Orkney Library & Archive

The book Made in Scotland by Billy Connolly

A quote from Billy Connolly. 'But, for me, the library is the key. That is where the escape tunnel is. All of the knowledge in the world is there. The great brains of the world are at your fingertips.'

Happy Birthday to the legendary Billy Connolly who turns 83 today, and who from a young age realised the importance of #Libraries.

'When I was an unhappy little boy, going to the library changed my life. It may even have saved it.'

Happy Birthday Big Yin. 🎉🎂🌟❤️

Library Of Things A page of links to the Library of Things at Orkney Library & Archive which includes loanable items which are not books

You can find details of all our loanable stuff (that isn't books etc) on our website at: orkneylibrary.org.uk/library-of-t...

Tools, kitchenware, sewing machines, birdwatching kits, games kits, and our Wintering Well Kits which are still in high demand.

And there's more to come...

A baking tray

Heart shaped cutters

A savarin dish

A flan dish

We have just extended our Lend & Mend collection AGAIN so along with our loanable tools and sewing machines we now have a loanable collection of KITCHENWARE. Baking tins, flan dishes, cutters and more. 🍳 #GreenLibraries #LoveLibraries

Find out more at: orkneylibrary.org.uk/kitchenware/

This boarding card was issued in the last year of P&O Scottish Ferries which served Orkney and Shetland from 1971 until @NLFerries took over in September 2002.

Anyone who travelled on the P&O boats would have been issued with one of these cards.

Always 😂

A boarding card from the P&O ship St Ola issued in June 2002

Just found this in a book and it's going to hit #Orkney and #Shetland people right in the feels.

Sutton Hoo ship name contest urges no 'Boaty McBoatface' suggestions Sutton Hoo Ship's Company wants help naming their replica, but urges people not to make joke suggestions.

Sounds fine to us

www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

Very much so. 💡

Our loanable tool collection continues to grow! We've now added 2 Dewalt Orbital sanders, 2 Dewalt cordless planers, plus sets of pliers and sets of adjustable spanners. 🔨🛠️🔧
All loanable for FREE at Orkney Library.

Find out more about our loanable tool collection at: orkneylibrary.org.uk/tools/

Dark blue sky out the back of the library. Streetlights are on.

20th November. Half past 4.

A month until the winter solstice.

That's what we're doing this afternoon

A black and white photograph of old Telegraph equipment

We have an announcement.

Our website orkneylibrary.org.uk will be DOWN for a couple of hours THIS AFTERNOON for essential maintenance.

Apologies for any inconvenience.

Happy #MobileLibrariesDay! 📚

An annual celebration of all the intrepid Mobile Library drivers who head out across the urban, rural and island communities of Scotland every week, delivering books, knowledge and entertainment. 📚

#BookWeekScotland #LoveLibraries

BookyMcBookface our Mobile Library at the Italian Chapel in Orkney

BookyMcBookface our Mobile Library at the Broch of Gurness in Orkney

BookyMcBookface our Mobile Library parked up beside the sea

BookyMcBookface our Mobile Library parked up beside the sea

We're delighted to announce that Emma, our NEW Mobile Library driver is all ready to go so #BookyMcBookface will be continuing on his travels from next week, beginning in Longhope on Tuesday 18th November.

You can find an updated list of Booky visits at: orkneylibrary.org.uk

We'll have our new coat rails up and running next week during #BookWeekScotland so come along and see what we've got, or drop off your donated coats any time we are open. 🧥

For more information please contact the library on 01856 873166 or email library@orkney.gov.uk.

Any donations can be handed in to library staff in Kirkwall or Stromness, or at the Mobile Library.

