16-20 May is Adult Learners week and my goodness we’ve  got plenty going on in libraries to mark the fact. Whether you want to find out more about local history, start a book group, improve your computer skills or trace your family tree, we’ve got something for you.

Just a quick reminder that libraries will be closed on Good Friday (22nd April) and Easter Monday (25th April).  However, during the Easter weekend, libraries will be open on Saturday 23 April and Sunday 24 April if they are usually open on a Sunday.

The aim of The Library Guide Project is to enable people with learning disabilities to be more confident in using library services.
Learn about borrowing books and other materials, accessing information, using the computers and finding out about other events and activities in Edinburgh.
Interested? come along to McDonald Road Library on Tuesday mornings 11am – 1pm and meet Angela Baker, the trainee library guide.

Every Wednesday afternoon from 2 – 4 pm Laura Stobbs, a community support worker, pops in to McDonald Road Library to help people find out about housing options, deal with official letters and fill in benefit forms.
Unfortunately  Laura won’t be in tomorrow, but she will be back as usual on 16th March. If you are in need of the kind of help outlined above, pop along to find out how Laura can help.

Due to essential maintenance, public access PCs are not currently available in our libraries. We apologise for any inconvenience this may cause and would like to reassure library users that we are working to restore access as quickly as possible.

Anyone who’s met or heard local author Margaret Irvine will know that visitors to McDonald Road Library are in for a treat on Saturday 26th February when Margaret will be dropping in to read from and discuss her book, Tenterfield, my happy childhood in care, which chronicles the story of her upbringing alongside 39 other children in a children’s home in Haddington in the years after the war.

Monday 24th January is shaping up to be a big day for our book groups.
As well as our rescheduled Big Book Group Bash with Alan Bissett, Laura Marney, Sue Peebles and Stuart Kelly – which we’re all looking forward to – just down the road at McDonald Road Library we’ll be holding the very first meeting of our brand new Polish book group.

A new Drop-in Job Clinic For Parents is starting up at McDonald Road Library. We’ll help you lick your cv into shape, complete those application forms and show you how to go about finding the right job for you.
The clinic will be held every Thursday from 20th Jan – 24th Feb 2011 at 10am – 12:30pm. For further details contact Judith Fenton on 0131 316 5073 or Katie Turpie on 0131 553 0106.

Just a quick reminder that libraries will close at 5pm on Hogmanay then reopen as normal on Wednesday 5th January.
Happy New Year to all our readers from everyone here at Edinburgh City Libraries!