Tickets on sale to Jonathan Buckley guest author event at the Library

On Thursday June 24th we will be hosting another hugely popular 'guest author' evenings at Molesey Library, this time with novelist Jonathan Buckley - who is coming all the way from Hove to speak to us.

Jonathan Buckley’s latest novel Nostalgia, published last year, is set in the fictitious Tuscany town of Castelluccio. Like his earlier novels, this new work has been acclaimed by readers and critics alike.

Describing it as ‘a kaleidoscopic novel’, the Sunday Times said ‘From a multitude of angles – history, geography, present and past residents, flora, fauna, festivals – a small Tuscan town is brought to teeming, vivid life. With a central storyline about an English expat painter, it's as exhilarating as an Italian holiday.’

The Independent suggested ‘if you are holidaying in Italy this summer, I'd pack this instead of, not as well as, your Rough Guide.’ This is perhaps no surprise as Jonathan has also been an editorial director at Rough Guides and has written guidebooks on Venice & the Veneto, Tuscany & Umbria, and Florence, as well as contributing to the Rough Guide to Classical Music and the Rough Guide to Opera.

Living in Hove, Jonathan has moved into fiction writing in recent years and has published seven other novels before writing Nostalgia. The Friends of Molesey Library are delighted that he has agreed to come and talk at the next in the current series of Author Evenings being held at the Library. Drawing together his factual and fictional writing about foreign places, Jonathan will be talking on the subject of Places Real & Imagined – Fiction & Travel Writing.

The event will take place on Tuesday June 24 2014 at 7.30 p.m at Molesey Library. Tickets cost £5 – which includes a glass of wine or soft drink – and they can be purchased at Molesey Library.

Alternatively, you can send a cheque (made payable to Friends of Molesey Library) with a stamped addressed envelope, to Author Event, Molesey Library, The Forum, Walton Road, West Molesey KT8 2HZ.

Will the real Jane Austen please step forward...

Molesey-based author Nicholas Ennos has an interesting theory about who really wrote Jane Austen's famous novels! He will be at Molesey Library to give a talk on Tuesday April 29th, so please come along, ask a question and see if you are convinced.

Jane Austen: genius or fraud?

It was recently announced that Jane Austen’s portrait will appear on the Bank of England’s next £10 note, a further accolade for one of our finest and best-loved novelists. But are we actually celebrating the right woman? According to Molesey-based author, Nicholas Ennos, the answer is NO!

After 10 years’ research, Nicholas has recently published his book, Jane Austen – A New Revelation, which sets out to challenge whether a poor, uneducated woman like Jane with no experience of sex or marriage could really have been the author of works such as Pride and Prejudice and Sense and Sensibility.

Much supporting evidence – including the language, style of writing and locations used in the novels - is presented to support his challenge to the authorship of the novels, published anonymously at the time but later attributed to Jane Austen. But, if not Jane, then who? Nicholas is convinced that we need look no further than Eliza de Feuillide, Jane’s Austen’s cousin and later sister-in-law.

In contrast to Jane, a retiring spinster, Eliza was a married lady of the highest intellect whose education was supervised by her natural father, Warren Hastings - Governor General of India, politician, linguist, translator, poet and man of letters.

Eliza’s exciting life began in Calcutta and took in the court of Marie Antoinette, the execution of her first husband by guillotine during the French Revolution, travels through France, and connections with many of the leading literary figures of the London of the day. Nicholas argues that Eliza had the talent and experience to author the novels but that her illegitimate birth prevented her from publishing them under her own name, something which would have brought shame upon her family.

Whilst continuing with his day job as a solicitor, Nicholas continues his research and is passionate about his championship of Eliza de Feuillide as a major, if unrecognised, contributor to English literature. We are delighted that Nicholas has agreed to come along to Molesey Library on April 29th 2014 at 7.30pm to
tell us more about his intriguing ideas and controversial conclusions.

Tickets for the event are £5 – which includes a glass of wine or soft drink – and they can be purchased at Molesey Library. Alternatively, you can send a cheque (made payable to Friends of Molesey Library) with a stamped addressed envelope, to Author Event, Molesey Library, Walton Rd, West Molesey KT8

And there's more...

Nicholas Ennos’s talk on Tuesday April 29th will be the first in a series of author events which Molesey Library is planning to hold this year. Two further dates for your diary are:

• Tuesday June 24th - Travel Writing and Novels by Jonathan Buckley 
• Tuesday September 30th - The Pursuit of Motherhood by Jessica Hepburn 

Further details of these and other future events will be sent out in due course.

By Carol Parker

A lively and entertaining AGM also brings good news for Molesey Library

A lively and thoroughly entertaining evening was had by everyone who attended the Friends' third annual general meeting on January 30th 2014.

