With the promise of warmer days and drier weather, we look forward to welcoming more of you back in to our libraries as we continue with our calendar of events: The Swindon Festival of Literature is currently underway, and with a few days remaining, there is still time to book tickets for a live event…. read more
Step into the story of the Great Western Railway this Easter! Electricity workshops, free family arts & crafts sessions and new special exhibitions are just some of the activities on offer over the Easter holidays! Please remember to book online in advance (including Season Ticket holders). Tickets are now available for visits up to 24… read more
Stars of the big and small screen will descend on Swindon, as a brand-new Film and Comic Con extravaganza comes to the STEAM Museum in June. During the weekend of 18 and 19 June 2022, the event, run by Stars of Time, who organise the very successful annual Comic Con at the Tropicana in Weston-Super-Mare,… read more
With effect from Tuesday, 31 August 2021 Swindon Library & Information Service is able to continue its phased recovery and reintroduce a wider range of access and services for Swindon residents. More opening hours are being restored during September, as well as Sunday opening at North Swindon Library. We hope that Saturday opening will be… read more
From today (5 July) there will be some changes to our services: Our opening hours are increasing, and our self-service machines will be available for customers to return books, as well as to issue their own reservations and Quick Choice selection. Your library card will be needed to use the machines. There will also be… read more
STEAM, Museum of the Great Western Railway, will be reopening its doors on Thursday, 27 May. Bookings are now open. All visitors and STEAM Season Ticket holders must purchase timed-tickets in advance via STEAM’s website. Here, you will also find lots of useful information to help you plan your visit. Please note, visitors over 11… read more
As we continue our phased recovery out of lockdown, from Monday, 17 May we’ll reintroduce our quick choice browsing service and public computer access: Quick Choice allows library members to come in to our libraries and choose books from a selection of our stock. Sessions are limited to 30 minutes and you won’t need to… read more
Your library service continues its phased recovery as part of the Government’s roadmap out of lockdown. From Monday, 12 April: You will be able to Click, Call & Collect, reserve and return books across all five core libraries: Central, Highworth, North, Park and West Swindon. Please check our website for opening hours for individual branches. The… read more
The days are getting longer and with only weeks to go before spring, things are starting to look a bit brighter. Some of our library staff continue to be redeployed to support essential COVID-19 work within our community and therefore the majority of our libraries remain temporarily closed. Whilst Central Library remains open, all loans… read more
No sooner had last month’s newsletter been finalised, we were in to a second lockdown. We’re pleased to say though, that all five core libraries are reopening again today. If you’re preferring to stay at home at the moment, we have a fantastic choice of digital reads available to download from the comfort of your… read more
Update from Steve Maddern, Director of Public Health The next four weeks will be challenging for all of us, as we live with the new national restrictions now in force in England until 2 December. But the Government’s decision to introduce them, agreed by Parliament, was informed by clear evidence that hospitals across the region… read more
A message from your Housing team As we move into a new lockdown please follow the guidance to keep yourself and your family safe. You must: Stay at home, except for specific purposes Avoid meeting people you do not live with, except for specific purposes Close certain businesses and venues The Government’s overarching health messages… read more
A Perfect Time To Read The clocks have gone back, it’s getting colder and the nights are drawing in, what better way to spend your evening than snuggled up with a good read or two? As our opening hours have extended, now is the perfect time to return your old books and pick up some… read more
Earlier this week the Government introduced a three tiered system of local ‘COVID Alert Levels’ in England. Every area of England now falls into three categories – medium, high or very high, depending on the local rate of infection. As Swindon’s infection rate currently remains significantly below the average in England, it falls under the… read more
STEAM – Museum of the Great Western Railway has announced plans to reopen its doors to the public. The Swindon Borough Council-owned and operated museum will reopen its doors to the public this Thursday (17 Sep). Visitors will be requested to respect social distancing measures. Hand sanitiser will be available throughout the museum, and a… read more
The September edition of the Swindon Library and Information Service newsletter is now here. Read or download the September newsletter
The Summer Reading Challenge is back and for the first time ever, the challenge is being brought online. This summer young readers are being encouraged to join the Silly Squad, a colourful crew of fun-loving animals, and discover the joy of reading. To take part, children and their parents or guardians need to register online… read more
ince March, in line with government coronavirus guidelines, Swindon’s five core libraries have been closed to the public. As restrictions begin to ease, we can now start a phased process to reopen our libraries, while ensuring you and our staff are safe at all times. From today, (14 July), we have introduced our new Click,… read more
Swindon’s iconic railway museum will celebrate its 20th anniversary this month. Staff at STEAM are marking this important milestone with a look back at the early days of the museum and some of its many highlights from the last two decades. The museum is currently closed due to COVID-19. When it re-opens, however, visitors will… read more
Please follow the link to see the latest information from Swindon Libraries and Information Services. Swindon Libraries Issue 45 – June 2020