“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!