Libraries are key to Bedford Borough Council’s Year of Reading, our 12-month celebration of all things literary.
And just like our Year of Reading, the Borough’s libraries are for everyone too, as we were reminded when we spoke to Library Officer Carly Spearing about what it’s like working in Bedford Central Library.
“I love books, I love reading, I love helping people, and I love the sheer range of things that we offer here,” she told us.
“Every day is different, you never know what it’s going to bring, but at the same time there’s a great community of staff and regulars who you get to know.
“You get to build up a relationship with people you see every week, and being in the town centre we get people of all ages coming in.
“It’s free to join the libraries across the Borough, free to borrow books, and our membership just keeps on growing.”
Our libraries offer far more than books of course. Whether it is magazines, audio books, music, jigsaws or access to the internet, there are many services that people use on a regular basis.
Carly said; “We have regular events for people of all ages, like our Lego Club on Saturdays, and our Wednesday Crafternoons which are more aimed at adults and offer everything from crocheting to wordsearches.
“The free crafts and activities for families are hugely popular, especially Bounce & Rhyme and Rhyme Time where little ones get a brilliant library experience with staff singing songs, reading stories, and waving bubbles and scarves around. Citizens Advice is here every month, there are one-off events like the author visits, and at the beginning of the year we even had a virtual reality artist.”
The Year of Reading will see a wide range of events taking place throughout 2025 in Bedford Borough, with new updates added regularly at www.bedford.gov.uk/YearOfReading
And at Bedford Central Library too, there is always something new to discover.
Carly said; “We recently began a dyslexia-friendly section and we’ll be checking the success of that, there are large print books, digital books that people can borrow online, a growing selection of graphic novels and manga, and our choice of books in foreign languages is bigger than ever.
“We have access to books across all the libraries in Bedford Borough and Central Bedfordshire, so if you ask us about a book and we don’t have it we’ll see if we can get hold of a copy.”
Find out more about our libraries in Bedford Borough at www.bedford.gov.uk/libraries