16 October to 16 November 2024

Please note that this exhibition has adult themes.

Following on from the success of last year’s inaugural exhibition, Connexions 24 brings together eighteen artists who work in and around the Milton Keynes area.

Working across a range of disciplines, and drawing from the reality of existence, each artist offers us a glimpse into another’s world that, collectively, describes the human condition.

Visit the Event Space on the ground floor at Central Library to see this incredible exhibition.

• Peter Bashford
• Clive Bryant
• Michael Coram
• Michael Dales
• Yvonne Elliott
• Len Gifford
• Peter Keegan
• Ralph McAuliffe
• Zoe McCabe
• Tatiana Merdina
• Simon Munn
• David Newens
• Tatiana Orlenok
• Csaba Tibor Palotas
• Malcolm Riley
• Louise Stukenbrock
• Matt Waruszynski
• Oliver Winconek

You can read more about the artists in the Connexions 2024 catalogue.

2 to 28 November 2024 at Central Library

Visit the first floor at Central Library to view the incredible art on display for the Uniquely Wired exhibition. It’s a showcase of talented Milton Keynes based artists, exploring and celebrating neurodiverse creativity, bringing together a broad range of mediums including painting, printmaking, animation and 3D design.

Join Explore Learning for their tailor-made Winter Wonderland activities. 

The sessions encourage creativity while delivering specific numeracy and literacy objectives. They actively promote maths and English in the community and support the younger generation in developing lifelong skills.

Sessions are FREE but require booking in advance as places are limited. Use the links below to book the session you’d like to attend.

Please note that the sessions are all the same so please do not book multiple sessions, as we’d like as many families as possible to be able to attend.

• Saturday 23 November (2pm-3pm) at Central Library
• Wednesday 11 December (3.45pm-4.45pm) at Wolverton Library
• Thursday 12 December (3.45pm-4.45pm) at Newport Pagnell Library

Parents/carers must remain in the library throughout the sessions.

If your child has any additional needs you’d like us to know about, please email library.promotions@milton-keynes.gov.uk as we hope to make the experience fun for everyone.

We would appreciate you letting us know if you’ve booked a place but cannot attend so that we can release it to another family. You can contact us about your booking by emailing library.promotions@milton-keynes.gov.uk.

Saturday 7 December 2024 - 11am to 4pm in the Event Space at Central Library

Milton Keynes and the surrounding area is home to a wealth of talented writers, many of whom have made their work available with small, independent presses or by self-publishing.

To celebrate them and their work, MK Lit Fest is delighted to be running the first MK Indie Book Fair where you can meet the authors, hear them read from their work and, of course, buy their books!

With over 35 writers taking part, their books cover a vast spectrum of genres – crime, mystery, fantasy, Young Adult, children’s books, poetry, self-help, memoir and more.

Entry is free – come and meet your new favourite authors!

• CHESS at Woburn Sands Library (adults and children) - Friday 3.30-4.30pm
• COMPUTER HELP SESSIONS WITH OUR IT BUDDIES
  • Sessions are held at several libraries and offer one-to-one help with your devices (phones, laptops, tablets) and online processes like setting up an email or shopping. Visit the Digital Help web page for full details.
• GAMES CLUB - (all ages) at Stony Stratford Library - Thursday 3.45-4.45pm (drop-in)
• GARDENING CLUB - Stony Stratford Library (contact Stony Stratford Library for dates)
• KNIT AND NATTER sessions at various libraries
• LIBRARY COFFEE MORNINGS at Stony Stratford Library with FoSSL on the first and third Wednesdays each month 10-11am. Free to attend, just stop by for tea, coffee, homemade cake and conversation.
• LIBRARY READING GROUPS at various libraries
• MK NANOWRITERS meet on the second Saturday each month at Central Library 2pm to 4pm. It's a social group for writers although they do discuss writing as that's their shared hobby. If you'd like to know more or are interested in joining the group, please email mknanowriters@gmail.com.
• SOCIAL SCRABBLE at Bletchley Library on Tuesdays 10.30-11.30am.
• STONY LAST THURSDAY HISTORY SOCIETY - Drop-in any time between 2-5pm on the last Thursday of each month upstairs at Stony Stratford Library to chat with like-minded people about the history of Stony Stratford. If you'd like to know more, ask at Stony Stratford Library.

