Kent Libraries

The White Horse is the ubiquitous symbol of the county of Kent but what exactly does it mean and for how long has it been used?

James Lloyd gained a Cambridge doctorate for research into local government in Anglo-Saxon England. He currently combines roles as an archivist at the Kent History and Library Centre and Librarian at Aylesford Priory. This talk was recorded in October 2019 and a transcript can be found at bit.ly/3nfXxTM

A video of this talk can be found at youtu.be/bFCpRq-sk8Y

Kent Archives hold the largest collection of historic material relating to the ancient county of Kent dating back to 699 AD, from the earliest charters written on sheepskin to the present state of the art digital images. Our archive and local history collections tell the story of Kent and beyond, and are a focal point for the county’s heritage and culture, most of which you can access when you visit the Kent History and Library Centre in Maidstone.

While the archives consist of original records, often handwritten and unique, created in the course of human activities, the local history collection consists largely of printed material and includes published original records, as well as printed books. The collections tell the stories of people’s lives and their communities through diaries, eyewitness accounts, records of crime and punishment, titles to property, newspapers, photographs, maps and posters, and more.

Please visit kentarchives.org.uk for more information

Mark Bateson from Kent Archives reads to us a letter from the collection, the Osbourne Deeds. He talks us through the changes and resistance to the introduction of the Gregorian calendar in 1752, which caused a loss of 11 days in September, raising concerns around where the "real Christmas day" should fall...

Visit https://kentarchives.org.uk to find out more about our collections.

The Stations of the Sun: A History of the Ritual Days in Britain by Ronald Hutton is available to reserve from the Kent Libraries catalogue. Search at https://bit.ly/ReserveATitle

You can view a transcript of this talk at https://bit.ly/3m4e1xn

#ChristmasHistory #ChritsmasTraditions #GregorianCalendar

Ellie from Kent Libraries meets with Emily Ghassempour, co-founder of Books for Change and one of this year's judges for The Diverse Book Awards which were announced last week. They talk about her work campaigning, running anti-racist workshops and fundraising to provide diverse books to pupils in local schools in Kent, her role as a judge for the children's book list of The Diverse Book Awards.

Books for Change was born in lockdown 2020 from a love of diverse children’s literature, lived experience of racism and the need for schools to diversify their bookshelves. Find out more about their work and campaigns at https://booksforchange.co.uk

Only 2% of lead characters in children's books are from a Black, Asian or minority ethnic background and remain significantly under-represented in comparison to the UK primary school population where 33.5% of children are from a minority ethnic background. The number of authors and illustrators of colour published in the UK has grown to over 8%, rising from less than 6% in 2017, so there still needs to be huge improvement.

The Diverse Book Awards looks for the best Children's, Young Adult and Adult Fiction book published and written by UK authors. Judged by an independent panel, they celebrate diversity in publishing. Find out more and see this year's winners at https://thediversebookawards.co.uk

Find these titles and more on our catalogue at bit.ly/ReserveATitle. We've also put together some recommended reads at bit.ly/2021DiverseBooks free to borrow with your Kent Libraries membership.

You can find a transcript of this interview at bit.ly/2Z7nDzs or watch on YouTube youtube.com/c/KentLibrariesRegistrationandArchives

In case you missed it, here's Fiona from Kent Libraries who was on Maidstone Radio to tell them about Libraries Week, our new Business and IP Centre Kent as well as all of the events and activities returning to our libraries.

Although this year's Libraries Week has come to an end you can find out more about the celebration at bit.ly/LibrariesWeek2021

You can also find all of our online features and activities on our YouTube channel. Subscribe at youtube.com/c/KentLibrariesRegistrationandArchives

You can find a transcript of this interview at https://bit.ly/30Ifcej

Author Lisa Cutts talks to us about the book that literally changed her life, how her job as a police officer influenced her writing, and her favourite Doctor Who.

You can borrow several of Lisa’s novels via our eLibrary and the Libby app for free:

https://kent.overdrive.com/search?query=Lisa%20Cutts

A full transcript of the interview can be found at: https://bit.ly/lctranscript

Check out the full interview on Youtube: https://youtu.be/k5hEZOhxMQs

Find out more about Kent Libraries, Registration and Archives via our website: https://kent.gov.uk/libs

Follow us on Facebook: facebook.com/KentLibrariesArchives

Borrow now! The best titles without the wait. Listen to the whole book for free with your library membership at kent.borrowbox.com/product/BOL_2078382/title/the-man-who-died-twice

The second instalment in the number one Sunday Times bestselling Thursday Murder Club series featuring the old (but far from past-it) team as they pursue a brand new mystery.

Borrow, download and enjoy instant eBooks and eAudiobooks with BorrowBox. Download the BorrowBox app, search for Kent County Council and enter your library card details to get started.

Find out more at kent.gov.uk/elibrary

Not a member of the library? Join online today at kent.gov.uk/libraries

Watch our How to Guides at youtube.com/c/KentLibrariesRegistrationandArchives

Mr Derek Butler has kindly shared his memories of the Festival of Britain in Canterbury with Mark Bateson, our Assistant Service Manager for Archives and Local History. These recollections are read by Gareth Brown from the Kent Archives Team and a transcript can be found at bit.ly/3xfv6r9

Seventy years ago on 4 May 1951, the nation celebrated The Festival of Britain. The idea of a festival was conceived some years earlier as "a tonic to the nation", to raise spirits after the Second World War. The landmark event also marked the centenary of The Great Exhibition and celebrated the arts, science, industry and design.

If you or any of your family and friends have memories of 1951 Festival activity in Kent that you would like to share, please contact us at [email protected]

Author William Shaw talks to us about his writing process, inspirations and his new novel. The Trawlerman, William's latest DS Alexandra Cupidi Crime series novel is now available to reserve from your local Kent library at https://bit.ly/2QdWXrC or borrow the first book in the series via our eLibrary https://kent.overdrive.com/media/4593290

A full transcript of the interview can be found at: https://bit.ly/3tZ8Kcr

Check out the full interview on Youtube: https://youtu.be/AxHeVIcHqwg

Find out more about Kent Libraries, Registration and Archives via our website: https://kent.gov.uk/libs

Follow us on Facebook: facebook.com/KentLibrariesArchives

Author Mark Stay talks to Simon from Canterbury Libraries about publishing, the importance of creativity and the book that changed his life.

Mark's latest book 'The Crow Folk' is available now to borrow from your local Kent library here

http://bit.ly/3rfxuLY

A full transcript of the interview can be found here: http://bit.ly/380JTfr

Check out the full interview on Youtube here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ObvtUPXSmtw

Find out more about Kent Libraries, Registration and Archives via our website: kent.gov.uk/libs

Follow us on Facebook: facebook.com/KentLibrariesArchives

Author Julie Wassmer talks to Simon from Canterbury Libraries about scriptwriting for Eastenders, working at Whitechapel library and overcoming the dreaded blank white page.

Julie's classic crime 'Murder on the downs' is available to borrow from your local Kent library here http://bit.ly/3jee9YO along with the other Whitstable Pearl mysteries.

A full transcript of the interview can be found here: http://bit.ly/3kBjud3

Check out the full interview on Youtube here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cDU7ZkrUJPc

Find out more about Kent Libraries, Registration and Archives via our website: kent.gov.uk/libs

Follow us on Facebook: facebook.com/KentLibrariesArchives