrant space, open six days a week. The Library boasts a large selection of books, audiobooks, CDs and DVDs and there is a reserve stack of approximately 28,000 items which are available on request.

On the First Floor of the library there are 16 computers which are free to use for up to 2 hours a day with printing and copying facilities. Barnstaple Library also houses a large collection of Local and Family History records for the area working with South West Heritage Trust and the North Devon Athenaeum staff.

There is a bright and busy children's area with regular events and activities such as weekly Bounce and Rhyme sessions, toddler time, craft and children's book group. For adults, the library offers regular groups including, knitting, colouring, scrabble, singing and walking groups and there are regular author events throughout the year.

On a Friday morning during term time, students from Pathfield School run a pop up café in the library, serving a selection of drinks and some delicious cakes.

Barnstaple Library has a range of high-quality meeting rooms and spaces available for hire. If you're looking for a venue or meeting room at reasonable prices, click here to find out more.

Services

Barnstaple Library Events Barnstaple Library Events

Scrabble Saturday 2

A Scrabble Club for players of all levels. Friendly group, everyone welcome
Date: 28 March 2020
Time: 13:00 - 16:00
Description: A Scrabble Club for players of all levels. Friendly group, everyone welcome
Audience: All
Cost: Free
Theme:

barnstaple

The Wonderful Lives of Mary Seacole and Elizabeth Anionwu Unfinished Business

Emeritus nursing professor Elizabeth Anionwu grew up in care and went on to be named one of the most influential nurses in the history of the NHS. Her career was distinguished by her pioneering work in the understanding of sickle cell disease. Following her retirement she spent nine years fundraising and campaigning for a statue to Mary Seacole. Mary Seacole (1805 – 1881) was a British-Jamaican entrepreneur and nurse whose adventures are related in one of the earliest autobiographies by a mixed-heritage woman. The statue, unveiled in 2016, was the UK’s first statue to represent a named black woman. Elizabeth will be discussing her and Seacole’s lives in this conversation with journalist and broadcaster Shyama Perera. Shyama Perera left school at 16 and got a job in the London Transport typing pool because she needed typing skills to be a journalist. At 17 she got her first break as a trainee and, at 23, was the youngest reporter ever taken on by the Guardian. A career in TV and radio followed, and she now writes. Shyama is Chair of SALIDAA, the South Asian Diaspora Literature and Arts Archive, and on the board of Westminster Kingsway College. An avid theatre fan, her favourite role in recent years has been as a member of the Olivier Awards panel, celebrating the best London productions of the season. Elizabeth received a DBE in 2017, recently won the Pride of Britain Lifetime Awards, and appeared on Desert Island Discs. https://www.living-knowledge-network.co.uk/library/the-wonderful-lives-of-mary-seacole-and-elizabeth-anionwu https://www.facebook.com/BarnstapleLibrary/events
Date: 26 October 2020
Time: 19:30 - 20:30
Description: Emeritus nursing professor Elizabeth Anionwu grew up in care and went on to be named one of the most influential nurses in the history of the NHS. Her career was distinguished by her pioneering work in the understanding of sickle cell disease. Following her retirement she spent nine years fundraising and campaigning for a statue to Mary Seacole. Mary Seacole (1805 – 1881) was a British-Jamaican entrepreneur and nurse whose adventures are related in one of the earliest autobiographies by a mixed-heritage woman. The statue, unveiled in 2016, was the UK’s first statue to represent a named black woman. Elizabeth will be discussing her and Seacole’s lives in this conversation with journalist and broadcaster Shyama Perera. Shyama Perera left school at 16 and got a job in the London Transport typing pool because she needed typing skills to be a journalist. At 17 she got her first break as a trainee and, at 23, was the youngest reporter ever taken on by the Guardian. A career in TV and radio followed, and she now writes. Shyama is Chair of SALIDAA, the South Asian Diaspora Literature and Arts Archive, and on the board of Westminster Kingsway College. An avid theatre fan, her favourite role in recent years has been as a member of the Olivier Awards panel, celebrating the best London productions of the season. Elizabeth received a DBE in 2017, recently won the Pride of Britain Lifetime Awards, and appeared on Desert Island Discs. https://www.living-knowledge-network.co.uk/library/the-wonderful-lives-of-mary-seacole-and-elizabeth-anionwu https://www.facebook.com/BarnstapleLibrary/events
Audience: All
Cost: Free
Theme:

