Did you know that not only does volunteering make a huge impact to the library service, and our community, volunteering can also benefit you! If you choose one of our exciting, varied volunteering opportunities with Hampshire Libraries you will have the chance to…

• Give your CV a boost – A survey by TimeBank of some of the UK’s leading businesses and 73% said they’d employ someone who’s volunteered over someone who hasn’t.
• Improve your confidence – You’ll learn and do things that you might not normally get the chance to – this can be a real confidence boost.
• Meet new people, especially if you are new to an area. Volunteering also strengthens your ties to the community and broadens your support network, exposing you to people with common interests.
• Provide a healthy boost to your self-confidence, self-esteem, and life satisfaction. You are doing good for others and the community, which provides a natural sense of accomplishment.
• Volunteering keeps you in regular contact with others and helps you develop a solid support system, which in turn protects you against stress and depression when you’re going through challenging times.

Our volunteers support us in so many ways, here are a just a few of the different activities you can get involved with…

Summer Reading Challenge

The Summer Reading Challenge runs every year from July to September, and last year Hampshire Libraries supported over 24,000 4 -11 year olds to maintain reading skills across the summer holidays. This year the Summer Reading Challenge is themed around “Animal Agents”, and we expect it to be our busiest yet. We need the support of volunteers to help with registering children in our branches, talking to them about what they have read, and providing encouragement for them by handing out rewards like stickers and medals. Apply online using our easy form today.

Code Club

Hampshire Libraries has launched an exciting new after school programme, supporting 9-11 year olds to learn to code. In association with Code Club South East, using their innovative 3 term schedule, children take part in coding projects, starting from the basics of Scratch. They are being encouraged to share ideas, and pursue digital activities, whilst learning in a hands-on environment. You don’t need to be a Coding expert, we can provide all the training you need, but you do need to be confident using a computer. Take a look and apply online today.

Home Library Service

If a member of the community can’t get to the library due to ill-health, disability or caring responsibilities the library can come to them. Hampshire Libraries can arrange for them to have library books delivered to their home on a regular basis. At least once a month, volunteers select and deliver material to suit the reading preferences of the reader, and return items to the library for them. Apply online using our easy form today.

If you’re not too sure what you want to, take a look at our website to see the different offers we have for Hampshire.

Elmer day is almost here and there is still time to come in and pick up a copy of one of his many books! Here are some of our favourite Elmer stories written by David McKee.

Eler

A modern classic, this picture book is known to millions, and continues to be the strongest seller of the whole series, having sold over 2 million copies around the world. The subtle message is that it is OK to be different, and combined with the vibrant colour and cheeky humour of the main character

Elmer and the monster

There is pandemonium in the jungle! A strange roaring sound sends the animals stampeding, convinced it’s a monster. But all is not as it seems. Only Elmer is brave enough to investigate, and what he discovers comes as quite a surprise!

Elmer’s special day

It’s almost Elmer’s Day again for the elephants, and they have begun their preparations already. But in all the excitement they are making an awful lot of noise and upsetting the other animals. So Elmer changes the rules and invites every single animal to join in the parade.

Elmer and the lost teddy

One night, Elmer hears the sound of crying. It’s Baby Elephant and he can’t sleep because he has lost his teddy. Elmer spends the whole of the next day looking for the teddy and eventually finds it.

Elmer and the rainbow

Elmer and the other elephants are waiting for the storm to end so they can see the beautiful, colourful rainbow. But something dreadful has happened: the rainbow has come out too soon and has lost its colours! Elmer decides to give his own colours to the rainbow, but to do that, he must find where it touches the ground. But what will happen to Elmer if he gives the rainbow his own colours? Will he lose them for ever?

Elmer day will be taking place on Saturday 27 May! Come along and celebrate Elmer the patchwork elephant with us, for more information on the events please follow the links below.

Elmer day at Fareham library, from 10 am to 12 noon

Elmer day at Hythe library, from 10am to 12 noon

Elmer day at Leigh Park library, from 11am to 12 noon

Elmer day at Romsey library, from 10am

Elmer day at Totton library all day

Special Elmer day story time at Winchester Discovery Centre, from 11am

Mental health can be difficult to understand, in support of mental health awareness week we have provided links to some titles through books on prescription. The titles provided can help you understand more about different symptoms and conditions of mental health.

Young people’s mental health

Common mental health conditions

Make sure to check out our different calming and wellbeing events taking place across Hampshire libraries!