Please note that some activities are term time only.

• CHESS at Woburn Sands Library (adults and children) - Friday 3.30-4.30pm
• CODE CLUB (ages 9-13) at Central Library - Monday 4-5pm
• CRAFT CLUB (ages 3-9) at Olney Library - third Saturday each month 10.30-11.30am
• GAMES CLUB - (all ages) at Stony Stratford Library - Thursday 3.45-4.45pm (drop-in)
• LEGO AND DUPLO CLUBS at various libraries
• Q:HUB (ages 13-19) at Central Library - Tuesday 4-5.30pm
• READ AND PLAY sessions at Olney Library - Thursday 2.30-4.30pm
• STAY AND PLAY sessions at Bletchley Library - Tuesday 10.30-11.30am (term time only) There is no session on Tuesday 13 February.
• STAY AND PLAY sessions at Central Library - Wednesday 1.30-2.30pm (term time only)
• STONY MUSIC MAKERS at Stony Stratford Library - Wednesday 9.30-10.15am
• STORIES, SONGS AND RHYMES at various libraries
• STORY AND SONG TIME (by Tickford and Woodlands Children's Centres) at Olney Library - Tuesday 1pm-2pm (term time only)

English conversation club is for anyone who would like to practise and improve their English as a second language, gain better skills for study or employment, or just get on in everyday life.

Sessions at Central Library

• Everyone is welcome to join us on the day and you don't need to register.
• Conversation club sessions are held at Central Library on Thursday mornings 11am-12pm.
• If you'd like to know more you can phone 01908 254050 or speak to library staff.

The library offers many resources to help those who speak other languages and are looking to learn English as a second language (ESOL). The library also provides a range of material to help you improve your basic language and reading skills.

Discover MK

The Discover MK Showcase area is on the first floor at Central Library. It is the primary showcase for the archive, museum and heritage of Milton Keynes and the surrounding area. It has a regularly changing series of exhibitions throughout the year and more information can be found on the Discover MK website.

40 Years of Care - MK University Hospital at 40 - 3 October to 16 December 2024

This exhibition celebrates the 40th anniversary of Milton Keynes Hospital, or Milton Keynes University Hospital (MKUH) as it is now known.

Archive photos, press cuttings and artefacts help to tell the story of the hospital over the past 40 years with contributions from MKUH, Living Archive MK, Arts for Health MK, The Friends of Milton Keynes Hospital & Community and the Milton Keynes Hospital Charity.

This is another fantastic exhibition brought to you by Living Archive MK.

Uniquely Wired Art Exhibition at Central Library

2 to 28 November 2024 at Central Library

Visit the first floor at Central Library to view the incredible art on display for the Uniquely Wired exhibition. It’s a showcase of talented Milton Keynes based artists, exploring and celebrating neurodiverse creativity, bringing together a broad range of mediums including painting, printmaking, animation and 3D design.

JOIN ME: Our 2020 Events - Memorial Quilt at Stony Stratford Library

Visit Stony Stratford Library to see this lockdown memorial quilt on display. It’s a community quilt project by Thread Thread Wine to memorialise the events that we most missed in 2020, whether cancelled, lost or postponed because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Soraya Tate, founder of Thread Thread Wine

At Christmas 2020 I decided to make a memorial quilt, dedicated to acknowledging the events and opportunities that we lost in 2020.

• I would create a quilt square about my own losses.
• I would invite others to do the same about their losses.
• I would join the pieces to make a quilt.
• I would display the quilt in December 2021 at an event for the makers.

This is the project so far; I hope you enjoy viewing it and reading about it. We have 42 submissions and the quilt is 3m long.

We have made some of the squares into cards for sale, to raise money for the mental health charity MIND.

If you would like to contribute your artwork to this project, please email Soraya or visit the Thread Thread Wine (TTW) Facebook page.

