“July is not only a season of the year; it is a season of the mind and memory. Hot days and sultry nights and crashing thunderstorms…”

– Hal Borland

With the summer holidays approaching, we’re asking our library users to check whether they have books that are overdue (or due to be returned during the summer). If your book has hit its renewal limit, you can bring it in to be reissued if you still need it. If your book has been requested by another user, bringing it back promptly means it can reach the next borrower quickly. If you have any queries about books you have on loan, you can contact us by email or phone or drop in to see us.

Below are some new library acquisitions — see here for more recently added books. To borrow any of these books, please join the library (if you haven’t already).

July’s reading group book is Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen. This hugely popular novel from 1813 is a classic for a reason; it follows fiercely intelligent Elizabeth Bennet and aloof Mr. Darcy, who clash upon first meeting and eventually overcome their first impressions of each other. The discussion of this book will take place in the library and over Teams on Wednesday 29 July; contact the library if you would like to join in.

Following is a selection of awareness events coming up in the next month.

This information hub, created by The Child Safeguarding Practice Review Panel, provides information for practitioners working with children on how to identify and respond to safeguarding concerns involving children who are missing education, are home-schooled, or have low school attendance. It includes a wealth of resources in both video and PDF formats.

Children under the age of 5 make up 9% of the global population, yet face almost three times the risk of illness caused by unsafe food, according to new WHO estimates. New figures suggest that unsafe food causes around 866 million illnesses and 1.5 million deaths annually, many of which are preventable through measures such as improved sanitisation, food safety practices such as pasteurisation, and access to health care.

New data from Action on Smoking and Health indicates a dramatic decline in the use of disposable vapes among children and adults, following the ban imposed in June 2025. Data collected from 11–17 year-olds who vape indicates that, in 2026, just 13% mainly use disposable vapes, down from a peak of 69% in 2023.

A new report from Health Equity North indicates that nearly one in five primary school children are currently experiencing a mental health disorder, with the rates of mental health difficulties higher in the North and Midlands regions. It features examples of positive efforts to tackle the increase in mental health difficulties among children, as well as recommendations for the government on how to tackle factors which could be at the root of this widespread problem, such as child poverty and housing insecurity,

New data has indicated that the HPV vaccine has effectively reduced the risk of death from cervical cancer among women under 30 to zero. Between 2020 and 2024, no women in their early 20s died from cervical cancer in England; of this age range, 9 out of 10 women had received the HPV vaccine, most at the age of 12 or 13. The vaccine has been delivered through a school-based programme since 2008, with both boys and girls now offered the vaccine.

This policy briefing from The Food Foundation sets out the benefits for low-income families of government investment in the Healthy Start scheme. The scheme provides payments to low-income families to support affordability of fruit, vegetables, and milk. It encourages the government to increase payments in line with inflation, to better support the development and growth of children.

The Council for Disabled Children is providing a free online training session on Monday 6 July on understanding sensory processing differences in infants and young children. The session, aimed at Early Years practitioners in family hub local areas, will also cover creating sensory environments conducive to learning. See the link for details on how to book a place.

Graves Gallery (above the Central Library) is currently hosting an exhibition of works and objects from Sheffield’s collections which explore how Queer art reflects today’s world. Works and objects are grouped around three themes: revolution, revelation, and reinforcement. The exhibition runs until 27 February 2027.

This week sees the return of the podcast festival Crossed Wires! The festival began on 2 July and runs through to Sunday 5 July. See the link for programme details.

I finally got around to reading East of Eden by John Steinbeck last month; I read Of Mice and Men for GCSE English Literature and liked it so much I frequently found myself reading ahead of my classmates, so I knew I was bound to enjoy this one too. It is an epic, deeply affecting novel, and I was completely engrossed in the lives of the two families at its centre. I’m very curious to see the new TV adaptation due later this year, which appears to be taking a Cathy-centric approach.

Next month’s blog post will be published on Friday 31 July — look out for it then!

“It was June, and the world smelled of roses. The sunshine was like powdered gold over the grassy hillside.”

