Category: Guest Articles
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A Brief History of Audiobooks
Hi I’m Will. I’m a member of the Bloodhounds Book Group. I work in disability advocacy and am lucky enough to be able to both proof and review books and audiobooks. This is a brief overview of the history of audiobooks and their place in society. Audiobooks are incredibly important to me personally. But also…
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Working with BookTrust
As the UK’s largest children’s reading charity, BookTrust works with every local authority across England, Wales and Northern Ireland, reaching millions of families with books, resources and support to help make reading part of everyday family life. We’re proud of our partnership with BookTrust, which enables us to work with colleagues and partners across the…
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Guest Article: Relaxed Hour at the Victoria Art Gallery
Our Libraries have a range of accessible resources to support and accommodate people with accessibility needs. One of our newest initiatives is our Relaxed Storytimes in Bath Central Library’s calming Sensory Space, designed for young children who are autistic, have sensory needs, or would simply benefit from a quieter environment. The Victoria Art Gallery in…
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Finding Comfort in Crime by Rachel Ward
‘Cozies bring order to a world that is currently very chaotic.’ – Margaret Loudon In a world of social media, 24-hour news, climate change and political volatility, it is not a surprise that readers seek respite in reading. It may be counter-intuitive, but this includes crime books, which I believe can be a form of…
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Finding the Stories of Forgotten Women by Annabelle Marx
Two years ago, sitting at my sister’s kitchen table, I experienced that tingling feeling, the one that says ‘there’s a story here.’ And it was only by luck that we’d found it. A few months earlier my sister had messaged me and said ‘You should look into our great aunt’s life, I think there’s a…
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On Beginning by Kasha-Faye Pascoe
We have all dealt with the dreaded blank page, that daunting expanse of nothingness that forces you to contend with your insecurities. But the only real way to get started is to… start. You can spend your days planning, reading, and learning about writing (and you should, some of the time) but you must also…
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Guest Article: Libraries and BookTrust in Partnership
Partnership working to support families with children with additional needs in B&NES libraries, by Emerald Brampton-Greene, Community Engagement Coordinator. One of my highlights of 2025 has been working with Samantha Meunier, Development and Outreach Librarian at Bath and North East Somerset (B&NES) Libraries. B&NES is one of our Learning Zone partners, which means we focus…
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Guest Article: The Work of SENDIAS Bathnes
Supporting SEND Families in Bath & North East Somerset: The Work of SENDIAS Bathnes, By Jane Kemp, Volunteer Co-ordinator. SEND Out! – Youth Participation at SENDIAS Bathnes SEND Out! is our Youth Participation Group, dedicated to ensuring that the voices and experiences of children and young people with SEND are truly heard. This friendly group…
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Staff Spotlight: Marie on Dyslexia
Seeing the World Differently: My Dyslexia Journey My name is Marie, and I have lived my whole life with dyslexia, though for many years I didn’t have a name for the challenges I faced. As a child, I often felt like I was falling behind — struggling to keep up with reading, writing, and spelling…
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Centenary Babies – One Year On
Last July we gifted all babies born in July a special copy of Winnie the Pooh, a title from our Centenary book list, so that they could celebrate 100 years of our public libraries with us. Click here to see where the journey started We hope those books will be part of those baby’s reading…