Orkney Library Book Mobile
Orkney Islands, Scotland
The life of a librarian doesn’t usually involve ferry timetables and marine forecasts. But for the Orkney Library, that is as important as cataloguing and classifying books. While the main library is located in Kirkwall, it serves nine of the 20 inhabited islands that comprise the archipelago in northern Scotland. Early starts and sometimes wild weather can make the days long and eventful, but the impact of maintaining that connection with communities across this archipelago can’t be overestimated.

The Orkney Library and Archive’s mobile library service has been running since 1963, with island visits beginning in 1990 following the introduction of ro-ro (roll-on/roll-off) ferry terminals. The big blue bus, affectionately nicknamed Booky McBookface, heads to rural parishes on the Orkney mainland and nine different islands over the course of its two-month rotation. It’s a library in miniature. It houses 2,500 books – from fiction and non-fiction to large print, audio books and children’s titles – with a regularly rotating stock. And when it comes rolling off the ferry or appears on the horizon, regular customers are always waiting to replenish their reading material.

Norfolk Library Book Group with Mark Scarbrough
Jon Fosse, Septology: The Other Name, I-II (2019)
Thursday, January 11, 2024
10:30 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. or 7:30 - 9:00 p.m. via Zoom

Last summer Mark selected Jon Fosse's Septology as the "big winter novel" for the group. On October 5, the Nobel Committee for Literature awarded Fosse the 2023 Nobel Prize in Literature. The author of 40 plays as well as novels, short stories, children's books, poetry, and essays, Fosse was honored "for his innovative plays and prose which give voice to the unsayable."

About Septology, Mark writes: "I am still reeling from it months later and have surely never read anything like it: hallucinatory, human, incantatory, evocative, illusive, uncomfortably real, gnostic, yet far from nihilism... it’s a profound meditation on the very human “problems” of death, God, art, and memory." Fosse set out to write "slow prose," and the novel is written as one long sentence with dialogue and paragraph breaks, in seven chapters. It takes place over seven days in the life of an old painter, living on the west coast of Norway.
The schedule for discussion:

11 January 2024 Jon Fosse’s SEPTOLOGY: THE OTHER NAME, I - II (2019)
25 January 2024 Jon Fosse’s SEPTOLOGY: I IS ANOTHER, III - V (2020)
8 February 2024 Jon Fosse’s SEPTOLOGY: A NEW NAME, VI - VII (2021)

If you are new to the Book Group and would like to participate, please email Mark at [email protected], and he will email you a formal invitation link to the online discussion group.

Family Winter Solstice Lantern Walk
Wednesday, December 20, 3:45 - 5:30 p.m

Bundle up and shine your light at the Solstice Lantern Walk. Let's come together as we honor the quiet beauty of the approaching winter season. We will create beautiful lanterns in the Library and use them to light our way through the City Meadow Boardwalk.

Parents are encouraged to participate in this program. If you would like to join us for the walk, feel free to bring your own lanterns. No pets, please. Children will need a note to get off the bus at the Library. Registration is requested here, but not required.

Each year, the Children’s Film Festival Seattle curates its Best of the Fest traveling program that includes award-winning and audience favorite films from the most recent festival. This program is intended to let youth audiences gain global awareness through the magic of film! Click here for a preview of the Best of the Fest and please plan to join us!

Best of the Fest: Animation Showcase
Wednesday, December 27, 4:00 - 5:00 p.m.

Dive into exciting adventures and vibrant colors with this joyful collection of award-winning and audience favorite short animated films from Children’s Film Festival Seattle. Follow along as different critters and kids embark on adventures of friendship, family, and learning to be yourself! This program features films from Canada, Indonesia, India, Switzerland, and the United States. This program is for all ages and runs for 59 minutes. Registration here is appreciated.

Best of the Fest: Live-Action Shorts
Thursday, December 28, 4:00 - 5:30 p.m.

See the world through the eyes of the kids in this program of award-winning and audience favorite live-action short films from Children’s Film Festival Seattle. These narrative and documentary films feature inspiring young people who go on their own adventures, discover how to be true to themselves, and confront some of life’s challenges for the first time. This program features films with diverse characters and languages, and it is suggested for children ages 8+. It runs for 82 minutes. 
Registration here is appreciated.

Stop by the Library to see the teens' gingerbread houses!

The Library's Teen Advisory Council hosted a gingerbread house decorating event for teens and would like you to vote for your top three houses. Voting runs through December 22. Please stop by the Library for a look. See if you can spot the house with potato chips on the roof. The ridges remind us of the Library's tile roof!

See what's new at the Norfolk Library ...

Find our full list here.