Going on holiday!

Phew - things have been quite busy lately at the library ---- so I have asked if I can have some time off - and, guess what?  We are allowed to have holidays!

Here I am - I borrowed a trolley from one of our departments - these are usually used for shifting display equipment around when we go out to take information about the library out to the community!

I thought that I might go to China!!! Its their New Year - this is one of the masks that Gidea Park Library will be using as part of their display - but I thought I would borrow it for this photo!

Back soon - hope you all have a great half term holidays

Monkey Monkey x

Fame and Wooly Hats!

Well - I have had quite a busy day today.  I started the day off at Elm Park Library.  I was being filmed to go onto the plasma screens in the library.  Oh - sorry - I have to explain a bit more (Josh's Mum just told me to!).  Well, we have these rather fab tv screens in all of our libraries and we put all sorts of things up on them about libraries.  And....I am going to be on them anytime soon!  So, I went over to Elm Park and was filmed by Tom doing different things around the library.  I had to pretend to write my blog in this picture - Tom was so busy being arty that he forgot to make sure the computer was on!!!!  I also managed to get in just about every shot that Josh's Mum was in too!  Hee hee - not sure she was too impressed!

While I was in Elm Park I found this rather gorgeous display - now, I am not a slushy sort of lovey dovey type of a monkey, but I did like the colours on this display!  Actually, maybe it would be good if you didnt tell anyone else about that!

I had to go straight over to South Hornchurch library - the portacabin (which was surprisingly warm!) - and we had a meeting with David and Vicky from Holt Jackson.  They are the people who choose some of the books that we put on our shelves.  Havering Libraries buy so many books that we need help to choose them all - thats where David and Vicky come in...they and their team provide us with lots of our books all ready to be unpacked, put through the computer and then straight onto the shelves for people to borrow.  They come over once in a while just to check that they are choosing the right things and make sure that everything is running smoothly....they do (choose the right things) and it is (running smoothly).  Sue, the stock lady from libraries, even made a yummy fruit cake!  I bet David and Vicky dont get fruit cake anywhere else!

I then went to see what some of the other Reader Development People were up to.  Frances told me about a special day we are having this week - all the library staff are going to be asked if they would like to wear a hat to work - its a charitable idea called Woolly Hat Week and supports Sailors.  I asked Frances whether I had to wear a woolly hat or could I wear a different hat - she said that she was sure I could wear any hat I wanted to.... here are some of the hats I am considering.....

This last one was taken with a lady called Maggie - she is Josh's Friend's Mum!  She suggested my cycling helmet!

Then I finished the day with Michael - he writes the library newsletter - Library Lowdown!  He also runs South Hornchurch Library - and it is rumoured, wears tights!!!  And I dont think he wears them on his head like a mugger!!!  He interviewed me for the newsletter - he asked some very difficult questions - I hope I managed to answer them alright. 

You can see that I was concentrating on my answers - Michael seemed more concerned with posing for the camera!  He even borrowed Josh's Mum's Bling diary so he could look like he was writing down the answers....want to know a secret???  I had already answered most of his questions by email! 

Phew - got to go and answer some more emails now - I wonder, with all this fame coming my way...will I start receiving fan mail soon???

Monkey Monkey x

Monkey gets reading! But not books!

I was thinking this morning, while I was brushing my teeth, about how often we read during the day!  Not just books but all sorts of things.  SO...I decided I would record all the things that I read at work in one day!  I am going to do a follow up on this with all the things I read at home too!

So - the newspaper!  Before I started work, I thought I would catch up on the news.....and there are so many papers in our libraries!  Not only do we get the papers everyday, but we also keep them for a while too, so that people can come and find something in a paper that their friend mentioned.  I am actually playing peekaboo in this picture but I thought it was useful to show how many papers there were!

This lady popped in - looking rather fetching in her scarf and hat - and bought in the latest copy of Havering Adult College classes prospectus.  So, I sat and read that!  I am considering taking up bellydancing at the moment, but that would mean I have to drop my badminton class.  

This is where I found out about my badminton class!  It was in a folder in the library.  Libraries get lots of posters and they just dont have room to put them all up, but the ones they dont have room for are kept in a folder like this one.

And this is our latest calendar of events in libraries.  I am a little late showing this because it started in January!  I am really looking forward to some of the thrifty living events....look out Ella, I may come to your swishing event!  Oh, sorry, you may not know what swishing is...well its a special time when you come to the library and swap clothes and handbags that you dont want anymore.  Obviously I dont have any handbags (although I may have to carry one for the Race for Life!)...so I might have to take along some of my old tshirts.  Just hope I can find someone to swap.... sorry..... swish with!

