Welcome to your new yearwith Cambridgeshire Libraries!
Our newsletter isfull offunevents and activities and fabulous new titles to read and listen to in 2026.Why notimmerse yourself in VR,pop along to an authortalk or experience one of ourmini-exhibitions?Help usshape ourarts and culturalprogrammeThe Library Presents;andjoin us as we celebrate the National Year of Reading.
Fend off the January gloom and find a warm welcome at your local library.CambridgeshireLibraries are free to join and free to use, sobe sure to encourage your friends,familyand neighbours tosign up for a library card.
Enjoy your library in 2026 and thank you for your continuing support.
Gary Porter
Head of Libraries, Archives and Culture
Virtual Reality Events
Look out for our exciting VR sessions at Wisbech and Whittlesey libraries where you can experience the world of Monoliths, Wallace & Gromit, Phase Space, The Lark Ascending, Berlin Blitz 1943, David Attenborough's Hold The World and Laika. Ask at the library to see the menu.
“Fantastic! Loved the VR experience. Lost myself in the virtual world which seems so real. Thank you. My first VR experience and this experience will be relived. Awesome support from the team!”
- Library Customer
Whittlesey Library - Monday 12th January 10am-12noon and 2pm-4pm
Wisbech Library - Thursday 15th January 10am -12noon and 2pm-4pm
Children under 12 years will need a signed parental consent form and to be accompanied by an adult.
Book a free place at the library, call 0345 045 5225 or email Wisbech.Referral@cambridgeshire.gov.uk. The project is supported by Arts Council England, the British Film Institute and The Space.
Readingfor pleasure and purposebrings so many benefits, and the library is always here to help you with readingchoices.
According to research byThe Queen’s Reading Room just five minutes of reading can reduce stress bynearly 20%, and reading earlier in the day can make you feel more connected to others and ready to tackle challenges.
AJanuaryresolution to squeeze ina few minutes of readingeach daycouldreally support your wellbeingthis year!
Holocaust Memorial Day
Holocaust Memorial Day, 27thJanuary
The theme for Holocaust Memorial
Day2026,'Bridging Generations', is a call to action. The responsibility of remembrancedoesn'tend with the survivors - it lives on through their children, grandchildren and through all of us.Holocaust Memorial Day calls us to engage actively with the past:listen,learnand carry lessons forwardtobuild a bridge between memory and action, history and hope for the future.
To findmemoirs of the holocaust, visit our online catalogue Home
| Cambridgeshire Librariesand type Holocaust in the search bar.
Health Information Week
Health Information Week is a national campaign promoting
high-quality health information for patients and the public.It’s taking place from 19th to 25th January this
year.
Here are some trusted sources of health information that we
recommend according to the 5 themes this year:
Why notvisit Cambridge Central Library this Januaryandview two fascinatingmini-exhibitionswith a focus onBlack Britishhistory?
On the third floor (near Cambridgeshire Collection),you’llfinda‘Black USAF’ exhibition celebratingformer Americanairmanand music icon Geno Washington. The photographs will be at the libraryuntil 31st January.For more information about the project, visitBlack USAF |
Cultural Connections in Cold War East Anglia
Near the entrance on the first floor, you can visitListenToThisStory!,a new versionof the first ever major exhibition exploring how Black people have been represented in UK children’s literature. Themini-exhibitionwill be with us until 16th January, and you can find out more by visitingListen
to this story! - Childrens Books, Black British History
New books
Click on the button below for our full selection of new books for January
Our Cambridgeshire Listens collection brings you a wide range of books to borrow in eAudiobook format. Available for multiple use, they're great for reading groups and workplace reads.
Each month the selection of adult, young adult and children's titles are refreshed - they're available to borrow over a 60-day period. Try the link to look at this month's offerings.
We have fifteen titles available as Listens:
Death of an Honest Man by M.C. Beaton, The Formidable Miss Cassidy byMeihanBoey, The Rose Arbor by Rhys Bowen, Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte, Promise Me by Harlan Coben, Scripted by Fearne Cotton, Redwood Court byDeLanaR.A. Dameron, Dark Queen Rising by Paul Doherty, The Life Impossible by Matt Haig, The Teacher of Auschwitz by Wendy Holden, Here One Moment by Liane Moriarty, Lover After Love by Ingrid Persaud, Angel by L. J. Ross, Family Ties by Rowena Summers and Your One Wild and Precious Life by Dr Maureen Gaffney
We have five Junior/Teen titles available as Listens:
The Mystery of the Secret Room by Enid BlytonThe Glass Girl by Kathleen Glasgow, Rosa by Starlight by Hilary McKay, Magic Animal Friends Treasury Vol 2 by Daisy Meadows and Super Sleuth by David Walliams
19th-26th January is Warm Welcome Week, a celebration of the UK’s thousands of Warm Welcome Spaces.
Cambridgeshire Libraries offer you a safeplace to be, where youdon’thave to spend any money.The library is free to join and free to use, plus didyou know that many librariesoffer free tea,coffeeand biscuits over the winter period?Ask at your local library to find out more.
Dry Januaryis a campaign by Alcohol Change UK which encourages people to go alcohol free for 31 days.
Alcohol is linked tomanyhealthconcerns, but taking a break for just one month can bring benefits including better sleep, improved mood, more energyand saving money. It also helps develop the skills to reduce alcohol intake long term.
Download Alcohol Change UK’s free Try Dry appto track progress and experience the benefits of going alcohol free.
You can visitAlcohol Change UKfor more information and access further resourcesto help prepare for your Dry January.
Dry January is not suitable for people who are alcohol dependent. Support is available for anyone affected by alcohol use through our local treatment service- "Change Grow Live".
The Library Presents
Choose this year's performances for your library!
The Library Presents is ourvibrant, inclusive programme of arts and cultural eventschosenby YOU!Get involved and tell us what you want tocome and seethis year, everyone is welcome!
There is a menu of fifty performances to choose from including music, theatre, art, dance, comedy, magic, puppetry and digital arts.Something for all ages 0-100+.
For more information, visit any library (including mobile libraries), read the menu, and put a paper with your choices in a box. You can also go online, view the menu, watch videos, and make your choices with an online form.
