Keep calm and carry on from Darlington libraries!

If you're reading this blog post today you may be at home, you might be working from home instead of your usual location, or homeschooling your children.

Whatever you're doing currently, all of our library staff hope you are well and with so much going on in the world right now we hope we can help you find some positives to focus on. 

We have chatted our colleagues and found that some of us are taking up new hobbies in our spare time to stay busy and keep any anxiety we have at bay. One colleague has started knitting and gardening, another can to be found at his allotment whenever he can.

Lots of us are reading whether it's for pleasure or escapism, or planning the jobs we haven't had chance to get done around the home, some of us have pets that we can take for walks/ cuddle to alleviate stress.

Many of you may be using your time to re-read children's classics that they remember fondly, or perhaps you've discovered a new author never read before. 

Our home delivery service has been extremely well received by the over 60 age group, we only wish we could deliver books to all of you!

We hope normal service will resume again soon and we can all reflect on this time and see it as a period where we could focus on new projects and find our inner strength to pull us through.
In the meantime why not take on a new interest, get yourself out for a daily walk in the sunshine (whilst practicing social distancing of course) or rediscover some of those books you have always been trying to get around to reading.

We are used to speaking to lots of our users every day (it's so quiet here in the building without you all!)

Our reading challenge is still ongoing and we'd love to hear from you as to how you're getting on with it. Have you read anything lately and would like to share a review with our library members? Have you have taken on some new interests to help you with your own mental health and keep your mind active. Maybe you have a positive mantra to tell everyone about. Feel free to contact us about it and lets support each other in our reading community.
Now all thats left to say is, stay safe, keep washing those hands, and lets change our own little corner of the world however insular that seems right now, it's just as important.

Keep reading, keep smiling and if you're feeling brave try and explore new forms of communication on your tablet/device/apps or download some free digital books from Borrowbox and newpapers, e-Magazines & much more from R B Digital (more information on our website) to keep yourself in a great headspace.

Right now we may not be chatting to you as we are used to, but rest assured we are thinking about you all and wishing you well. Our library users make our service what it is, and we hope to serve you all again soon.