www.wiltshire.gov.uk
Children's Services
You're never too young to enjoy reading! Rory aged 4 months from Corsham
Children and families welcomed!
All children, their family and friends are welcomed in our libraries.
We provide attractive sections in each library devoted to children and young adults aged under 16 - which offer a range of books and other resources for all ages and interests, and aim to match the needs of each community.
We encourage the enjoyment of books and reading for pleasure as well as to help under 16s become informed and supported in their homework and leisure pursuits.
We provide staff who can assist under 16s in their reading choices and information needs and can also guide them to the best sources of alternative help or information.
Our librarians continually work with schools and local groups to make the library a vibrant, interesting, and exciting place for the children of Wiltshire.
Children can join the library service and borrow books and story tapes or story CDs for free.
What's in stock?
We have all sorts of books and materials for children of different ages, abilities and interests - from board books for babies to books and information for young adults.
Libraries also have access to a range of materials to support less confident readers, and many have books specifically designed to encourage those who dislike or have difficulty reading. These include books by specialist publishers such as Barrington Stoke, as well as audio books on tape or CD, and graphic or comic style novels.
We also have a range of videos and DVDs for children.
Reserving children's items at other Wiltshire Libraries is FREE.
Supporting reading in the community
Librarians work with schools and many other organisations and community partners to promote the importance of reading for enjoyment and for future success.
We offer homework support in all libraries, and specialist homework clubs called Infozones in Melksham and Calne libraries, as well as at Salisbury Bemerton Heath community centre.
We host activities and promotions throughout the year, both organised locally and those linked to national programmes such as Bookstart and the Summer Reading Challenge . Check out the events section of the website for the latest details.
Children’s Public Library User Survey (PLUS) autumn 2007
All English authorities are required to undertake a Children’s PLUS survey every 3 years and in Wiltshire 17 libraries were chosen to undertake the survey during October 2007.Every child aged 0-15 who visited these libraries in that period was given the opportunity to take part. Children were asked questions about what they thought of the library, staff, books and general services plus what impact they felt these had on their reading and learning. 2179 questionnaires were returned and of these 87% of the children rated their library as good overall (matching the national target), 99.7% rated their library good or ok overall. There were many positive comments about the individual libraries, as well as constructive suggestions for improvements – the latter have either been instigated or are being considered by the Community Librarians. The overall report can be viewed here (pdf 163Kb) 
, more detailed reports for individual libraries are available to view at the individual libraries
Ask us!
This is just a brief flavour of our services to children, why not call in at your local library and find out more about what the library has to offer you? We always welcome your comments on our services
Contact Details
By Post
Your Local Library
By Email
libraryenquiries@wiltshire.gov.uk
By Telephone
01225 713727
By Fax
01225 713993