Events: Events » Online barnstaple

Barnstaple Work Club

Available by booking only, please contact the Library for details of how to book an appointment. Tel 01271 318780. Numbers will be very limited for social distancing. Free, friendly, independent drop in service. Job search, support with CVs and job applications> IT courses, support and email account set up.
Date: 27 October 2020
Time: 10:00 - 13:00
Description: Available by booking only, please contact the Library for details of how to book an appointment. Tel 01271 318780. Numbers will be very limited for social distancing. Free, friendly, independent drop in service. Job search, support with CVs and job applications> IT courses, support and email account set up.
Audience: All
Cost: Free
Theme:

Events: Events » Business barnstaple

Bounce and Rhyme Online

We've pooled the expertise of our teams from Devon and Torbay Libraries to bring you a varied programme of Bounce & Rhyme sessions from across the county. Join in the action with songs and rhymes and enjoy meeting staff from different libraries. https://www.facebook.com/pg/BarnstapleLibrary
Date: 27 October 2020
Time: 10:30 - 11:00
Description: We've pooled the expertise of our teams from Devon and Torbay Libraries to bring you a varied programme of Bounce & Rhyme sessions from across the county. Join in the action with songs and rhymes and enjoy meeting staff from different libraries. https://www.facebook.com/pg/BarnstapleLibrary
Audience: All
Cost: Free
Theme:

Events: Events » Online barnstaple

Raspberry Pi Jam Group

Are you missing our regular Raspberry Pi Jams? Join our Facebook group and share some of your ideas and projects. Find it here: https://bit.ly/3aF5dFO copy and paste the link.
Date: 27 October 2020
Time: 13:30 - 14:00
Description: Are you missing our regular Raspberry Pi Jams? Join our Facebook group and share some of your ideas and projects. Find it here: https://bit.ly/3aF5dFO copy and paste the link.
Audience: All
Cost: Free
Theme:

Events: Events » Online barnstaple

Spooky Half Term Events: Story time

Listen to some spooky stories. https://www.facebook.com/BarnstapleLibrary/events
Date: 27 October 2020
Time: 14:00 - 14:30
Description: Listen to some spooky stories. https://www.facebook.com/BarnstapleLibrary/events
Audience: All
Cost: Free
Theme:

Events: Events » Online barnstaple

Sylvia Pankhurst: Natural Born Rebel Unfinished Business

Sylvia Pankhurst was born into one of Britain's most famous families but she always carved her own way. As well as a militant campaigner for women's suffrage, she was a gifted artist and orator, a designer, newspaper editor and radical visionary. Her activism landed her in Holloway prison where she was tortured, and her notes from this episode are featured in our upcoming Unfinished Business exhibition. Pankhurst's life of campaigning led her to America, Soviet Russia, Scandinavia, Europe and East Africa. Biographer Rachel Holmes shares her adventures from inside the British Library’s Unfinished Business exhibition space, in conversation with Shami Chakrabarti. Rachel Holmes is the author of Sylvia Pankhurst, Natural Born Rebel. She also wrote Eleanor Marx: A Life, The Secret Life of Dr James Barry and The Hottentot Venus: The Life and Death of Saartjie Baartman. She is co-editor, with Lisa Appignanensi and Susie Orbach, of Fifty Shades of Feminism and co-commissioning editor, with Josie Rourke and Chris Haydon, of Sixty-Six Books: Twenty-First Century Writers Speak to the King James Bible. Shami Chakrabarti is a barrister and human rights activist. She was shadow attorney general for England and Wales from 2016 to 2020 and was the director of Liberty, an advocacy group promoting civil liberties, from 2003 to 2016. She is the author of On Liberty and Of Women: In the 21st Century. https://www.facebook.com/BarnstapleLibrary/events https://www.living-knowledge-network.co.uk/library/sylvia-pankhurst-natural-born-rebel
Date: 27 October 2020
Time: 19:30 - 20:30
Description: Sylvia Pankhurst was born into one of Britain's most famous families but she always carved her own way. As well as a militant campaigner for women's suffrage, she was a gifted artist and orator, a designer, newspaper editor and radical visionary. Her activism landed her in Holloway prison where she was tortured, and her notes from this episode are featured in our upcoming Unfinished Business exhibition. Pankhurst's life of campaigning led her to America, Soviet Russia, Scandinavia, Europe and East Africa. Biographer Rachel Holmes shares her adventures from inside the British Library’s Unfinished Business exhibition space, in conversation with Shami Chakrabarti. Rachel Holmes is the author of Sylvia Pankhurst, Natural Born Rebel. She also wrote Eleanor Marx: A Life, The Secret Life of Dr James Barry and The Hottentot Venus: The Life and Death of Saartjie Baartman. She is co-editor, with Lisa Appignanensi and Susie Orbach, of Fifty Shades of Feminism and co-commissioning editor, with Josie Rourke and Chris Haydon, of Sixty-Six Books: Twenty-First Century Writers Speak to the King James Bible. Shami Chakrabarti is a barrister and human rights activist. She was shadow attorney general for England and Wales from 2016 to 2020 and was the director of Liberty, an advocacy group promoting civil liberties, from 2003 to 2016. She is the author of On Liberty and Of Women: In the 21st Century. https://www.facebook.com/BarnstapleLibrary/events https://www.living-knowledge-network.co.uk/library/sylvia-pankhurst-natural-born-rebel
Audience: All
Cost: Free
Theme:

