Cambridgeshire libraries support independent bookshops hit by Covid pandemic

Libraries across Cambridgeshire are supporting a unique website aimed at helping independent bookshops which have been hit by the pandemic.
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Library books

The mail-order website ‘BookshopUK’ launched last year with the site working to donate profits to bookshops and organisations that support the service through book lists and affiliated websites.

Cambridgeshire libraries has become an affiliate of Bookshop and will help promote the site alongside the service’s current reading offer.

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Gary Porter, head of libraries for Cambridgeshire County Council, said: “We believe we are the first library service to become an affiliate of Bookshop, and by supporting the site we can offer our customers an even greater choice of titles.

“We already run a monthly digital book club with free access to eAudiobook and eBook versions of selected titles and will also promote Bookshop to anyone wanting to buy the books through the same website.

“By working with Bookshop we’re supporting our own service as well as local bookstores, which like many businesses have been adversely affected by the pandemic.

“We have also curated book lists that link with Bookshop and support the national reading strategies we are involved in, from Covid-19 and mental health material for young people to mood boosting books and health condition advice for adults.

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“Often our customers sample a book from a library and then want to buy a copy for themselves or as a gift which our link with Bookshop will help provide. We feel this is really positive arrangement which will greatly benefit our customers and local shops.”

For more information about Bookshop visit https://uk.bookshop.org/pages/about, and to visit the Cambridgeshire Libraries BookshopUK site see https://uk.bookshop.org/shop/cambslib.

For details on the Cambridgeshire libraries digital book club visit https://www.library.live/book-club.

All libraries in Cambridgeshire remain open, with safety measures in place. Customers can continue to use the reservation service to order a specific title, or the Select and Collect service to request a selection of books.

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Computers can be booked by appointment with access limited to those using public services only.

For more information about library services and opening hours visit https://www.cambridgeshire.gov.uk/residents/libraries-leisure-culture/libraries/library-news.