“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!