We'll have a rail at Kirkwall and Stromness so you can come along and take any coats you need, whenever you need them. It's another way we're trying to help people spend less. 🧥

A poster advertising the Winter Coat Swap at Orkney Library & Stromness Library

We are launching a new Winter Coat Swap at Orkney Library & Archive. If you have any winter coats you no longer need we'd be delighted to have them.
We're looking for coats to fit any age and size, adult or child, as long as they are in good, clean condition ready for wearing. 🧥 #GreenLibraries

So this Christmas, if you know someone who doesn't like their birthday, instead of buying them an Amazon voucher why not give them a gift of a new birthday, like Robert Louis Stevenson did for Annie Ide back in 1891. 🎁

This could be next year's John Lewis Christmas advert.

A photograph of Annie Ide as a young woman

So he decided that in 1891 when he was 40 years old he didn't need to celebrate his birthday anymore and gifted the date to Annie Ide, writing up an official document that passed the date from him to her so she could finally have a special birthday all to herself. #RLSDay

n 1891 RLS heard that the 12 year old daughter of his friend Henry Clay Ide (the US Commissioner to Samoa) was unhappy that she never got to celebrate her birthday properly because it landed on Christmas Day. He felt bad that she never got a special day all to herself. ☹️

A black and white photograph of Robert Louis Stevenson

Today is #RLSDay which marks the birthday of the Scottish writer Robert Louis Stevenson who would have been 175 today.
It's also a good day to remember that it is NOT actually his birthday because in 1891 he gave it away to a young girl because she didn't like her birthday. 🧵

Audio Waves Book Club The Audio Waves Book Club at Orkney Library is a book club where the members listens to Audiobooks and eAudiobooks instead of reading printed books

Once you've listened to it give it a score out of 5 and tell us what you thought of it by emailing library@orkney.gov.uk. An average score and a selection of reviews will be published on our website.
Find out more at: orkneylibrary.org.uk/audio-waves-...

Audio Waves is our Book Club at Orkney Library where we listen and review Audiobooks instead of printed books.

It's a way to offer a book club experience to readers who require or prefer audiobooks.

There are no physical meetings to attend so anyone can join in, from anywhere in the world.

Cover of the audiobook of The Wall of Life by Shirley MacLaine

If you've been joining in with our Audio Waves Book Club then it's time for your next audio book!

Our fourth Audio Waves title is:
THE WALL OF LIFE by Shirley MacLaine.

Available FREE on BorrowBox as an eAudiobook with your Orkney Library card (OR available wherever you get your eAudiobooks.)

Okay we made this up.

A black and white Archive photograph of a dock and ships in Mill Bay in Hoy. It's captioned The Dock in Mill Bay, Orkney.

It's a little known fact that Otis Redding spent time in Hoy, #Orkney during the 1920s while engineer Ernest Cox carried out salvage work on the scuttled German fleet, as shown in this photograph.

Apparently Otis was often seen sitting on the dock in Mill Bay, watching the tide roll away.

Like #CelebrityTraitors, our Traitors display is done and has now been replaced with a #StrictlyComeDancing display. 💃🕺

The banished labels have been replaced by glitterballs.

The books have changed.

@claudiawinkleman.bsky.social endures. 🕺💃

Along with the toolboxes and drills we've just added 2 Wagner Wallpaper Strippers and 2 Cable Reels to our NEW loanable tool collection. And we'll be adding more items shortly so watch this space! 👀

Find out more about our loanable tool collection at: orkneylibrary.org.uk/tools/

A black and white photograph of St Magnus Cathedral with the Weeping Window poppies installation coloured in red. Taken in 2016 when the installation was there.

'All places of business in the town were closed in the afternoon, and a joint service of thanksgiving, in which the ministers of the town took part, was conducted in St Magnus Cathedral at night.'

Photo: Poppies: Weeping Window (2016) #Orkney #ArmisticeDay #RemembranceDay

A photograph of Kirkwall harbour taken by Tom Kent on Armistice Day, 11th November 1918

'...whilst the steamers in port voiced the feelings of all by the continuous sounding of sirens. All through the day the manifestations of joy continued; as ship after ship entered the bay, the glad tidings were announced to the mariners by renewed blowing of whistles.'