– Maud Hart Lovelace, Betsy-Tacy and Tib (1941)

We recently acquired a collection of books from the library of Professor Ronald Illingworth (after whom the Illingworth Library is named) and Dr Cynthia Illingworth! The 107-book collection includes multiple editions of their publications, in languages including English, German, Japanese, Greek, and Italian. If you would like to browse the collection, you can do so in the library — just ask the library staff. Additionally, if you spot any errors in the cataloguing of books in languages other than English, please let us know so that we can correct it!

Below are some new library acquisitions — see here for more recently added books. To borrow any of these books, please join the library (if you haven’t already).

This month’s reading group book is Down and Out in Paris and London by George Orwell. The book is a memoir in two parts, documenting the narrator’s life in the two cities; there is some ambiguity surrounding what is fact and what is fiction, with Orwell later commenting that some sections were observations rather than personal recollections. The meeting will be held in the library and on Teams on Wednesday 24 June — contact the library if you would like to join.

Following is a selection of awareness events coming up in the next month.

This report from The Centre for Social Justice explores the physical activity of primary school-aged children. It gives recommendations on how activity can be incorporated into school life, as well as outlining current policy and the cases for this to be changed by the government.

The UK Health Security Agency has recently updated its guidance for health professionals on the public health management of pertussis, or whooping cough. It includes a variety of resources, including guidance on testing for pertussis in primary care and a template letter to send to parents and carers.

This report for the Centre for Mental Health discusses and evaluates the myHappymind programme, which ran in early years and primary school settings in Bradford, Hampshire, and the Isle of Wight. Findings indicate that the programme supported children to develop their self-esteem and wellbeing, as well as their emotional regulation skills. It also provides recommendations for policymakers on how such programmes can be embedded in schools nationwide.

Under new government proposals, children and teenagers will be subject to ID checks when attempting to use sunbeds. The new proposals would also require health warnings to be clearly displayed and disinformation, such as claims that sunbeds prevent sunburn, to be banned. These rules could potentially be in place by 2027 at the earliest.

This journal article, from the journal Paediatric Respiratory Reviews, looks at the prevalance of vaping among UK teenagers. It details a local service evaluation that took place within a paediatric emergency department, which found that only 7.2% of 11–16 year olds seen were asked about their smoking habits. It goes on to discuss why these rates of enquiry might be so low, and how this could be addressed.

(For SCH staff — if you are having trouble accessing this article, you can request the full text through the library by filling out this form. You will need to be a member of the library to use this service.)

This blog post from the Nuffield Trust discusses the difficulties some older teenagers face when in the transition process from paediatric to adult care. The authors propose solving this issue by extending paediatric care to the age of 18, following discussion on this topic at the 2026 RCPCH annual conference.

The UK’s leading documentary festival returns to Sheffield! DocFest will run from 10–15 June, featuring over 100 films. See the link for more details on the programme.

Weston Park Cancer Charity are inviting people to tie a ribbon in memory of a loved one on their Bridge of Remembrance in Weston Park. The event is running from 30 May–30 June and will raise money for the charity — see the link for more information.

I recently read What Am I, A Deer? by Polly Barton. Having read some of her translations previously (she translated Butter, among others), I was looking forward to reading her fiction debut, and it didn’t disappoint. Written in a stream-of-consciousness style, it follows an introverted translator and karaoke lover living in Frankfurt, who develops an all-consuming crush on a man she briefly meets on her morning commute.

Due to annual leave, next month’s post will be published on Friday 3 July — look out for it then!

“It was the month of May / And the green of the mountainside was woven / With wayward flecks of flowers…”

– Cave Outlaw, “Moment on a Mount”, Each Day (1942)

We have made some changes to our document supply service! If you come across an article that you can’t access yourself (either through your OpenAthens account or after checking if the article is open access), fill in this form here. This new method helps us maintain copyright compliance and streamlines the process for obtaining these articles.

We have revamped how we deliver our (Monthly) Articles of Interest — now to just be called ‘Articles of Interest’, or ‘AOI’. Rather than sending out a spreadsheet once a month, readers will now be able to browse boards relating to their areas of interest at any time. These boards will be updated once a week, usually on a Wednesday. See our new ‘Articles of Interest’ page (which can also be found via the menu bar at the top of the page) for more information and a list of the boards. We hope that this will make our Articles of Interest service more accessible to all our users!