Events: Events » Online barnstaple

Spooky Half Term Events: Spooky Fans craft

Find out how to make a spooky Halloween fan. https://www.facebook.com/BarnstapleLibrary/events
Date: 28 October 2020
Time: 11:00 - 11:30
Description: Find out how to make a spooky Halloween fan. https://www.facebook.com/BarnstapleLibrary/events
Audience: All
Cost: Free
Theme:

Events: Events » Online barnstaple

Virtual Wanderings Group Barnstaple Library Facebook

Virtual Wanderings group is for us all to stay connected, stay safe and stay active. Please share images of the beautiful world we live in as it comes alive during Spring whilst we are limited in our daily activity. All activity and pictures posted in this group are subject to government guidelines regarding social distancing and outdoor activity allowances. Please refer to the latest advice via: https://www.gov.uk/coronavirus Find the group on our Facebook page by copying and pasting the link: https://bit.ly/34TV0nE
Date: 28 October 2020
Time: 8:00 - 22:00
Description: Virtual Wanderings group is for us all to stay connected, stay safe and stay active. Please share images of the beautiful world we live in as it comes alive during Spring whilst we are limited in our daily activity. All activity and pictures posted in this group are subject to government guidelines regarding social distancing and outdoor activity allowances. Please refer to the latest advice via: https://www.gov.uk/coronavirus Find the group on our Facebook page by copying and pasting the link: https://bit.ly/34TV0nE
Audience: All
Cost: Free
Theme:

Events: Events » Online barnstaple

Spooky Half Term Events: Halloween Wreath craft

Join us to make an attractive wreath for Halloween. https://www.facebook.com/BarnstapleLibrary/events
Date: 30 October 2020
Time: 11:00 - 11:30
Description: Join us to make an attractive wreath for Halloween. https://www.facebook.com/BarnstapleLibrary/events
Audience: All
Cost: Free
Theme:

Events: Events » Online barnstaple

Spooky Half Term Events: Spider craft

Make a spooky spider for Halloween. https://www.facebook.com/BarnstapleLibrary/events
Date: 30 October 2020
Time: 11:00 - 11:30
Description: Make a spooky spider for Halloween. https://www.facebook.com/BarnstapleLibrary/events
Audience: All
Cost: Free
Theme:

