The artist David Shrigley recently pulped 6000 copies of Dan Brown’s The Da Vinci Code to create 1250 editions of George Orwell’s 1984 for an artwork called Pulped Fiction. Rather than a literary criticism of the book, it was inspired by a notice in an Oxfam shop asking people to stop donating copies of Brown’s blockbuster, but it raises an interesting point about the choices we make when reading. It’s easy to stick with something we know, be it a favourite author or a particular genre, but the great thing about a library is that you can try something different, something out of your comfort zone, without it costing you a penny. You can borrow books for 3 weeks so have a go and branch out next time you’re in the library.

A good place to start is the Community Collection. This is a special selection of books that will be available in Narborough for 3 months before moving on to another library. The current collection is from the Reading Agency Books of the Year 2022 and includes various genres from well-known and lesser-known authors. What will you discover?

Of course, while the library is free to use, it isn’t free to run, and fundraising is essential. The Friends of the Library recently held a fundraising Quiz Night which raised £300 towards running costs. It was a great night and a very tight finish with only 3 points separating the top 4 teams so congratulations to Anne, Sue, Barbara, and Julia.

Here’s a special quiz question for Journal readers. Where can you develop new skills while making a difference to your community and expand your professional and personal networks through meeting and working with like-minded individuals? The answer is through becoming a charity trustee. Narborough and Littlethorpe Community Library is a registered charity and as such is governed by independent Trustees who are legally responsible for the charity’s management, providing oversight of financial and administrative affairs and setting its strategic direction. Trustees are appointed for 3 years and can be reappointed twice, meaning a maximum of 9 years’ service. As the Charity was established in 2016, that means that a number of Trustees are now approaching the limit of their service and we are seeking new people to join the team. If you’d like to find out more, check the library’s website (https://nandlclibrary.org) or ask in the library.