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Bolton Libraries are open! All of Bolton’s libraries are currently open for Order and Collect and essential computer use. We’ve reduced our opening hours slightly during the current restrictions and you can keep up to date with them and all our other services.

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Reserving and requesting items – Order and Collect You can reserve any lending item for collection at any library via the catalogue. If we don’t have the particular book in stock, you can put in a request for it via your online library account. You’ll get a notification when the items are available to pick up and they will be held for two weeks. You can collect them any time during library opening hours. Opening hours vary so check before making your journey. For more information about any of these services, please email libraries@bolton.gov.uk or call 01204 332 853.

Online Events and Activities

We have online story times, exhibitions and activities regularly on our website and social media. You can also find out more information about what’s going on in the Libraries, Museum and Historic Halls by following us on Facebook and Twitter.

Home Library Service If you are unable to get to a library, you can register for the Home Library Service. This is a free book delivery service which we have extended to anyone who is shielding or vulnerable during the pandemic. When you join you will be asked to give us an idea of what you like to read and whether you’d prefer standard, large print or recorded books. Once registered we will deliver up to six items which you can keep for two weeks. For more information you can call Farnworth Library on 01204 332 345 or email

homelibraryservice@bolton.gov.uk

You can access many of our Bolton Library and Museum resources in person at our libraries or online from the comfort of your own home.

Read with us online!

Looking for inspiration for your next read? Or have you read something brilliant that you want to recommend to others? If so, our Facebook book groups are for you. Our Bolton Libraries Children’s Books Group is the place to go to for news, views and reviews from the world of children’s books, and Share Your Reads is the group for adults to chat about the books they’ve been reading and enjoying. You’ll find both of these groups under the Groups tab on our Facebook page.

Bolton Library and Museum Services Online Resources You can also access a whole range of Library and Museum information and services online, including eBooks, eAudiobooks and eMagazines. If you’re not already a member of the library and would like to use any of these resources, to join online! Click Here To find out what’s going on in the Libraries, Museum and Historic Halls follow us on Facebook and Twitter.

Digital Help Bolton Library and Museum Services have loads of resources to help you get online and use your digital devices. You can also call us on 01204 332 853 if you have any questions!

www.bolton.gov.uk/homepage/144/ digital-support

Jobseeking Resources at Bolton Library and Museum Services If you are looking for a job or thinking about changing your career, Bolton Library and Museum Services can help. Check out some of our great online resources ideal for searching for a job - for useful websites on jobseeking and careers information, download our factsheet here! If you’re enrolling on Universal Credit or searching for a job online, you can use our public computers for longer for free. Just ask staff for details. You can access many of our Bolton Library and Museum resources in person at our libraries or online from the comfort of your own home.

Reminiscence Packs

Bolton Library and Museum Service have produced a reminiscence pack with photographs of local places and events and questions to encourage connection through memories. The reminiscence packs have been designed for use with older people who may remember bygone Bolton and hopefully encourage people to talk about their lives and relive fond memories about family, friends, work and other experiences from their life. Each sheet has specific questions that will hopefully lead to more conversation about particular photographs. Reminiscence activities can help reinforce a person’s individuality and build their self-esteem, reminding them of past achievements and their life story. Packs have been distributed to care homes to allow the residents to look at the photographs and share memories with one another. There is also a pack in the Central Library available to borrow. If you would like a digital copy of the reminiscence pack to be sent to you by email, please contact us at abladmin@bolton.gov.uk

Celebrating LGBTQ History with the OUTing the Past Festival

Bolton is a hub location for the festival, which took place in numerous cultural venues across the UK.

The event formed part of the International Festivals of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Trans History celebrations, and featured speakers from all over the world showcasing the depth and breadth of the LGBTQ community, shining a light on LGBTQ history and raising the awareness of past attitudes and behaviours related to sexuality and gender.

Cllr Hilary Fairclough, executive cabinet member with responsibility for libraries and museums, said: “Bolton is known as a warm and welcoming place, somewhere which celebrates cultural diversity and the talent, fun and colour it brings to the town.

“We were delighted to be chosen as a venue to help celebrate LGBTQ history as understanding the past helps bring us together so we can all live in harmony and have a brighter and happier future.”

Pre-recorded Talks

Bolton helped celebrate LGBTQ history with three pre-recorded talks, which are free to access online or via podcast:

Talk 1: Bev Ayre, ‘Before The Act’: The Night The Stars Came Out Against Section 28

‘Before The Act’ was a seminal moment in LGBT history, bringing together stars from the worlds of theatre and music, with a group of Lesbian and Gay activists.

Exploring the fascinating origins of The Lesbian Herstory Archives, this is a tribute to second-wave feminism and intergenerational connection, as well as an urgent rallying call.

Watch here:

Talk 3: Darren Clarke, ‘Very Private’: Duncan Grant’s Erotic Drawings

Duncan Grant’s extraordinary collection demonstrates both his sexual imagination and skills as an artist, offering a different and enlightening new narrative around Grant and the world he lived in.

Watch here:

The Museum Monologues, created by Bolton Museum

Created in 2019, The Museum Monologues bring to life the stories of five of Bolton’s LGBTQ pioneers, and are produced by local writers and performers, Stephen M Hornby and Inkbrew Productions. The actors portray: • J W Wallace who corresponded with American poet Walt Whitman in ‘A Pebble from Blackpool Beach.’ • A young member of the LGBT Youth Group Liaison Initiative in ‘A Right Royal Day...If You’re Gay.’ • Bolton author Matt Cain in ‘The Madonna of Bolton.’ • Renowned photographer of the Worktown Project, Humphrey Spender in ‘Our Kind.’ • Victorian-era male impersonator Vesta Tilley in ‘Jolly Good Luck to the Friends of Vesta Tilley.’

Watch the Museum Monologues here: Click Here For more details on OUTing the Past Festival Click Here