Below are some new library acquisitions — see here for more recently added books. To borrow any of these books, please join the library (if you haven’t already).

The book to be discussed at May’s reading group is The Names by Florence Knapp. Cora goes to register her newborn son and considers whether she wants to follow family tradition and name him after his father. The book considers the possible paths this decision may set her son on. The meeting will take place in the library and over Teams on Wednesday 27 May — contact the library if you would like to join.

Following is a selection of awareness events taking place over the next month — see here for more.

The Commons and Lords have agreed on a final draft of legislation which will prevent anyone born on or after 1 January 2009 from buying cigarettes. This is part of a drive to create a smoke-free generation. Other measures include the banning of vaping in cars carrying children and outside schools.

NHS England have published new documents relating to the NHS Children and Young People’s Gender Service. This includes a service specification, consultation report, public consultation analysis and report, and equality and health inequalities impact assessment. Select the link above to access these documents.

Recently published reports from Bite Back and The Food Foundation explore how school food might be improved and students’ thoughts on current offerings. Bite Back found that 22% of students surveyed felt that there weren’t enough grab-and-go options to meet dietary, cultural, or religious requirements, while The Food Foundation looked at some specific examples from schools around the UK on how they improved their offerings.

A new project at Great Ormond Street Hospital has trialled switching patients from liquid to pill formulations. The patient cohort included 19 children with congenital hyperinsulinism aged 7 or older, all of whom were switched to a pill form of their medication. The switch is estimated to save around £40,000 per patient per year.

This long read from NHS England sets out guidance to support integrated care boards, providers, and clinical teams in transitioning patients between services. It includes clear descriptions of roles and actions for different bodies and teams, as well as case studies of different trusts and their transition services.

This long read from Nuffield Trust breaks down the recently published neighbourhood health framework. It includes assessments from the authors of what they think works within the plan, as well as areas which are difficult to understand.

For those (like me) who are fans of chamber music, the Sheffield Chamber Music Festival returns! Running from Friday 15 to Saturday 23 May, this year’s festival is curated by Claire Booth and features works by composers such as Prokofiev, Beethoven, and Brahms.

Back for its 15-year anniversary, Sheffield Food Festival returns to the Heart of the City from 23–25 May! As well as its vast array of food stalls, the festival will also feature live music and other events.

In place of the ‘Recipe of the month’ feature is the new ‘Book of the month’ slot — featuring a book I have read and enjoyed!

I recently read Africa Is Not A Country by Dipo Faloyin. The writing style is very accessible and, despite not being a big reader of non-fiction, I flew through this. The section on the British Library’s housing of stolen artifacts was very striking, while the section on jollof rice made me very hungry and keen to seek some out! I would highly recommend this to anyone looking to learn more about this hugely diverse continent.

The June edition of the blog will be published on Friday 29 May 2026 — look out for it then!

“The April’s in her eyes: it is love’s spring,
And these the showers to bring it on. Be cheerful.”

– William Shakespeare, Antony and Cleopatra (c. 1606)

We have revamped how we deliver our (Monthly) Articles of Interest — now to just be called ‘Articles of Interest’. Rather than sending out a spreadsheet once a month, readers will now be able to browse boards relating to their areas of interest at any time. These boards will be updated once a week, usually on a Wednesday (although not next week due to annual leave!). See our new ‘Articles of Interest’ page (which can also be found via the menu bar at the top of the page) for more information and a list of the boards. We hope that this will make our Articles of Interest service more accessible to all our users!

This month’s reading group book is Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë. Hard to escape recently due to its new film adaptation, this novel tells the story of the tumultuous, doomed relationship between Cathy and Heathcliff, and the ramifications it has within their families for the following generation. The meeting to discuss this book will be held in the library and over Teams on Wednesday 29 April at 5.30pm — contact the library if you would like to join the discussion.

