Overdue Books.
There are still a lot of borrowers with very overdue books, despite the book amnesty. If the books are not returned then a replacement fee will charged.

The annual subscription on many of the cardholder’s books has expired and needs to be renewed before the end of March. Anyone who does not wish to renew their membership can just return the books.

Subscriptions
Please support the Library by paying your subscription on time. If everyone who has books on loan in the file, paid their subscription on time, then the Library membership would see an increase on last year’s figures. Anyone with an out of date subscription who still has books on loan will be charged an overdue fee from 1st April, as it not fair that the borrowers who have paid, are subsidising the borrowers who have not. If this will cause any problems please just get in touch so the situation can be helped.

National Libraries Day - update

We had a very successful week, and there is a report of the event from the IoM Examiner here.

A surprise visitor on the day was Mrs Edna Almond (and her husband), great niece of the first Librarian Mr Henry Halsall, and her mother was Mrs Emma Clark (nee Halsall) who was Librarian here from 1928 –1960, it was lovely that they had taken time out to come and visit the Library, and Mrs Almond was able to remember the gate (which was kept locked) to access the Sophia Morrison Reference Room, and the staircase which is now the cupboard by the issuing desk that led up to the Ladies Reading Room. She also remembered the enormous counter that the books were issued from, and can be seen on the original plans of the Library that recently came from Canada.

Thank you to everyone who helped make National Libraries Day such a success. Thank you also to the Lady who donated money for the Junior members fees so it could be free on the day. I am hoping that the various clubs and organisations will get new members or volunteers. It was amazing how much information was available and see how many events and clubs are in Peel and the West.

Library subscriptions – All current users of the Library are reminded to please check that they have paid the annual subscription. Subscriptions have to be in by the end of March. The Book Amnesty still on until the end of the month.

Photo: Mike Proudfoot, courtesy of IoM Newspapers

Original architect's plans of the library. Last year the Library was contacted by Mrs Ann Harvie who with her late husband Tim, visited the Ward Library a few years ago from their home in Canada. Mr Tim Harvie was the Great Grandson of Mr James Kewley Ward, who was the benefactor of the Library and had arranged for the Library plus fixtures and fittings to be built on the site of his birthplace in Castle Street. Mrs Harvie was going through some family documents and found some items she thought the Library would like, and kindly posted them over from Canada. When the items were delivered they included one of the original architect drawings of the library dated 1906 and incredibly it was part of a set of these drawings that would have been made at the time.

What was exciting was the fact that several years ago the Library had been given a copy of another set of these drawings that were found in an architect’s office in Douglas, and now we have a matching pair. The new plan has the façade of the Library and two floor plans which would have been hand drawn.

There was also a very delicate paper floor plan of the ground plan of the library and this has been preserved and mounted for safe keeping.

Mrs Harvie also sent over some coloured postcards with scenes from the Isle of Man that were part of a 36 album set, and are circa 1907-1910. I am very grateful to Mr Ward’s family for sending these items over. With the Ward Library reaching the milestone of 105 years of being open at the end of September, it is fitting that these items are now on display in the Library and it is amazing to think that these meticulous drawings were sent out to Canada for Mr Ward’s approval in 1906 and have now come home.

Mr Alan Keown. I am sure I join with others who knew Mr. Alan Keown in offering deepest sympathy to his family at this sad time. Mr Keown had been a member of the Library for many years and really enjoyed his reading, especially ones with a seafaring background. It was a lovely gesture by the family to make a donation to the Library in his memory. The donation will be used to buy books by the authors he liked so much.

Don't forget you can renew your books online.

The popular Book Sale is still continuing, what started as a temporary sale seems to have become a permanent fixture; there are plenty of bargain books on offer, suitable for all ages.

The Library has just received the - three more Audio recording from the Peel Heritage Trust:
Lindsay and Bernie Quayle - Manx Connections. 

Jennifer Leece - Of Course You Can't Print This! and

'Hector' Emanuelli - War Time Memories of a Peel Internee.  Mr Emanuelli has been mentioned here before, after the Library received a copy of his book and subsequent visit, the Peel Heritage Trust invited him over again and recorded this CD in April of this year.  Although the CDs cannot be be borrowed, the Trust have donated a CD Player and anyone is welcome to use earphones and listen to them in the Library during lending hours. Now the clocks have altered it maybe an interesting way to pass the time over the next few months. The Library now has 17 of these audio CDs.