Women, shopping and citizenship in Manchester between the wars - a free talk at Withington Library

Women, Shopping and Citizenship in Manchester Between the Wars - A talk by Dr Charlotte Wildman, University of Manchester.

We’re celebrating International Women's Week with fascinating and thought-provoking talks about Manchester women in history. After the collapse of the cotton industry in the 1920s, Manchester sought to generate new economic activity by developing and marketing the city as a quality shopping destination.Revitalised shops and department stores used decorations and special events to promote shopping as the new leisure activity. Find out how women took on an increasingly important role as consumers.

Refreshments served. More information from Elaine Power on 0161 227 3720
Withington, Wednesday 9 March, 6.30 pm

And there's more - don't forget to take a look at our Women in the Archives photo gallery on Flickr. Greater Manchester County Record Office and Manchester Archives have recently added over 2000 historic images to the photo sharing website Flickr as part of the Manchester Archive Plus project. Read more on the Manchester Archive Plus blog.

Weekly link round up

To wrap up this week here are some interesting links that have caught our eye...

Turing papers saved for the nation via Geeks are Sexy
101 cool tools: Instapaper via Davepress
Can Scandinavian crime fiction teach socialism? via The Guardian
50 DIY ereader cases via Teleread
Library eBooks Report via WalkingPaper
London’s Most Popular Surnames Visualised via The Next Web
Said.fm: Discover the spoken-word podcasts that tell great stories via The Next Web
One in twenty Brits now use MyHeritage to research their family history
‘Bloggable’, ‘tbh’ and ‘feature phone’ make Oxford Dictionaries Online via The Next Web
Waterstone's reveals its 11 debut fiction picks for 2011via The Bookseller
Lost Enid Blyton manuscript discovered Via the Bookseller
Twelve picked for "Culture Show" debuts special via The Bookseller
UK chain sells e-ink reader for less than £29 via Teleread
The John le Carré literary archive is seminal news via The Telegraph
Twournal.com - Tweets In A Journal via Killer Startups

Countdown to World Book Night...

We’re doing our bit for World Book Night (Saturday 5 March), when the biggest ever book giveaway takes place. 20,000 book givers will hand out a million books from a list of forty titles - see the list and find out more at www.worldbooknight.org

On the night itself Manchester Libraries and The Mustard Tree have got together to host an evening of music, poetry, stories and entertainment to tap into the talent of Manchester’s homeless and marginalised communities. The Open Mic night takes place at The Mustard Tree, 110 Oldham Road, Ancoats M4 6AG on Saturday March 5 from 7.30-9.30pm

If you’re not lucky enough to be in line for free books, then perhaps the library service can help you too. Ask in any library or browse our online catalogue, where you can reserve and borrow them free.

We’ve also picked some of our favourites from the list - including works by Kate Atkinson, Toni Morrison and Ben Macintyre - for you to borrow free in eBook/audio book form via our Download service.

And new during March! Log in to the library catalogue and leave a review of any of these, or any other books and we’ll enter your name into our weekly book token prize draws.

Library Theatre Company launches new community theatre group with local housing trust

The Library Theatre Company, currently based in the Zion Arts Centre in Hulme after leaving its central Manchester home of nearly 60 years in the Central Library in Manchester, has joined forces with the City South Manchester Housing Trust to launch the HMF Theatre Company.

Aimed at anyone aged over 18, the HMF Theatre Company - Hulme, Moss Side, and Fallowfield - will offer local residents the chance to perform in a professional theatre environment, get involved backstage in a production, develop their skills, or create their own performances with the support of the team at the Library Theatre Company.

Taster sessions start at the Zion Arts Centre in Hulme in March and April.  No previous experience is needed, just enthusiasm and commitment! All are welcome to attend at the company’s first open evening at the Zion Arts Centre on 335 Stretford Road, Hulme, Manchester 15 on Tuesday 8 March between 7pm-9pm.

For more information Liz Postlethwaite, Library Theatre Company Community and Education Director, on 0161 234 1922, or via email l.postlethwaite@manchester.gov.uk 

2011 Buxton Poetry competition now officially open!

The 2011 Buxton Poetry Competition is open for entries. There are three categories:

Open Poetry for ages 19 and over
Young Peoples Poetry for ages 12 to 18
Children’s Poetry for ages up to 12 (Age is as of 1st April 2011).

This year the theme of the competition is ‘Fire’ and poets are invited to use their imagination to interpret in anyway they please.