This month’s reading for pleasure highlight is from the same century as Wuthering Heights — but features a much less harrowing story! Pride and Prejudice follows the headstrong Elizabeth Bennet, a young woman living on her family’s Hertfordshire estate, who is under pressure to marry and finds herself increasingly entangled with the haughty Mr Darcy. For anyone wanting to explore Jane Austen’s novels, this is a great place to start.

Following are a selection of awareness events happening in April:

Sheffield Children’s is involved in a new research trial to test an innovative treatment for Dravet syndrome, a severe form of epilepsy! The treatment involves the drug zorevurnersen being administered via spinal infusion; those who have received this treatment have seen a dramatic reduction in the number of seizures experienced daily. The initial trial’s results were published in the New England Journal of Medicine, with Dr. Archana Desurkar, one of our Sheffield Children’s colleagues, credited as a co-author.

A new report from the Children’s Commissioner highlights the situation faced by thousands of children who are spending long periods of time in hospital. While some are not medically able to leave hospitals, others who are fit to be discharged are facing delays due to factors such as waiting for long periods to be assessed for care and funding, a lack of suitable housing, difficult-to-navigate health and social care, and a lack of care placements for those with complex needs.

New figues from Unicef indicate that 4.9 million children worldwide died before their fifth birthday in 2024, a figure that includes 2.3 million newborns. An estimated 5% of this number died due to severe acute malnutrition. The overall figure is disproportionately concentrated in certain areas of the globe; 58% of this figure came from sub-Saharan Africa, and 25% came from Southern Asia.

This briefing, based on research from the University of York and summarised by the Centre for Mental Health, outlines how mental health support might be adapted to better suit neurodivergent children and young people. The research indicates that standard mental health provision is often ineffective with neurodivergent CYP; for example, cognitive behavioural therapy and mindfulness programmes often prove difficult and stressful for this community.

A new survey from the UK Health Security Agency indicates that midwives remain the most trusted source of information by new and expectant mothers on pregnancy vaccinations information. Of the 800 respondents, 91% recalled hearing about vaccines during pregnancy, and 86% had seen or heard something which made them aware of the importance of pregnancy vaccinations.

A new report from the government’s Women and Equalities Committee explores menstrual health provision and education for girls and young women in the UK. It includes findings and guidance on menstrual education and support in schools, as well as recommendations for improvements to publicly-available information on the NHS website and in social media content. Also included in the document is a summary note from a roundtable meeting held with young disabled and Deaf women.

Since last June, calls to Martha’s Rule helplines have more than doubled, following the widespread roll-out of the initiative. 1 in 3 calls made by patients, families, and staff identified cases of rapid worsening of conditions, enabling crucial interventions to be made.

New research from the UK Health Security Agency indicates that 1 in 3 parents believe children always need antibiotics for an ear infection. Of the 500 parents surveyed across England whose children had experienced symptoms of an ear infection, 49% thought that ear infections can get better without antibiotics, with 27% being unsure.

Following the recent confirmation that Sheffield will remain the home of snooker until at least 2045, this year’s World Snooker Championship will return to the Crucible from 18 April–4 May! There may still be limited ticket availability — see the link for more information.

George Shaw returns to the city with a new exhibition at Yorkshire Artspace. Running until 25 April, Small Returns features paintings and works on paper exploring locations from his past. Some of the works on display are being shown publicly for the first time.

The fourth EccyFest will take place 17–19 April, featuring a trail of pubs and beers along Ecclesall Road. Get a stamp card from a participating venue and collect a stamp at each bar to be in with a chance of winning prizes!

Next month’s post will be published on Friday 24 April 2026 — look out for it then!

“I hold you few I love, till my heart is red as February and purple as March.”

– Emily Dickinson, letter to Elizabeth Holland (1866)

Welcome to our new Knowledge and Library Services Manager, Helen Barlow! Helen has a long history of managing NHS libraries, having previously run services at Sheffield Health Partnership University NHS FT and Rotherham NHS FT. We’re very excited to see how the library service at Sheffield Children’s develops under her direction!

The book to be discussed at March’s reading group is The Boy From the Sea by Garrett Carr. When a baby washes up on a beach on the west coast of Ireland, he is taken in by Ambrose, a local fisherman. Over time, a rivalry builds between the boy and Ambrose’s son. The meeting to discuss this book will be held on Wednesday 25 March, in the library and on Teams – contact the library if you’d like to join.

