What events etc does your small library have?

[MinnieMountain]

Our small branch library is at risk of closure. We’re going to set up a group to try to save it, by turning it into more of a community resource.

Can people tell me what extras your small local library has please?

Ours has a baby group. MIL has suggested a coffee morning.

Ours has Rhyme and Song for babies (this was nearly cancelled but then Childrens Centre staff have taken on the session). They also do them Saturday crafts with kids!

They have a Chess Club after school and a knitting/coffee group during the day!

I hope you have some luck saving it!

We have rhyme time, preschool art, knit and natter, citizen advice and local council reach surgery, Lego club.
There are also often young adults receiving some kind of tutoring/help but I'm not sure what exactly with.

Oh there loads you can do
Daytime sessions -
Rhyme Time
Story Time
Crafts for toddlers
Dressing up session for toddlers (ie pretend play as book characters)
Crafts for adults ("Knit and Natter" etc)
General coffee morning for adults.
After-school
Crafts for older children
Pokémon/ Yu-Gi-Oh groups.
Lego Club
Book Club for teens
Board Game groups
Evenings
Social groups for adults (could be anything from book groups to Lego groups)
Board Game evenings (for adults)
Weekends
Small craft fairs
Book sales/swaps
School uniform exchange

Ours has a craft group twice a week, memories of the town thing monthly (someone shows old photos and people talk about it), various clubs meet there, tech assist group (someone to help you use your laptop/tablet/phone), the banking hub is there once a week, and Lego club. That's off the top of my head.
On a county level they are doing libraries unlocked now where you sign up and then can use the library outside staffed hours/ days which is brilliant as it's 8-8.
I saw on the news the other day that a rural library was hosting a library of things scheme so you could borrow a sewing machine/ wallpaper stripper/ hedge trimmer or whatever which was bringing in people who wouldn't have normally used the library

How about support groups, ours has an autism support group that meets once a month.

Our gardening club meets there.
There's a coffee machine.
Sofas.

Toys.

A book and magazine swap.
A stationery swap area - colouring books, pencils, pencil cases.
The litter-picking pensioners meet up there and return for a coffee after the pick.
Regular talks by local people - e.g. the head gardener at the local National Trust house, the vicar told us about the church, local authors talk about writing and their books, the beautician did a make up demonstration, local IT guy did a computer literacy course etc.
Do you have a local WI? They will be bursting with ideas and energy to help I'm sure.
The fortnightly farmers market moved to outside the library and it made the library very lively and busy on a Saturday morning.
The local 'in bloom' team and the Scouts turned the library garden into a herb and veg garden so people can snip some herbs for their dinner free of charge.
Art exhibitions by local artists.
There's a come and chat with me bench in the garden now - it's rarely empty.

Good luck - what a lovely thing to do. I hope it works out for you all.

This, if you have a room for hire contact all the local charity groups with your (hopefully cheaper than they currently have) rates and advertise it generally for free on local Facebook groups.

There's loads of ideas here:-
https://www.richmond.gov.uk/services/libraries/libraries_whats_on

That’s really helpful. Thank you.

It’s a small building. The council want to sell it to turn into a bungalow.

Ours has:

Rhyme Time with singing and a story for under 5s and their parents once a week.

A seed library where people can drop off or pick up seeds for the garden.

They have a book club for 8 to 13 year olds one Saturday a month.

A monthly craft event for adults. They've done things like make a bookmark, learn simple cross stitch etc.

They have a space that they dedicate to teenagers/students to study with a set time two evenings per week.

A monthly coffee morning.

Ours has a Homework Club, which I think is eligible for all ages. And a Manga Club, for teens.

They also do the national Summer Reading Challenge during the 6 week holidays, which most libraries seem to offer.

Register as a 'warm space'
Ours all have a jigsaw table with a half done jigsaw on it - people stop and chat and do a few pieces.
A jigsaw library.
Ask the rural community / combating loneliness/age UK team for.some ideas too
If there's a local school, visit the head and ask if classes can walk there once a month or so.

https://acre.org.uk/Action for Rural Communities are brilliant.