Guest speaker Liam Dixon (pictured right with Pauline Morozgalska) from the Surrey Library Service's 'Property Environment Stock Team' (PEST for short!) spoke about his role in managing the vast array of stock across the county. It's his job to make the judgement call on what books to buy and how many, and where to deploy them!

Thankfully, he said, he hasn't messed up spectacularly yet, but he lives in fear of getting it wrong! One in five of 50 Shades of Grey issues were from Surrey, said Liam, and he was pleased to have anticipated the popularity of series.

Liam's passion for reading shone through and though he learned his trade with Waterstones, he said he is happier in the library service where he can recommend a good read to customers without them worrying that he might be trying to get them to buy. Referring to the successful coffee and cake mornings introduced at Molesey Library in November, Liam said: "The coffee is the cheapest in town but the books are a great deal too - we have these wonderful books and the fact they are free makes the library the best deal in town."

Liam had some surprise news for the audience and the Friends when he revealed that footfall at Molesey Library was up 10% and the number of 'issues' was up 1.4% in December - the equivalent of 725 extra books being borrowed. He said children's picture books were going great guns.

Printed books nationally are in decline as sales fall year on year, and the numbers being borrowed are falling too - however in Surrey issues are increasing, which suggests the service is doing something right. December is traditionally a quiet month for issues, as everyone's preoccupied with Christmas, so to have numbers rise at Molesey was very encouraging, Liam said. And in fact Molesey was one of the top performing libraries in Surrey at the end of 2013 - which is excellent news.


He also spoke about 'grubby stock' and dead stock, which are books that are falling apart or not being read because they are out of favour. In April 2013 the amount of dead stock was 14% but currently 92% of books on the shelves are in with a good chance of being borrowed. Paperbacks have a shelf life of two years and hardbacks have four, and Surrey makes efforts to sell unwanted stock rather than pulp it.

Prior to introducing Liam, Friends chairman Pauline Morozgalska listed some of the high points of the previous 12 months, including a successful ‘meet the author’ event with Bill Nicholson, the acclaimed author and screenwriter behind the cinematic version of Les Miserables. She told the meeting how the Friends had successfully obtained a grant from the RC Sheriff Trust to purchase a picture hanging system for the library, and had formed a partnership with Molesey Arts Society to display their work.

The Friends arranged Love Your Library Day in September to show off the picture system and other attractions such as children's rhyme time and computer classes. And the weekly coffee mornings introduced by the Friends in November continue to be well supported, and the group has purchased a fridge freezer to assist the coffee mornings.

Russell Seekins, who was stepping down as treasurer, said the Friends had income of £1,402.50 for the year but had spent £2028.81 on purchases for the Library, leaving the current balance at £1,244.69.
Pauline was reappointed Chairman for another year, with Steve Bax stepping up to Vice Chairman and Liz Cooper replacing Russell as Treasurer. Carol Parker and Mary Gill join the committee.

Friends of Molesey Library AGM

The Friends would like to invite you to attend our annual general meeting on Thursday January 30th, 7pm at Molesey Library. It will be a chance for you to find out more about the Friends and some of the challenges facing our library.

There will be refreshments provided and once the formal business is concluded, there will be an excellent guest speaker - Liam Dixon from Surrey County Council's library service - who is going to take you behind the scenes and reveal how the books are chosen. He will also be answering your questions. So please do come along and support our AGM and your local library.

Molesey Library welcomes the long arm of the law!

Fighting crime and keeping the public safe can be thirsty work, so it was no wonder the police stopped by Molesey Library to investigate its ever popular coffee mornings!

The Friends have been arranging these every Friday with volunteers selling hot drinks and home made cakes from 10am to midday. Word has been getting around town about how good they are, and reasonably priced (just £1 for tea/coffee and cake) - and not to forget the warm welcome extended to visitors - that they have been building a steady following.

Last Friday the police dropped by to chat to library users and answer any questions they may have about local policing in a relaxed and informal setting.

The Friends recently purchased a fridge freezer for the Library's upstairs area which can be used in conjunction with the coffee mornings. For the future we're looking into a shelter for the garden area so that library visitors can make use of the space in the warmer months.

Pauline, chairman of the Friends, said of the coffee mornings: "People can drop in for a few minutes and read the newspapers, browse through a book or have a chat.

"If you have not been in to see us yet, make sure to put a note on your calendar to join us in the near future. If you are not able to come along, you can help the library by spreading the word to friends and neighbours as our community needs to make more use of this wonderful resource and new volunteers are always welcome."

