Orkney Library & Archive

Thank you 😀

The balls outside Orkney Library & Archive. The sky is very blue and the sun is shining on the building.

It's a bright, sunny, spring-like Saturday morning in #Orkney and the sun is shining on our balls. 🌞

How's your day going?

👏

This could be the Emily Bronte/Michael Crichton crossover we've all been waiting for

Is that Michigan? Or is it Cookie Monster from Sesame Street trying to catch a flying chihuahua?

Out on the wily, windy moors
we'd roll and fall in green.
You had a book display, like my library
on point, so timely. 📚

#WutheringHeights

This month our #LEGO display cases have been full of brilliantly bright LEGO models for our #OrkneyLibraryLego YEAR OF THE HORSE theme! 🐎🈲️🎊

All made by library users using our #Lego collection. Thanks to everyone who made us a model! ❤️

Our next theme is WORLD BOOK DAY! 📚🦸‍♂️🧙‍♀️👦👧

A collage of photographs from the Early Women Doctors in Orkney display in the Archive

Right now in the Archive you'll find a fascinating display all about early women doctors in #Orkney, with a selection of documents, photographs and other items.

You can visit the display during normal Archive opening hours and you can read more about it on our Blog at: orkneyarchive.blogspot.com

Books about Downton Abbey

When you're alone and life is making you lonely you can always go

The view out the back of the library. The streetlights are off. The sky is blue with yellow at the horizon.

Okay brace yourself because this is BIG!

It's Monday night and it's 5pm so it's time for EPISODE SEVEN of 'How light is it in #Orkney at 5pm this week?'

OH MY THE STREETLIGHTS ARE OFF AND IT'S LITERALLY THIS LIGHT! 💡

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

Each audiobook will be available from Orkney Library as an eAudiobook on BorrowBox (or CD) but you can get it from your own library or wherever you get your audiobooks, then send us a review!

Find out more about Audio Waves Book Club on our website at: orkneylibrary.org.uk/audio-waves-...

The Audio Wave Book Club is a way to offer a book club experience to readers who require or prefer audiobooks - there are no physical meetings so ANYONE can join in, wherever they live in the world. You can live on a remote island, another continent, or just next door.

The cover of Beautiful Ugly by Alice Feeney

If you're a member of (or want to join in with) our Audio Waves Book Club then our fifth Audio Waves title is: BEAUTIFUL UGLY by Alice Feeney. Available FREE on #BorrowBox with your Orkney Library card (OR find it wherever you get your Audiobooks) 🎧

Remember ANYONE can join in, WHEREVER you live!

A clump of snowdrops at the back of Orkney Library and Archive

We have an announcement.

S N O W D R O P S ❤️

😂

100% this! After all, some of our archaeological sites are way older than the pyramids!

Booky McBookface the big blue Mobile Library vehicle parked on the pier at Tingwall. The sea is in the background with the island of Rousay on the horizon.

It's a cool February morning in #Orkney and #BookyMcBookface is away on the ferry to the beautiful islands of Rousay and Egilsay. 📚

Rousay is known as the 'Egypt of the North' due to its incredible density of archaeological sites including neolithic tombs, chambered cairns and Viking remains.

The novel Ash Wednesday by Ethan Hawke

Just LENT this book to someone. Due back in 40 days.

#AshWednesday

The worst thing about a Peter Pancake is that if you toss it in the air it Neverlands. 🥞

The best thing about a Peter Pancake pun is that it never gets old. 🥞

Who will fund our library/ball tour of Europe? There must be a book in this. 😂

A stack of different copies of Peter Pan stacked on top of a book titled Cake

Every year on #PancakeDay we bake a Peter Pancake 🥞

The view out the back of the library. The streetlights are on. The sky is a light grey and overcast but quite light.

It's cold but it's Monday night and it's 5pm so it's time for EPISODE 6 of 'How light is it in #Orkney at 5pm this week?'

We thought it couldn't possibly be any lighter than this time last week

BUT

IT'S ABSOLUTELY THIS LIGHT! 💡

All items were made using scraps of fabric following the Japanese traditional belief that if a piece of fabric is large enough to hold 3 grains of rice, it is large enough to repair other fabrics.

#GreenLibraries #LoveLibraries #LendandMend #Recycling #Boro

A collage of photos from a Boro sewing session

On Saturday we had a Boro sewing session in the Lend & Mend Hub - in collaboration with the Orkney Japan Association and Soulisquoy Printmakers.

Boro is a traditional Japanese technique that involves patching and stitching to mend, strengthen, and extend the life of garments.

A view of the open deck of a small ferry with the Mobile Library on the deck

It's another February Monday and we're starting to see more daylight at both ends of the day now. Today #BookyMcBookface is away north on the ferry to the beautiful #Orkney island of Stronsay. 📚❤️

A hand drawn map of part of Kirkwall in Orkney, with street names and other areas labelled

Our Archivists just came across a 1798 map of the centre of Kirkwall #Orkney, created for a legal dispute over some ground. It's very exciting because it's one of the earliest detailed maps of Kirkwall we've seen.

Read all about it on our Archive Blog:
orkneyarchive.blogspot.com/2026/02/kirk...

A love heart made of red books surrounded by the white page blocks of other books

Roses are red,
coats go on hooks.
We made you a love heart,
from #Library books. 📚❤️

Happy #ValentinesDay to all our followers but especially YOU because you're our favourite. ❤️

The view out the back of the library. The streetlights are on. The sky is light grey with a glimmer of the sunset just visible on the horizon

Okay things are getting serious this week. It's Monday night and it's 5pm so it's time for EPISODE 5 of 'How light is it in #Orkney at 5pm this week?'

BRACE YOURSELF.

We started the year in darkness, but already it's THIS LIGHT! 💡

It may have been Poppy Lowe who modelled for Stanley Cursiter a number of times for different paintings.