To mark the beginning of Green Libraries week last Monday, we were delighted to host a pop-up booth from our colleagues working in the Guildford Library and the wider Surrey Libraries.
It was a wonderful opportunity to collaborate and exchange ideas with our lending library counterparts, as well as to inform our students and staff about the many benefits of a Surrey Libraries reader card.
The booth made for an eye-catching display: the tables were laden with a wonderfully colourful array of brochures, books, games, and sweets, along with a tea-and-coffee stand to attract students and staff walking through the main library entrance.
There’s nothing like a hot drink and a book to bring people together, and we had many enjoyable chats with students and staff about their favourite books and the convenience of different book formats available in libraries. Many students were pleased to learn that their local lending library’s catalogue of fiction and nonfiction is also available to them when they are looking to unwind with a good book or listen to an audiobook during their commute. There was notable interest in the Library of Things service, where it is possible to borrow anything from DIY tools and garden marquees to sports and fitness equipment — and even a guitar. Unsurprisingly, a lot of enthusiasm was also directed towards spinning the library’s Wheel of Fortune to win chocolate or a prize (a no-lose situation, if ever there was one!).
Our counterparts from Guildford Library and wider Surrey Libraries visiting us to host a pop-up for Libraries Week 2024
In many ways, the services offered by Surrey Libraries and our own University of Surrey Library complement each other, supplying students with a broad selection of research materials, study resources, and pleasure reading, while offering cosy and welcoming study spaces for all.
All in all, the number of students signing up for a free library card on the spot is a testament to how successful and enjoyable an event it was, and we certainly hope it is the first of many to come. Perhaps next time, someone may even brave the hula hoop or ping pong challenge!
Guildford County Council Library and University of Surrey Library staff with ping-pong paddles from the Library of Things
If you missed the event and would like to register for a free membership, you can do so any time on the Surrey County Council Library website
https://www.surreycc.gov.uk/libraries
Many thanks to our Customer Service team for all their help with the event and to all other colleagues who stopped by, and of course to our county council libraries counterparts for a most enjoyable event – we look forward to seeing all of you again soon!