This month’s reading for pleasure highlight is My Sister, The Serial Killer by Oyinkan Braithwaite. This is the tale of two sisters, one of whom has a history of murdering her boyfriends, and the other who often finds herself helping with the clean up. When Ayoola starts dating a doctor at Korede’s place of work, Korede has a difficult decision to make: save the man she loves or protect her sister?

Following is a selection of upcoming events for this month. You can see more events here.

An increasing number of teenagers are using ChatGPT and other AI chatbots as an unofficial therapist. This article, from the British Psychological Society and written by two psychologists, explores why this is happening, and the potential consequences of using AI for this purpose at such a crucial neurodevelopmental period.

The updated GP contract, covering 2026-2027, will include additional help for GPs in strengthening vaccination delivery and access. These changes will help prevent outbreaks, such as that in Enfield, which has seen 50 confirmed cases of measles, by increasing vaccination uptake in higher-risk communities.

The rise in social media platforms has seen increased exposure for users, many of them children and young people, to products that are designed to change their appearance. This includes products such as weight-loss injections, skin lightening creams, and Botox. This report from the Children’s Commissioner investigates this worrying trend, including young people’s perspectives and views.

The Centre for Mental Health has published its new roadmap to transform children and young people’s mental health. Within the roadmap, they identify significant challenges such as long waits for mental health care, and propose solutions to these challenges. This includes shifting from hospital to community-based care, and harnessing digital technologies such as AI to increase accessibility and cut waiting times.

The BMA is calling for the UK government to make improvements to our food environment. This includes reducing the levels of ultra-processed food (UPFs) consumed by children and young people, through measures such as regulating school food provisions and commercial baby and toddler food. They also argue for increased public awareness of what constitutes a healthy diet and which UPFs are particularly unhealthy.

A new report from the Centre for Mental Health investigates parent-infant services and their impact on child development and wellbeing. It finds that only 4% of families in need can currently access specialised parent-infant support, with gaps in provision disproportionately appearing in rural, coastal, and disadvantaged urban areas. It makes a series of recommendations for the government in addressing these issues.

The Department of Health and Social Care has published its guidance for health visiting and school nursing services to deliver the healthy child programme. This covers children aged 0-19, or up to 25 for care leavers and those with special educational needs and disabilities. It includes clear guidance for practitioners and providers on the core concepts underpinning the programme and the responsibilities and expectations for those carrying it out.

The Graves Gallery (above Central Library) will reopen on 26 February with some new exhibitions, including Colour, Form and Line and In Conversation: On the Border of my Peaceful Home.

The Atrium, an indoor market and arts space, has opened! This collective of creatives and businesses is situated on Eyre Street, and provides a wide-ranging offer, including a variety of shops, movement activities such as Pilates, and a mix of upcoming workshops and pop-ups. See the link for more details.

For those who enjoy cooking and graphic novels, I recommend Lucy Knisely’s Relish: My Life in the Kitchen. I acquired a copy while living in Korea and used her recipe for chocolate chip cookies to swap for my friend’s home-roasted coffee beans; they were so popular that I’ve returned to this recipe many times since!

Next month’s post will be published on Friday 27 March – look out for it then!

“It is … November. The noons are more laconic and the sundowns sterner … November always seemed to me the Norway of the year.”

– Emily Dickinson, letter to her sister, (c. 1865)

There’s still time to come and try out a potential new library discovery platform and app! Aspen links to the library catalogue and is user-facing, meaning library members can use it to explore what is available for loan, place reservations, make lists, and more. It also links to external platforms, including BMJ Best Practice, and can return journal articles and other evidence types. There is also an app version, allowing you to do all of this easily on your phone – you can even use the app to loan books out! If you’d like to try this out or have any questions, contact us or simply drop in if you have a spare 15 minutes.

The library is on an array of social media platforms, including Bluesky, LinkedIn, YouTube, and our newest venture, Instagram. Each one serves a different purpose:

Follow us on one (or all!) of these to engage with us and stay up to date.