Read more about the background to this project, the inspiration and the artists who have contributed by visiting the Memorial quilt project page.

We offer Family History support from our volunteers:

FIRST STEPS

Get started with your family tree or research and have a beginner's guide to ancestry.com at Olney Library.

• Friday 1 November 2024 - 2pm to 4pm
• Friday 6 December 2024 - 2pm to 4pm

Book your free session by emailing library.enquiries@milton-keynes.gov.uk.

EXPERT ADVICE

If you’re having difficulties with your research and need some advice, John will use his years of experience to help you at Central Library.

• Thursday 28 November 2024 - 1pm to 3pm

Book your free 30-minute session by emailing library.enquiries@milton-keynes.gov.uk or calling 01908 254050.

Friends Groups work in partnership with us and closely with local library teams to help support and enhance libraries in our local communities.

They provide an important contribution to support and maintain awareness of a library in a local community.

Folio - Olney Library

Folio (The Friends of the Library in Olney) run a programme of talks which are held 7.30-8.30pm at The Olney Centre, Room 4 and they request that you arrive at 7pm for a 7.30pm start. Refreshments are served after each talk.

• 4 November - 'From Lorenze to Colossus' by Michael Kushner
• 2 December - 'Comedy Writing and Pantomime' by David Pibworth

Tickets are £6 in advance and can be booked online at Ticketsource or by phoning Ticketsource on 0333 666 3366.

If you are no longer able to attend or have any questions, please email olneyfoliofriends@gmail.com.

You can download a printable schedule of Folio talks here.

FoSSL - Stony Stratford Library

FoSSL (The Friends of Stony Stratford Library) run regular talks at the library and details for booking tickets for these events will be released closer to the time. If you'd like to join the mailing list to receive news and updates from FoSSL, email fosslmk@gmail.com.

• Thursday 14 November 7pm - 'The Life and Work of Bloomsbury artist Vanessa Bell' by Deb Malton and Helen Roos.

Tickets are available from Stony Stratford Library from 29 October.

• Several libraries host Knit and Natter groups.
• Beginners and experts are all welcome.
• Admission is free.

• Free all-round fun with Lego/Duplo clubs at several of our libraries.
• We provide the bricks and you provide the imagination.
• Everyone regardless of age is invited to join the fun.
• Parents and carers are responsible for their child's safety.
• Parents and carers must remain with their children throughout the sessions.

Click on the session links to see the dates when clubs are running.

Tuesday

• 3.30-4.30pm at Wolverton Library
• 4-5pm at Central Library

Wednesday

• 3.30-4.30pm at Newport Pagnell Library

Thursday

• 3.30-4.30pm at Bletchley Library
• 3.30-4.30pm at Westcroft Library

Friday

• 3.30-4.30pm at Kingston Library
• 3.30-4.30pm at Olney Library
• 3.30-4.30pm at Woburn Sands Library
• 3.30-4.30pm at Stony Stratford Library

Saturday 

• 10am-12pm at Central Library
• 10.30-11.30am at Woughton Library
• 11-12pm at Stony Stratford Library
• First Saturday of each month - 10.30-11.30am at Olney Library

You can subscribe to library newsletters to hear the latest news or follow us on our various social media pages.

• Facebook (MiltonKeynesLibraries)
• X - Twitter (MKLibraries)
• Instagram (MKLibraries)
• Pinterest (MKLibraries)
• YouTube (Milton Keynes Libraries)

Do you enjoy reading? Would you like to talk about what you have read? Would you like to share your views with an informal group? Then why not join a reading group.

• Several libraries hold storytime sessions.
• We also have many online stories, songs, poems and signed stories on our YouTube Channel.
• Be sure to browse our unlisted stories playlist.

We're excited to bring you the Summer Reading Challenge each year during the summer holidays.

We hope you'll consider joining our team here at the Milton Keynes Libraries. You'll find details of any current vacancies across our libraries on the library vacancies webpage.

• We welcome volunteers at all ten of our libraries.
• There are many interesting opportunities for volunteers within the Milton Keynes libraries and there's bound to be something that suits you.
• Volunteers need to be at least 13 years old.