Prizes for the Open category: £300, £200 and £100

Prizes for the other categories: Book tokens

Closing Date for all entries is 1st April 2011.

Find lots more inf and an entry form here...

Children's writers dominate library lending...

Children's writers dominated library lending in the past year. Jacqueline Wilson, Lauren Child and Terry Deary were among the seven children's writers who figure in the top 10 most-borrowed authors.

Adult novelist James Patterson tops the list for the fourth year running, with his work Swimsuit - also the UK's most borrowed book.

The large volume of children's authors continues the upward trend of recent years for kids' fiction to be the dominant force. Horrible Histories creator Terry Deary is a new entry in the top ten, replacing Lucy Cousins, author of the Maisy books.

Figures released for the year 2009-10 by library royalty body Public Lending Rights show children's borrowing has been on the rise for the past few years. Only four of the top 10 authors in 2006 were writing for children, and this has steadily grown.Almost 80% of five to 10-year-olds now use public libraries, according to the data.

Read more on this story on the BBC website.

How to sell your ebooks via mobile phones...

If you are a self-publisher actively using social media to find readers and draw their attention to your books (probably published in an electronic form), this post, from Teleread, is for you. Teleread editor Paul Biba shares  a simple way to make your e-book available for instant purchase by mobile phone users.

Reading eBooks on your iPad? Check out Manchester Libraries...

OverDrive Media Console - the iPhone app that lets users check out and read e-books from a library - has been upgraded to a universal app optimized for iPad use.

The new free app enables members of Manchester Libraries to wirelessly download and enjoy eBooks and digital audiobooks from the library on an iPad. Download the Overdrive Media Console app from the Apple store.

"The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo" by Stieg Larsson and bestsellers from John Grisham, Keith Richards and Bill Bryson are just a few of the Most Downloaded Books from  Manchester Libraries.


OverDrive's app for iPad gives users wireless access to the library's EPUB eBook and MP3 audiobook catalogue without a PC.

After you've installed the new app visit the Manchester Libraries Download site, browse for titles, check out with a valid library card, and download directly to the iPad. The eBook and audiobook titles from the library automatically expire in the app, so there is never a late fee.

It's easy to join the library. Fill in our simple online form and we'll give you a membership number. You can use this to make reservations, write reviews and to access online reference materials straight away. Then just visit any of our libraries, we'll give you a ticket and you can start borrowing.

Join Online Now

Library Theatre Company are looking for young actors...

CALL OUT TO YOUNG ACTORS!

The Library Theatre Company is looking for young people aged 15 – 18 with an interest in performing to join our Young Actors’ Company. This is the perfect opportunity to develop your performance skills in a PROFESSIONAL theatre environment!

What do I need to know?

· You'll meet every Wednesday in central Manchester from 5.30pm – 7.15pm.

· There are two shows a year (the next one will be in August 2011)

· No prior experience necessary – just an interest in acting and a commitment to learn more.

I’d love to get involved. What do I need to do?

Send an email or note letting us know why you want to get involved and what your star qualities are that would make you a brilliant member of the Library Theatre company.

Send your emails to l.postlethwaite@manchester.gov.uk or post to

Library Theatre Company
Zion Arts Centre
335 Stretford Road
Hulme
M15 5ZA

If you want more info or to see if the group’s for you give Liz or Rosie a call on 0161 234 1922

Send in your application by FRIDAY 25th FEBRUARY.

Library Theatre offer free half term acting workshops for young people

Aged 15 – 18? Looking for something fun to do during half term? Why not join one of the Library Theatre's free half term projects where you’ll meet new people, learn new skills and have the opportunity to work with professionals from the Library Theatre Company.


ACTING TECHNIQUE
Monday 21st, Tuesday 22nd and Wednesday from 10.30am – 12.30pm
So you want to be an actor? Develop your acting and performance skills in a fun and friendly environment.
Learn more about how to approach work from a script and how to start developing characters over this three day course.


WRITING FOR STAGE
Monday 21st, Tuesday 22nd and Wednesday from 1.30pm – 3.30pm
If you fancy yourself as a budding writer this is the chance to being developing your ideas. Consider different approaches to developing scripts and learn techniques to bring your own ideas to life.

INTRODUCTION TO DIRECTING
Thursday 24th and Friday 25th from10.30am – 12.30pm
So… you’ve had a go at acting but now to want to try something new? Maybe taking the reins and becoming a director could be for you? If you think that’s the case join us to learn the basics and discover the best ways forward to develop your skills as a professional director.

