We welcome you to Camden Library Services and during these times of isolation hope you can make use of your Digital Library!

If you are not already a member of our Libraries, it is easy to join online by clicking the button on the ‘joining page’ of our website. Click here to sign up!

We hope that you can make use of our ebooks, audiobooks and online magazines whilst spending time at home. 

Camden Library Services subscribes to a number of online reference resources not otherwise available on the free web. You can access these with your Camden libraries membership number.

Online reference resources - Ancestry, Oxford dictionaries and reference, Who's Who, newspaper archives and more

#TakeYourLibraryAnywhere

Books and Beyond: recommended reading list

Here is our recommended reading list for Black History Season and beyond, put together by the Camden Black Workers Group

The Warmth of Other Suns by Isabel Wilkerson

I Know why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou

What It Means When a Man Falls From the Sky: Stories by Lesley Nneka Arimah

The Hate you Give by Angie Thomas 

Tell me your secret by Dorothy Koomson 

One Crazy Summer by Rita Williams- Garcia 

The Autobiography of Malcolm X by Malcolm X

Race and the Undeserving Poor: From Abolition to Brexit by Robbie Shilliam 

The Master's Tools Will Never Dismantle The Master's House by Audre Lorde 

The Fire Next Time by James Baldwin 

Why I'm No Longer Talking To White People about Race by Reni Eddo-Lodge 

Ain't I a Woman: Black Women and Feminism by Bell Hooks 

Me and White Supremacy: Combat Racism, change the World, and Become a Good Ancestor by Layla F Saad 

How to Be Less Stupid about Race by Crystal Marie Fleming 

Superior: The Return of Race Science by Angela Saini

Washington Black by Esi Edugyan 

Red Dust Road by Jackie Kay 

Queenie by Candice Carty-Williams 

The Colour Purple by Alice Walker

Small Island by Andrea Levy 

Natives: Range & Class in the Ruins of Empire by Akala 

Between The World and Me by Ta- Nehisi Coates 

Black and British: A Forgtten History by David Olusoga

They Can't Kill Us All: The Story of Black Lives Matter by Wesley Lwery 

Girl, Woman, Other by Bernardine Evaristo

The Interesting Narrative and Other Writings by Olaudah Equiano 

Slay In Your Lane by Yomi Adegoke and Elizabeth Uviebinene

The Good Immigrant by Nikesh Shukla 

Martin Luther King Jr by Maria Isabel Sanchez Vegara 

Your Silence Will Not Protect You by Reni Eddo-Lodge and Audre Lodge 

Wonderful Adventures of Mrs Seacole in Many Lands by Mary Seacole 

Remaking Black Power: How Black Women Transformed an Era (Justice, Power and Politics)by Ashley D. Farmer 

They Were Her Property: White Women as Slave Owners in the American South by Stephanie E. Jones–rogers

Long Way Down by Jason Reynolds 

Well-Read Black Girl: Must-Read Stories From Black Female Writers by Glory Edim 

Heavy: An American Memoir by Kiese Laymon

An American Marriage by Tayari Jones 

A Lucky Man by James Brinkley 

Citizen: An American Lyric by Claudia Rankine

What It Means When A Man Falls From the by Sky Lesley Nneka Arimah

Exhibiting Blackness: Afircan Americans and the American Art Museum: African Americans and the American Art Museum by Bridget R. Cooks

Red at the Bone by Jaqueline Woodson

The New Jim Crow by Michelle Alexander 

The Underground Railroad by Colson Whitehead 

Roots by Alex Haley 

Song of Solomon by Toni Morisson Yvette

Library Offers

Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone  

Pottermore Publishing will also be teaming up with digital library supplier OverDrive to gift the first book in its digital form. Patrons of OverDrive libraries will be able to borrow Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone as an eBook or audiobook in over 20 languages from participating local and school libraries, including via OverDrive’s Libby app, and the Sora app for schools.

This offering will last until the end of April, so if you can, why not have a browse?

Ancestry 

Research your family history on Ancestry.   

Now available from home with a Camden Library membership. Access this here.

Ideas to Stay Active and Engaged: 

Sport England’s Join the Movement campaign continues to evolve with the launch of a television advert made entirely with self-shot videos from members of the public embodying the #StayInWorkOut motto. The health and fitness industry has been involved in the development of the online hub, which is encouraging people to keep or get active in and around the home. Workouts from fitness brands and influencers such as Les Mills on Demand, The Body Coach (Joe Wicks) and FiiT are available and Sport England is keen to hear from those who have more content to share. They have also urged Local Authorities to help spread the  message across the nation.

ukactive and Nike have teamed up to launch Move Crew, a programme to help children stay physically active while they're off school. It features daily 'activity missions' created by school staff members, coaches and elite Nike athletes

Activity Alliance has released new ways to adapt activities so more people can stay in and work out. Disabled people and providers can access new social media graphics and tips on the STEP tool. STEP stands for Space, Task, Equipment and People and is an effective way to use household items to be active.

#CreateToConnect starts today, kicking off a month of daily creative challenges to keep people connected, curious and creative at home. The challenges have been set in collaboration with 31 different partners including schools, libraries, museums, community groups, care homes and more. You can download a free tailored activity pack with all the challenges ahead of time. This will enable you to engage your communities in the challenges - online and offline.

The National Archives are now providing free access to their digital records for as long as the site in Kew remains closed to visitors. Registered users can now order and download up to 10 items at a time, up to a maximum of 50 items over a rolling 30-day period.

A new online learning platform to help boost the nation’s skills while people are staying at home has been launched by The Department for Education. The Skills Toolkit is made up of free online courses, tools and resources to help improve digital and numeracy skills.

Make Music Day on 21st June will be a digital celebration this year taking the form of three key strands: Perform, Watch, Create. They are inviting people to get involved here.