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SCHOOL GROUPS

Information for teachers about class visits to our libraries, plus useful resources, activities and event information.

Working with local schools & educational associations we strive to help children develop.

It’s Black History Month!

Check out this comprehensive list of 86 brilliant children’s books created by Black authors and illustrators. Produced by the Reading Agency, there is something for all ages from tots to teens with fantastic poetry, graphic novels, fiction and non-fiction titles. Many appear in our Spotlight selection sliders at the bottom of this page.

Booklist

The Transatlantic Slave Trade

Reading can be a great way to learn about racism and equality.

Below are links to booklists with a selection of titles for adults and secondary pupils to accompany the resources produced by The University of Nottingham for the Nottingham Schools and Transatlantic Slavery Project.

Special collections available at Radford/Lenton and Hyson Green libraries. Titles are also available from other libraries or can be requested through click and collect.

Resources for secondary pupils Secondary Non Fiction Adult Non Fiction

School Class Visits to the Library

Your school is welcome to visit us. Why not reserve a half day session each week at your local library for your children to visit regularly class by class on a rota? One off visits are also welcome subject to availability.

Please contact us in advance for all visits. We can also give you more information on book borrowing at the time of booking.

enquiryline@nottinghamcity.gov.uk

Please allow 4 weeks’ notice where possible.

Your visit is not booked in until you receive a confirmation email.

Getting Ready to Visit the Library

Why not get your class ready for their visit? Find out more about the library, how to join, how to find the kind of book you want and how to borrow them in our simple video below. Why not encourage them to visit as a family too? Or try the quiz to see what they remember?

Video Download - Quiz pdf

Finding Books in the Children’s Library

Finding a book in the children’s library is really easy. We have categories to help you. You can watch the video from the last section or follow our simple guide below:

Board books – found in boxes in the children’s area. Great for babies and under 3’s with simple pictures and easy to turn pages.
Picture Books – Here you will find a wide range of fantastic stories with lots of pictures. Great to snuggle up with and share together – ideal for Nursery visits but KS1 and older children too.
Beginning to Read – you will find a section of books with a B on their spine – these books are for children starting on their reading journey building from 1 word per page to short sentences and using the key words that children learn throughout KS1.
Young Readers – these short chapter books are for the more confident reader, but still have plenty of pictures. You will find these on a shelf with a Y on their spine
Stories – paperbacks and hardbacks suitable for all confident readers. These are arranged in alphabetical order of the author’s surname.
Information books – these are in Dewey number order – Find out more below.

Download - Dewey

Theatre in Libraries

In partnership with The Spark Arts for Children and Arts Council funding, we offer a variety of high quality theatre performances for schools throughout the year. These engaging performances are linked to the curriculum with activity resource packs provided.

Click the buttons below for our current offers available online:

The Girl of Ink and Stars – An Audio Drama – a play by Satinder Chohan, based on the book by Kiran Millwood Hargrave. An exciting tale of maps, myth and monsters, complete with extensive resource pack for use in the classroom (available free until November 2021). For age 7+

Talking Rubbish – Finding treasure in what other people throw away! 2 episodes with activities for all ages in the classroom resource pack.

All future performances will be listed here.

The Girl of Ink and Stars Talking Rubbish

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Explore

Spotlight On: Our Community - Children Fiction Booklist

A selection of books that celebrate Nottingham's ethnically diverse communities and empower children to talk about diversity, prejudice, racism and black history.

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Students reading froma school book at the elementary school

Spotlight on: Our Community - Children's Non Fiction Booklist

A selection of books that celebrate our ethnically diverse communities and empower children to talk about diversity, prejudice, racism and black history.

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