Events: Events » Online barnstaple

The Fight for Women's Rights-Living Knowledge Network

Black Lives Matter has focused attention on the impact of lived experiences of racism. But to what extent has anti-racism been incorporated into the fight for gender equality? This panel explores the legacy of racism on feminist movements, and how women of colour have challenged understandings of gender. How can we better acknowledge different experiences of oppression, and overlapping identities? Angela Saini is an award-winning British science journalist. Superior: the Return of Race Science, was named a book of the year by The Telegraph, Nature and Financial Times. Her previous book, Inferior: How Science Got Women Wrong, has been translated into thirteen languages. Nikki Giovanni is among America’s foremost poets and one of Oprah Winfrey’s 25 Living Legends. Giovanni is a University Distinguished Professor at Virginia Tech, and her awards include the first Rosa Parks Woman of Courage Award and the Carl Sandburg Literary Award. Her latest collection is Make Me Rain. Priyamvada Gopal is Professor of Postcolonial Studies at the University of Cambridge. Her book Insurgent Empire: Anticolonial Resistance and British Dissent examines traditions of dissent on the question of empire. Gopal’s Dossier of White-Hot Hatred collected responses to the online debate around Black Lives Matter. Layla Saad is a writer and podcast host. As an East African, Arab, British, Black, Muslim woman who grew up in the West, she sits at an intersection of identities. The book Me And White Supremacy followed a digital workbook of the same name which was downloaded by close to 90,000 people globally within six months. http://living-knowledge-network.co.uk/library/white-supremacy-what-you-need-to-know. https://www.facebook.com/BarnstapleLibrary/events
Date: 31 October 2020
Time: 17:00 - 18:00
Description: Black Lives Matter has focused attention on the impact of lived experiences of racism. But to what extent has anti-racism been incorporated into the fight for gender equality? This panel explores the legacy of racism on feminist movements, and how women of colour have challenged understandings of gender. How can we better acknowledge different experiences of oppression, and overlapping identities? Angela Saini is an award-winning British science journalist. Superior: the Return of Race Science, was named a book of the year by The Telegraph, Nature and Financial Times. Her previous book, Inferior: How Science Got Women Wrong, has been translated into thirteen languages. Nikki Giovanni is among America’s foremost poets and one of Oprah Winfrey’s 25 Living Legends. Giovanni is a University Distinguished Professor at Virginia Tech, and her awards include the first Rosa Parks Woman of Courage Award and the Carl Sandburg Literary Award. Her latest collection is Make Me Rain. Priyamvada Gopal is Professor of Postcolonial Studies at the University of Cambridge. Her book Insurgent Empire: Anticolonial Resistance and British Dissent examines traditions of dissent on the question of empire. Gopal’s Dossier of White-Hot Hatred collected responses to the online debate around Black Lives Matter. Layla Saad is a writer and podcast host. As an East African, Arab, British, Black, Muslim woman who grew up in the West, she sits at an intersection of identities. The book Me And White Supremacy followed a digital workbook of the same name which was downloaded by close to 90,000 people globally within six months. http://living-knowledge-network.co.uk/library/white-supremacy-what-you-need-to-know. https://www.facebook.com/BarnstapleLibrary/events
Audience: All
Cost: Free
Theme:

Events: Events » Online barnstaple

In conversation with Dr Mark Aldridge

Our next In Conversation will take place on November 4th at 7pm with Dr Mark Aldridge, an academic and historian, specialising in the world of Agatha Christie. Mark will be joining our very own Agatha Christie super fan, Karen, to talk about his latest book 'Agatha Christie's Poirot The Greatest Detective in the World', which is published on 12th November. This book tells Hercule Poirot's story decade-by-decade, exploring his appearances not only in the original novels, short stories and plays but also across stage, screen, and radio productions. Based on the author’s original research, review excerpts and original Agatha Christie correspondence, Poirot: The Greatest Detective in the World is a lively and accessible history of the character, offering new information and helpful pieces of context, that will delight all Agatha Christie fans, from a new generation of readers to those already highly familiar with the canon. https://www.facebook.com/BarnstapleLibrary/Events
Date: 04 November 2020
Time: 19:00 - 19:45
Description: Our next In Conversation will take place on November 4th at 7pm with Dr Mark Aldridge, an academic and historian, specialising in the world of Agatha Christie. Mark will be joining our very own Agatha Christie super fan, Karen, to talk about his latest book 'Agatha Christie's Poirot The Greatest Detective in the World', which is published on 12th November. This book tells Hercule Poirot's story decade-by-decade, exploring his appearances not only in the original novels, short stories and plays but also across stage, screen, and radio productions. Based on the author’s original research, review excerpts and original Agatha Christie correspondence, Poirot: The Greatest Detective in the World is a lively and accessible history of the character, offering new information and helpful pieces of context, that will delight all Agatha Christie fans, from a new generation of readers to those already highly familiar with the canon. https://www.facebook.com/BarnstapleLibrary/Events
Audience: All
Cost: Free
Theme:

