The Lost Streets project goes live

Funded by a Jane Moody Scholarship, University of York PhD researcher Joanne Harrison has collaborated with Leeds Central Library’s Local and Family History department and Leeds Museums and Galleries to deliver five online workshops, a new website resource (bit.ly/loststreetsleeds) and a display for the Abbey House Museum. She reports here on the activities of the…

Hints and Observations relative to the Prevention of Contagious Fever

This week Assistant Librarian Manager, Sally Hughes reflects on her chosen item for Speed Date a Library Treasure IV earlier in the year. As part of our most recent Speed Date a Library Treasure event I took along a little gem from our stacks; Hints and Observations Relative to the Prevention of Contagious Fever, By R.W….

‘Xmas at the Libraries’

This week Assistant Librarian Manager of Local and Family History, Sally Hughes, takes a look back at festive performances gone by in Leeds Libraries.   ‘Children who attend the “Story half-hours” in the Leeds Public Libraries are preparing for extra jolly programmes…’ During the mid to late 1920s Leeds Libraries saw a huge increase in…

The Hallowe’en Special

This week Librarian Sally Hughes talks ghost-busting and all things spooky… With Hallowe’en upon us it’s the perfect time to point you in the direction of our most ghoulish collections here at Central Library. The first place to be is right here at our The Supernatural  research guide. You can find all these books on our online…

A Partial History of Leeds Central Library

This last Wednesday, to mark National Libraries Week, four of our Local and Family History team, plus one intrepid volunteer, delivered a talk offering a brief history of Leeds Central Library, primarily derived from material found in several volumes of news-cuttings covering public libraries in Leeds. So, this week on the Secret Library we offer…

Yorkshire – owt or nowt?

Librarians Antony Ramm and Sally Hughes report on a Yorkshire-themed collections day school for arts students… This week the Central Library welcomed two groups of design students from the Leeds Arts University to explore our collections on the theme of Yorkshire. The aim was to inspire these young creatives to develop work that explored the subject…

Leeds Central Library – The Hallowe’en Files

by Sally Hughes, Local and Family History, Leeds Central Library For a building almost 130 years old the walls of Leeds Central Library have many tales to tell. If you have visited or even seen photographs of this beautiful Victorian building you will know that there is a rich history to be explored inside. A…