IMPROVISATION AND THEATRE GAMES
Thursday 24th and Friday 25th from 1.30pm – 3.30pm
To be a good actor it’s really important to be able to think on your feet and to be able to respond to your imagination and creativity quickly. And the best way to develop those skills? Through games and improvisation. Join us for two afternoons of mad cap theatre fun and learn how playing around can improve your skills as a performer.

Sign up for as many as you want! Ring 0161 234 1922 or email l.postlethwaite@manchester.gov.uk to book. Hurry up though! We’re expecting these courses to be really popular. All courses take place at the Zion Arts Centre on Stretford Road in Hulme.

Love science fiction? Manchester's Sci-Fi Book Club needs you - tomorrow!

If you like Sci-Fi then get yourself down to the Madlab tomorrow night for the Manchester Science Fiction Book Club.

Community hack space Madlab (aka Manchester Digital Laboratory) host the book club, which has been running for a year now. Meetings are very informal and have been known to involve pizza and a pint...

Over the past year we've covered classic sci-fi authors J.G. Ballard, Joe Haldeman, Arthur C. Clarke and Ursula K Le Guin, the first woman author on the list. More recent books include China Miéville's The City and the City, Iain M Bank's The Player of Games and Andreas Eschbach's The Carpet Makers, only recently translated into English from German. 

If you'd like more information email me s.lawson[at]manchester.gov.uk or tweet me @shedsue or even talk to me on 0161 234 1938. You can also join the Google Group  and use the #mcrsf hashtag if  you are on twitter. Sarah-Clare Conlon and Adrian Slatcher have blogged about the book club and there's more information on the MadLab website.

You don't have to have read anything for tomorrow night's meeting. It's a general meeting to welcome new members and choose future books to read. See you there?

Tomorrow's meeting is at 7pm the Madlab,  36-40 Edge Street, Manchester M4 1HN
(Between Thomas St and the Craft Centre, opposite A Bar Called Common).

The Red Ceilings Press website and chapbook

Our friends over at the Red Ceilings blog have just launched a brand new website for their poetry e-books and limited edition chapbooks.
Take a look and check out their first chapbook title, adrift, by Simon Howard.

www.theredceilingspress.co.uk

Love Bites - check out the Commonword's Valentine Night

Don't miss the Commonword Valentine Special on Friday 11 February at the International Anthony Burgess Centre. Whether you want to sit on the sidelines happy to watch others fall in love and make fools of themselves, or whether you are fully loved-up and know without doubt love is the only thing that matters in the world, you need to check out these poets and their take on love!

Two teams – each a mixture of cavaliers and roundheads, romantics and rationalists- take turns to cover three topics: Attraction/ Falling, All Loved Up, Eternity/ Endings. The team with the best take on the night wins the poetry laurels. You the audience decide. Hosted by the legendary Gerry Potter, with Open mic sessions in the warm up, this should be a night to remember.

The teams are:

Team 1: Tony Walsh, Chanje Kunda, Keisha Thompson
Team 2: Dominic Berry, Sophie Hall, Shamshad Khan

Entry is £5 standard, £3 for concessions and open micers. Bookings, open mic spots and further information from Commonword admin@culturerword.org.uk 0161 832 3777

For map enter M1 5BY into Google Maps / multimap etc. There's lots more information over at Commonword.

UK library ebook download chart now available

Steig Larsson is one of the most downloaded ebooks from Manchester Libraries. He's also number one in the brand new UK library download chart. Overdrive now issues monthly “Most Downloaded Books from the Library” lists, which features popular eBook and audiobook downloads from UK libraries using Overdrive.

Steig Larsson, John Grisham and Kathryn Stockett top the ebook and audiobook fiction download chart. The nonfiction top ten features ebooks and audiobooks from Keith Richards, Bill Bryson and Mark Twain. Have a look at the the full UK list.

According to Publishers Weekly, The Times will soon begin publishing a new ebook bestsellers chart. The new list will appear on February 13th and will have fiction and non-fiction categories.


If you have a library ticket, use it on our website to download eBooks and audio books for your eReader, computer, phone or MP3 player. Just like at the real library, they’re free to borrow for three weeks. After that, loans automatically expire and items just send themselves back, so there are no overdue charges.