Events: Events » Online barnstaple

Writing Group: Ideas Gang

Note this is a provisional date, please check nearer the time. Each Month the workshop is led by a different member of the group, giving a variety of writing experiences. Different forms and genres are covered and plenty of time is given for writing practice on the day.
Date: 02 January 2021
Time: 13:30 - 15:30
Description: Note this is a provisional date, please check nearer the time. Each Month the workshop is led by a different member of the group, giving a variety of writing experiences. Different forms and genres are covered and plenty of time is given for writing practice on the day.
Audience: All
Cost: Free
Theme:

Events: Events » Books and Poetry barnstaple

Board Game Cafe

Note this is a provisional date, please check back nearer the time. Bring a friend or make new ones at this informal, friendly, free, drop in session for board game enthusiasts. Bring your own favourite game or choose from our selection as you enjoy a hot drink. No need to book, just drop by! Library Foyer.
Date: 05 January 2021
Time: 14:00 - 16:00
Description: Note this is a provisional date, please check back nearer the time. Bring a friend or make new ones at this informal, friendly, free, drop in session for board game enthusiasts. Bring your own favourite game or choose from our selection as you enjoy a hot drink. No need to book, just drop by! Library Foyer.
Audience: All
Cost: Free
Theme:

Events: Events » Social barnstaple

Audio Book Group

Note this is a provisional date, please check nearer the time. For anyone who likes to listen to audio books. An informal group to chat about the books you've enjoyed.
Date: 07 January 2021
Time: 11:00 - 12:00
Description: Note this is a provisional date, please check nearer the time. For anyone who likes to listen to audio books. An informal group to chat about the books you've enjoyed.
Audience: All
Cost: Free
Theme:

Events: Events » Books and Poetry barnstaple

Scrabble Saturday 1

Note this is a provisional date, please check nearer the time.  A Scrabble Club for players of all levels. Friendly group everyone welcome.
Date: 09 January 2021
Time: 13:00 - 16:00
Description: Note this is a provisional date, please check nearer the time.  A Scrabble Club for players of all levels. Friendly group everyone welcome.
Audience: All
Cost: Free
Theme:

Events: Events » Social barnstaple

Knit and Mix

Note this is a provisional date, please check nearer the time. Come and join our social knitting group. Beginners or more experienced knitters welcome. Tea and coffee for a small donation.
Date: 10 January 2021
Time: 14:00 - 16:00
Description: Note this is a provisional date, please check nearer the time. Come and join our social knitting group. Beginners or more experienced knitters welcome. Tea and coffee for a small donation.
Audience: All
Cost: Free
Theme:

Events: Events » Crafts and Making barnstaple

Sing-Along-A-Library

Note this is a provisional date, please check nearer the time. For anyone who wants to sing for fun, we're not a choir so don't worry about being a good singer, just come along for a good sing song and a cuppa.
Date: 12 January 2021
Time: 14:00 - 15:30
Description: Note this is a provisional date, please check nearer the time. For anyone who wants to sing for fun, we're not a choir so don't worry about being a good singer, just come along for a good sing song and a cuppa.
Audience: All
Cost: Free
Theme:

Events: Events » Music barnstaple

Bounce & Rhyme Wednesday

Note this is a provisional date, please check back nearer the time. Come along, have fun, join in with some old favourite rhymes and learn some new ones.
Date: 13 January 2021
Time: 10:30 - 11:00
Description: Note this is a provisional date, please check back nearer the time. Come along, have fun, join in with some old favourite rhymes and learn some new ones.
Audience: Under 5
Cost: Free
Theme:

Events: Events » Social barnstaple
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Temporary opening hours

Mon 10:00 - 17:00
Tue 10:00 - 17:00
Wed 10:00 - 17:00
Thu 10:00 - 17:00
Fri 10:00 - 17:00
Sat 10:00 - 17:00

 

Opening hours:

Mon 09:00 - 18:00
Tue 09:00 - 18:00
Wed 10:00 - 18:00
Thu 09:00 - 18:00
Fri 09:00 - 18:00
Sat 09:00 - 17:00


For Barnstaple Local Studies opening hours click here

Contact us:

Jude Jeal

Email: Barnstaple Library
Tel: 01271 318780

Find us:

Barnstaple Library
Tuly Street
Barnstaple
Devon
EX31 1EL

 https://www.flickr.com/photos/devonlibraries/sets/72157623454304727/