This month is a controversial one – the reading group pick for November is The Salt Path by Raynor Winn. Released as a memoir, it recounts Winn and her husband Moth’s long-distance walking journey along the South West Coast Path, following a series of hardships that hit the couple. If you’d like to join the conversation, contact the library – the meeting will take place on Wednesday 26 November in person and on Teams.

This month’s reading for pleasure pick is The Children Act by Ian McEwan. It follows the case of a 17-year-old boy who is refusing a potentially life-saving blood transfusion on religious grounds, and the High Court judge tasked with trying the case. I went through a McEwan phase in my teens and can also recommend Atonement, The Cement Garden, Sweet Tooth, and On Chesil Beach.

Following are a selection of upcoming awareness events – see here for more.

The government have announced a plan to repeal the presumption of parental involvement from the Children Act 1989. With this change, children exposed to family courts who are at risk of abuse from one or both parents or guardians will be better protected. This change was prompted by a campaign led by Claire Throssell; her two sons were killed by their abusive father in October 2014.

In an effort to combat the deluge of misinformation new parents often find themselves facing, the government has launched the Best Start in Life campaign. The aim is to provide parents with evidence-backed information to empower them in all aspects of parenting. The campaign launched with a short film featuring child psychologist Professor Sam Wass. See the link above and the campaign website for more information on this new campaign.

A new episode of The Big Conversation, a podcast from the Children’s Commissioner, looks at how long-term illness can impact on children’s education. Youth Ambassador Annabel shares her story of navigating school after diagnosis at age 13 of a rare bone cancer. She also speaks to Josh Pelled, CEO of Bright Futures UK, about how this charity supports children and young people who miss out on education due to serious or long-term illness.

The Children’s Society have released a new report on the latest trends in children’s wellbeing and how children and young people feel about various aspects of their lives. The results indicate the lowest levels of overall happiness among children and young people since data began being collected in 2009/10. The report thoroughly explores the impact of various aspects of life on this age group, using direct quotes from children and young people.

This release from the Office for National Statistics is an analysis of data on deaths by suicide in children and young people across the academic year, between September 2011 and August 2022. The file opens in Excel.

This report, from children’s charity Starlight, draws from surveys of parents, children, and healthcare professionals to outline causes of trauma in children’s healthcare. This can include fear of needles, being away from family, or being held down during treatment. It makes the case for access to play services in children’s healthcare settings to mitigate any medical trauma experienced.

Leading on from the Children’s Commissioner’s recent school census, this report details the work done by Dame Rachel de Souza in this role as she crosses the halfway point of her six-year term. It sets out the current state of affairs in the children’s social care system, and proposes changes to this system to transform it, while keeping the best interests of children at its heart.

This report, from Research in Practice, provides a briefing on maintaining good safeguarding practices for children and young people as they turn 18. It explains the concept of ‘Transitional Safeguarding’ and the principles which underpin it, outlines why it is needed, and provides examples to demonstrate its necessity.

This inventive, immersive multimedia exhibition by Abi Palmer is an ode to the humble slug. It asks visitors to consider a world in which slugs are revered, rather than maligned, inviting us all to be more slug-like. The exhibition is at the Site Gallery on Brown Street until 1 February 2026.

Running until Christmas Eve, the popular selling showcase Crafted returns to the Millennium Gallery. Explore arts and crafts from makers around the region and beyond, and maybe knock a few Christmas gifts off the list at the same time.

Featuring works by Howell, Howard, and Tchaikovsky, the Sheffield Philharmonic Orchestra will kick off their 80th annual concert series at Victoria Hall on 15 November. The Tchaikovsky in question is his Symphony No. 5, an epic and dramatic composition and one of my favourites – I played the second flute part for this one in the University of York Symphony Orchestra back in 2017!

I hated cauliflower as a child, especially in cauliflower cheese – still to this day a meal I actively avoid. However, I’m prepared to give it another go, with this recipe for sticky sesame-baked cauliflower from Anna Jones. I love anything sesame, so hopefully this will be a winner.

Next month’s post will be available on Friday 28 November, so check back then!