Chinese New Year
Celebrate the Chinese New Year at Charing Cross Library to welcome the Year of the Ox

Manga
Westminster Libraries have been hosting exhibitions, workshops, events and talks

24/7 Library
The 24/7 Library is a collection of online information available to Westminster Library members

Free DVD rental when you recommend a friend
Recommend a friend to join the library in February or March

Church Street Update
After-school fun with Horrid Henry and news of a temporary move

Find a Library
Westminster has launched a new service - find your nearest library by text

Lo Jhy-yen, Forest

Nie Chun-mei, Lotus

Celebrate the Chinese New Year at Charing Cross Library and welcome the Year of the Ox!

Year of the Ox Paper-cut Paintings Exhibition
Monday 12th Jan - Saturday 7th Feb
Artists Lo Jhy-yen and Nie Chun-mei will be displaying new works based on traditional Chinese paper-cuts, but with an exciting new direction. Traditional paper-cut art uses only one sheet of paper and focuses on shapes and patterns. These beautiful new images use multiple layers (increasing the depth of the scene) and as a result are closer to paintings in appearance.

Celebration Open days
17th & 18th January
Hear traditional Chinese music played live, browse an enormous display of brand new books to borrow, or snap up a bargain from the giant book sale. Plus enter a raffle and enjoy light refreshments.

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In recent years there has been an increase in the popularity of Anime and Manga around the world, particularly in the UK. So what exactly is Manga? How have comics become so massive in Japan and why is their fame spreading around the world? What gives Manga stories such power and what's a good Manga book in English to get a newcomer started?

To answer these questions and to tie in with Japan-UK 150 (a series of events in the UK organised to celebrate 150 years of friendship) Westminster Libraries have been hosting exhibitions, workshops, events and talks.

As well as Manga, themes have included Japanese culture, Japanese calligraphy and origami, a martial art kata demonstration, kimono wearing and more.

This month you can see an exhibition of Manga and Anime art at St John’s Wood Library, including works from renowned artists such as Philip English and Sonia Leong. On 29th January the library will host a free talk by Akemi Solloway: Anime and Manga: the lastest from Japan. Akemi has recently returned from a visit to Tokyo comic market and the Art school of Anime and Manga in Osaka and will be sharing her up-to-the-minute knowledge about this fashionable and fascinating culture. The talk will include a demonstration using photos and film and the opportunity to try out some Japanese refreshments. Find out more about Akemi here .

Whether you’re new to Manga, or you’re used to reading books ‘back to front’ (don’t worry, there are instructions!) there will be something in Westminster Libraries to capture your imagination. New readers - try a few of the varied titles to discover what you like. Check out the following in your library:

Popular and up-to-the-minute:
Bleach, Fruits Basket or Naruto

A Manga “Classic”:
Barefoot Gen or Akira

Funny and slightly odd:
Cromartie High School or Octopus Girl

By a "Manga Legend":
Osamu Tezuka

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The 24/7 Library is a collection of online information resources (some available exclusively to Westminster Library members) accessible anywhere with an internet connection - just type in your library card number, and get reading.

The latest addition to Westminster’s 24/7 Library is a huge collection of newspapers from around the world, available online before the newsprint hits the street. Library Press Display has titles in 38 languages from 78 countries, many of which you can hear read aloud to you. You can even browse through two months of back copies.

The 24/7 Library also has links to subscription websites with hundreds of the best reference books - we subscribe, so you don't have to - and many specialised resources for all interests, including business, law, music, art, literature and biography.

Guaranteed information - ready when you are.

Check out the 24/7 Library

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Recommend a friend to join the library in February or March, and you could both get a FREE DVD rental. Simply tell your friends to pop down to their local library with one proof of address, or join online at www.westminster.gov.uk/libraries and they will receive two FREE DVD rental vouchers - one for you, and one for them!

Offer ends 31st March. Terms and conditions apply.

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Join the fun (and mischief) with a Horrid Henry event at Church Street Library’s new temporary location on Wednesday 28th January. There'll be quizzes, games and after-school fun with a Horrid Henry theme, from 4-5pm. All children are welcome, though the event will be best suited for those aged 5 to 12 years. Check out Francesca Simon’s Horrid Henry books on the library catalogue here.

On the 10th November Church Street Library moved into a temporary location to allow major works to take place on the existing library. These works will see the library triple in size and will incorporate a learning centre, community space and larger adult and children’s libraries. Work is expected to take approximately 9 months to complete.

The temporary library is based at 97-99 Church Street (the former butchers shop). Opening hours remain the same. Learning centre services will not be available in the temporary library- the nearest library learning centres are Marylebone Library and St John’s Wood Library. See the Libraries website for more details.

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Westminster has launched a new ‘Find My Nearest’ text service, which means that wherever you are in the city, you can find your nearest library at the touch of a button. Simply text ‘Libraries’ to 80097* and you will be sent a text with the address of the library you are nearest to at the time.

* Text costs 25p plus your standard network rate. The service will not be available to you if you have a premium bar on your phone, or if you are a Pay As You Go customer.

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