Love Your Library Day – was a great success

Despite the somewhat inclement weather, a warm welcome was waiting at Molesey Library where the Friends had organised a Love Your Library Day with the help of Jo Ryan and her team.

The idea was to continue to raise awareness about the library and services on offer and to recruit more volunteers to help run a range of activities that go beyond the remit of the staff and will attract more people from our local community. For example, we hope to run a regular coffee morning every Friday starting on 1st November and to give visitors an idea of how this would work, a selection of delicious cakes, tea, coffee and herbal drinks were on offer during the morning.

A focal point of the day was the arrival of the MP, Dominic Raab and the Deputy Mayor of Elmbridge, Mr. Barry Fairbank (pictured above with Pauline from the Friends) and his wife who arrived to dedicate a newly installed picture hanging system. This was funded by a generous grant from the RC Sherriff Trust and has enabled the Friends to make a link with the local Molesey Art Society as we now have an excellent display space available in the village. Various members of the Society provided an exhibition of a super selection of works for sale which we hope will be the first of many and is being much admired by library users.

The award ceremony for the nationwide Creepy House Reading Challenge for children was the main focus during the afternoon. This proved very popular with numbers up about 60% from last year. Library staff were supported by two volunteers this year. The children commit to reading a number of books, are awarded stickers to encourage them to reach their first and second targets and, if the challenge is completed, are awarded a certificate and medal. One of the library team, James, presented the awards and the session started with a reading of Molesey’s own Creepy House Story – a tale compiled over the summer by children when they visited to change their books. It proved a fun start to proceedings with both parents and children giggling as the tale twisted along somewhat randomly from start to finish!

At the end of the afternoon, it was a pleasure to see the children leaving the library proudly clutching their well-deserved awards.

The Friends were delighted that some local businesses were able to offer us support. In particular, we are very grateful to the Graphic Metal Company for donating a stunning plaque marking picture hanging and dedication by Dominic Raab, the Card Collection for a specially personalised helium balloon and finally Lily Blossom for donating a plant to help decorate the library.

The quest for volunteers continues. If you feel you can spare some time to help, please either contact the Friends via the website or call into the library and speak to Jo or one of the team.

A summer update from Pauline

HELLO and welcome to the Friends of Molesey Library website. I am Pauline Morozgalska, chairman of the Friends committee.

‘Just about two years ago, our local library was under threat of closure and the possibility of being re-opened and run by volunteers.

Thanks to excellent opposition by local people the decision was reversed and the library remains open and staffed by a professional team. A major factor in the original proposal from Surrey County Council was the fact the library was under-used by Molesey residents and for a while this improved.

However, when comparing figures with one year ago, the number of people actually taking out books has fallen quite dramatically and this is a concern especially as SCC are monitoring the situation closely.

The Friends are working hard with Molesey Library Manager Joanne Ryan and her team to ensure that the library is a welcome place for everyone and to keep the profile high in the area. The library has run a number of very successful weekly events such as Rhymetime, Storytime and a basic computer course.

There are other events that are possible. What is needed is extra help – we need VOLUNTEERS urgently so if you have a little time to spare please go and talk to Jo see the article below for more information.

The selection of books available is marvellous and if what you want is not on the shelves, staff might be able to order it in. If you are a fan of ebooks, those too have been available for a while. At a time when the majority of people are finding that money does not seem to go so far, the library is a free service – so please visit as soon as possible and I think you will be pleasantly surprised.

We are planning a ‘Love Your Library Day’ on 14th September, so put a note in your diary to drop in, have some refreshments, get to meet the library team, the Friends Committee, maybe volunteer and enjoy being part of our local community.

YOUR LIBRARY NEEDS YOU!’

Graduate James swaps science lab for library

MOLESEY Library has bolstered its brain power by hiring a physics graduate as assistant manager!

James Goldsmith, who is 24 and from Thames Ditton, joined the team in January after graduating from Sussex University.

He has been helping to engage younger readers and build relationships with schools in Molesey.

James said: “Whilst at university I got very involved in the outreach side and going into schools to show children how things worked. I realised that I enjoyed this side much more and my role at Molesey Library is an opportunity to continue that.”

James has created engaging presentations using material that Surrey Library Service had in its vaults, including promotional videos featuring the footballer Frank Lampard. He said he is trying to make reading “more cool” for children.

James has also been championing the Creepy House summer reading challenge. For this the Surrey Library Service has teamed-up with illustrator Chris Riddell to design a haunted house poster and related characters.

Children have to read six books and as they complete each milestone they receive stickers to ‘fill and explore’ their Creepy House.

James said reading may be a declining activity for children as there are lots of distractions, but it is “a battle that can be won”.

He said Molesey Library has a thriving crime and thrillers section, but is strong for science books, adding: “I should know.”

