In the first of a new monthly series, the manager of Balham Library, Alex Martin, gives us the lowdown on all the exciting things happening at the library in the month of February. Take it away Alex...!

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Hello Balham!

I must be honest – for a librarian I am a bit lost for words. What would you be looking for from a library blog? Book reviews? Stories of the strange things we’ve found stuffed in books?

But first things first... Where are we? Balham Library is at 16 Ramsden Road, just off Balham High Road. And what do we do? We offer a range of online services, PC use, DVD rental and, yes - of course - books. We also host a range of activities from book groups to ESOL groups. I look forward to letting you know more about what we do in general but, as we’re coming up to half term, I thought I should shout about the fantastic activities we’ve got planned in the children’s library.

We’re celebrating Chinese New Year with an event on Saturday 16th February, where we’re being joined by Snowflake books for an afternoon of activities, games and dragon dancing – it’s from 2-4pm and everybody’s welcome!

On Thursday 14 February at 11am we’re hosting Mama G for Wandsworth Libraries first ever drag queen story time. We’re really excited about this event and think it’s a fantastic way to mark LGBTQ history month! For children aged 2 and over, everyone welcome!

Half term is looking particularly magical this year. On Monday 18th from 3pm to 5.30pm we’re hosting a Harry Potter extravaganza: an enchanting afternoon complete with wand-making, games, a real magic show, and a Very Special Wizarding Guest from Hogwarts! We’re also welcoming Explore Learning back to the library on Wednesday 20th from 3pm-4pm for their Grand Maths Whiz(ard) workshop for ages 7-9.

And for the really wee-ones, on Friday 22^nd February we’re running a messy play session in collaboration with Balham Children’s Centre. With a range of tactile activities planned, your baby will have a blast. This event will take place in the library hall at 10.00-11.00 & 11.30-12.30 | Under 5s.  First come, first served.

As you can see, we’ve always got lots on at the library and full listings are available here!

I’d like to thank Balham Daily PRSS for the opportunity to write a little something on here every month. We’ll keep you up to date with everything going on at Balham Library in this blog but you can also find out more on our library page and on Twitter.

Come in, say hello to your library and your librarians… and grab a book (or ten?)!