There are over 1,600 titles to choose from: novels, non-fiction, biographies and more, and we’re adding new ones all the time. Have a browse, take the quick-start tour, then download the free software. If you’ve got a compatible gadget, you’re away. Everything you need to know to get started is on the website. Look for the
Download> link at www.manchester.gov.uk/libraries

Learn how to run a successful online business - FREE Workshops for Small Businesses @Chorlton Library

Selling on the Web – FREE Workshop for Small Businesses in South Manchester

If you're a poet, or a writer, a small publishers or a freelancer these free workshops, run by the MDDA, will give you an excellent insight into what selling on the web means – from getting the right website, how the design of your website affects customer behaviour, choosing the right payment system, to devising the best way of attracting customers.

You’ll also get to hear the experiences of business owners who took the leap and are selling online profitably. Plus it is an excellent forum to meet and network with other local businesses.

Venue: Chorlton Library,  Manchester M21 9PN

Workshop 1: “What makes a good website” – 15th February 2011
Workshop 2: “Which payment system is right for your business and your clients” – 22nd February 2011
Workshop 3: “Marketing and Social Networks” – 1st March 2011
Workshop 4: “Search Engine Optimisation & Advertising” – 8th March 2011

Time: 4:30pm to 6:45pm

You can download the presentations etc. from the last programme by following the links below.

1. What makes a good website
2. Which payment system is right for your business and your clients
3. Marketing and Social Networks
4. Search Engine Optimisation & Advertising

How to Book

To book a place please send your details to j.keys@manchesterdda.com or telephone 0161 241 8212.
Note: The events are provided by Manchester City Council, with preference given to businesses having a registered address with a Manchester postcode.
There are 20 places per workshop, limited to 2 per company and booked on a first come first served basis.

Fallowfield Zine Fair this Saturday

Get yourself down to Fallowfield this Saturday (12 February) for the Fallowfield Zine and Self Publishing Fair. It's your chance to peruse and purchase some unique publications. The fair is a wonderful showcase of self publishing in and around Manchester, including work from Good Grief, Cafe Royal, Piccadilly Press, The Mill Press, Article Magazine and Museums Press and featuring work from the Manchester School of Art

You'll find the fair at The Art Corner, above Trof from 12 until 5 on Saturday 12 February and there's more information on Facebook.

Stop Press from Forbidden Planet: After the success of last years debut, Hugh Raine and Steve Tillotson have announced that this year’s Leeds Alternative Comics Fair will take place on Saturday 19th March (12-6pm) at The Nation Of Shopkeepers, Leeds.

Poets Get Mashed - Tonight!

Apologies for the late notice - I've just found out about a brand new open mic night in Manchester and it starts TONIGHT. Poets Get Mashed encourages artists to explore their influences and share their literary heroes with others.

Poets are welcome to read their own work or read a poem by someone else - be it local, legendary, live or departed. The open mic is first come, first on, so you'd better get down early if you want to perform, each performer gets 4 MINUTES max!

 The Night will be hosted by the wonderful Dominic Berry and the fantastic Marvin Cheeseman and tonight's special guest is Jo Bell.

Poets Get Mashed is on tonight from 7.30 at An Outlet, 77 Dale Street, Manchester. There's more information on the Poets Get Mashed Facebook page. And you can watch Dominic on Myspace
or catch up with Marvin on his website... 

Start an online business - free workshops for small businesses in Wythenshawe

Selling on the Web – FREE Workshops for Small Businesses in Wythenshawe

Whether you're a writer, an artist, a publisher or a poet this workshop programme gives an excellent insight into what selling on the web actually means – from getting the right website, how the design of your website affects customer behaviour, choosing the right payment system, to devising the best way of attracting customers.

You’ll also get to hear the experiences of business owners who took the leap and are selling online profitably. Plus it is an excellent forum to meet and network with other local businesses.

Venue: Wythenshawe Forum Library,  Wythenshawe, Manchester M22 5RX

Workshop 1: “What makes a good website” – 10th February 2011
Workshop 2: “Which payment system is right for your business and your clients” – 17th February 2011
Workshop 3: “Marketing and Social Networks” – 24th February 2011
Workshop 4: “Search Engine Optimisation & Advertising” – 3rd March 2011

Time: 5:30pm to 7:45pm

You can download the presentations etc. from the last programme by following the links below.

1. What makes a good website
2. Choosing the right payment system for your business and your clients
3. Marketing and Social Networks
4. Search Engine Optimisation & Advertising

How to Book

To book a place please send your details to j.keys@manchesterdda.com or telephone 0161 241 8212.

Note: The events are provided by Manchester City Council, with preference given to businesses having a registered address with a Manchester postcode.
There are 20 places per workshop, limited to 2 per company and booked on a first come first served basis.