Volunteering opportunities at the Library - please help!

A COFFEE morning at Molesey Library in early August was a great success.

The Friends purchased equipment, including an urn and hot water dispenser, and one of our members, Feliks (pictured) sold delicious cakes that were baked by library staff.

Manager Joanne Ryan (right) and her team would love to run events like this more often, but to do so they need the community's help. Perhaps you could help by baking or selling cakes, or even washing the cups and saucers on coffee mornings?

Volunteers are also needed to run Rhymetime and Storytime sessions for children, and computer courses to help older members to master the internet and email.

Here's the full list of volunteer opportunities and times, and please contact library staff or the Friends if you can help. Thank you.

Friends of Molesey Library – VOLUNTEERS NEEDED


1. Volunteers needed to set up and run coffee mornings

Coffee Morning: Every Friday
Time: 10.00 – 12.00

Volunteers needed to do the following:

• Person/s in overall charge to organise/ set up morning, wash and ensure everything is cleared away. (Need about 4 regular volunteers – 1 serving Cake, 1 making tea, 1 coffee, wash up and all to help generally)

• Person to bake cakes weekly – funds raised would provide 1 person with £20 per month to provide 2 cakes per week. Cake may be frozen to prevent waste and then all cakes are kept by the same person. Other people coming to the coffee morning may donate a cake).

• Volunteer who has a food hygiene H & S certificate or someone willing to be trained.

Coffee morning is a drop in time so not everyone would stay for two hours. At Chertsey, they invite representatives from other community groups to come e.g community police, fire safety, neighbourhood watch, local councillor etc to talk informally to people.

The morning would run by volunteers so that the Library Team can get on with their work.

2. Volunteers needed at Rhymetime, Story time minimum of 2 per session

Rhymetime: Weekly – Thursday -11.00 – 11.30
Storytime: Weekly  Friday 3.30 – 4.00    Saturday 3.30 – 4.00 

Rhymetime is a weekly event run by the Library team largely for babies & pre-school children so volunteers need to enjoy meeting parents and their children. Generally, the children are very young so parents tend to sit with or very close to their children. Volunteers are needed to welcome parents and show them where to put buggies safely so that they are not causing a health and safety issue in the library area. At the end of the session, help return buggies to parents. Volunteers would also join in with session to encourage and model for the children, help give out instruments etc.

With help from the library team, volunteers would have a sections of age appropriate books to encourage parents to borrow from the library and share with their child. Talk about popular bookswith parents and then be able to make recommendations if asked.  Always take the opportunity to encourage library membership and usage.

There are other children’s activities where help is needed such as art and craft days but these are not weekly events and potential volunteers would need to talk to the library team about dates and the type to help required.

3. Summer Reading Challenge – July - September

Volunteers needed during the Summer to help with the Summer Reading Challenge for children. Can you offer some time each week?

Volunteers need to be interested in children and encourage their reading so that they will complete the challenge during the summer holiday. You would talk to the children about their reading, complete their record cards, give out stickers and encourage them to return having read the next book for the challenge.

More details from Jo and the Team

4. Computer Buddies – 1-2 volunteers per week

Wednesday: 10.00 – 12.00 ( each course runs for 4 weeks)

Volunteers are needed to help people with basic computer skills. You will need patience as some people have no knowledge of computers which is why they want to learn!

More details from Jo and Library Team

5. Code Club

Time to be arranged

Volunteers needed to help with this club designed for young people to learn how to programme computers. This is a very new initiative and can only be started if there are sufficient volunteers to support the library.

Work by local Molesey artists could be displayed at Library

The Friends of Molesey Library have had discussions with Molesey Art Society about displaying local artists' work at the library.

The idea would be to give Art Society members a public place to showcase their work, and for library users to have added reason to come to the library as they will be able to enjoy different paintings that will be on display.

However the first step is to secure funds for picture hanging equipment, and the Friends have applied to the RC Sherrif Trust for help. RC Sherrif was a playwright who lived in Esher, and a trust was established after his death in 1975 to ‘advance and develop the arts’ in Elmbridge.

Chairman of the Friends, Pauline Morozgalska, said: "A very positive link has been made with the Molesey Art Society whose members are keen to display some of their work at Molesey Library. However, a display system is required and neither the Art Society nor the Friends are able to earmark funds for this project at the present time, therefore we are submitting a request to RC Sherriff for a capital grant. If successful it would give local artists the opportunity to showcase their work in a local public building, and bring new visitors to the library."

In April Molesey Arts Society held it’s 54th annual exhibition, at St Alban’s School in Beauchamp Road (pictured above), where work from its 250 members was showcased.