And of course, we all use computers so much - and we read things at them constantly.  Some people tell me that they dont read, but I am sure they just mean that they dont read Books!  Surely, just about everyone reads something!

We have to read signs to keep safe!  Just hope someone helps me down soon!

And we read posters with information on them - are you following the TV Book Club - I am loving it!  I particularly like Jo Brand!

And another poster - actually, the Reading Buddies one has a picture of Josh on it - with Mrs Howland, his teacher!
The poster below is about a buggy walk - not one I will be attending!

Even people who pretend they only ever play computer games read...they may read magazines like this one, or the title of the game, the instruction booklet - or on-screen instructions as they go through the game.  I play alot of PS3 games with Josh - our fave at the moment is Mirror's Edge!

Ok - Josh's Mum made me put this picture up - Erin lifted up my Playstation Magazine to reveal what I was really reading in the picture above...it was a teen magazine!  All in the name of research.... I found both of them in Gidea Park Library Teen Area!









I dont usually need to wear glasses to read....but I think these make me look rather distinguished! 
What have you read at work today?

Monkey Monkey x

Race for Life, Nicky's haircut and paying to talk to me!

This is a pic of me and Nicky - she is the....hang on...yes....Frontline Services Manager - this means that she marches up and down waving a bayonet and maintaining the Frontline!   oooo sorry - no she doesnt - Josh's Mum said that she actually makes sure that all the Frontline Services run properly with no hassle or worries.  I can tell you that she makes a lovely cup of tea.  She wouldnt let me have my picture taken with her before she got her hair done - it was worth the wait though, dont you think?  Nicky and Josh's Mum share an office together - and, let me tell you, this is the good view of the office - by far the tidiest angle!  And boy, do they giggle!!!! 

Over on the right you will see a rather special button - its to the Library Ladies' Just Giving Page.  Lots of the library ladies are entering the Race for Life in memory of Maree Ashton who used to work with them.  She died last year and the staff all wanted to do something to commemorate her life and remember her by.  So, they are all going to enter the Race for Life!  Josh's Mum will be doing two events as most people want to go to one of two venues - I am hoping to sneak into both of them too - but am not sure if I will be allowed to join in, me being male!  Oooooerrrrr - Josh's Mum just told me that she wasnt joking when she said she was going to dress me in pink to get me in...hmmmmm not too sure about that idea, think we need to think it through a little more!  Anyway, if you would like to support the ladies by making a donation then please just click through on the right hand side and go for it!

And finally - did you see me on See Hear???  Well actually, you can only get a glimpse of my legs now and again!  But I still think this counts towards my 5 minutes of fame!  Its on BBC iPlayer now - so go ahead and play "spot the monkey!".

Night Night Monkey Monkey x

Gidea Park visit

I said the other day that I went to Gidea Park Library and was marvelling at all their fabulous displays.....well here are some of them.
I have to say first though, that the library was very neat on the day we visited - you can see behind me in this photo just how neat everything is!  Josh's Mum said that it looked like I had my hand behind my head and I was posing like a model....but I wasnt, I was doing my exercises!!!  Havering Libraries have had a month dedicated to personal improvement - so Exercise fitted right in there!  I do like to keep fit, but sometimes people laugh at me when I try to do push-ups!

This is me having a good old chuckle at some of the books on this display.  It was global belly laugh day on the 24th January and most of the libraries had done something to commemorate it....some had put up displays, some held joke competitions, some told jokes to people coming into the library....

....here at Gidea Park, they put up a choice of funny books and also their Special Reading Agents Group had a joke swapping session.  I nearly fell off the shelf laughing when I read the jokes.  My favourite one was...."What do you call a sleepy bull.....a bulldozer!"  ....I told this to Josh and his dad and they both giggled, but I think this might have been just to keep me happy!  Josh's Mum laughed alot though!

How amazing is this??? The staff at Gidea Park are just so talented...this is the wardrobe from The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe - you can see the furcoats hanging in the wardrobe and Narnia beyond.  Of course, never one to pass on an adventure, I just had to climb into the wardrobe.....

....and here I am, in Narnia!  This penguin seemed a little lost so we had a short chat and then I moved on to the.....

.... Snow Queen's Palace.  I did think about going in, but I wasnt feeling too brave - and it was almost time for lunch!  Kate, the manager, said that Erin went in there last week and was gone for 3 days!  I am just so glad I resisted the urge!

Monkey Monkey... Phew!