Our library service is celebrating its centenary! This special edition Residents’ eNewsletter showcases all the exciting things happening during 2025 that you can get involved in.

Celebrate with us

Our libraries are celebrating a century of being at the heart of communities across West Sussex and we want you to join in!

During our centenary year you can come along to author talks, a murder mystery evening, a quiz night, tea party and family fun day among others. Check out what's happening in your local library here.

All our public libraries are free, open spaces where you can borrow books, learn new skills, keep warm, access free Wi-Fi, entertain your child, join a reading group or board games club, research your family history or learn to use a computer, to name just a few.

County council cabinet member for community support, fire and rescue Duncan Crow said: “This is such a special year for the Library Service. Our libraries are an integral part of the community, providing valuable services which support residents and help them fulfil their potential, which is one of the priorities in Our Council Plan.” 

Reading books – but not as we know it!

Escape into the world of virtual reality (VR) in your local library and enjoy books in a completely different way.

All 36 libraries in West Sussex will be hosting VR headsets during the centenary year, so you’ll be able to pop along to your local library and try out an immersive adventure and be transported into a magical world of virtual books.

The Library of Possibilities and Wonder unique VR project has been made possible thanks to National Lottery money awarded by Arts Council England.

What does your library mean to you?

Perhaps you have memories of visiting the library as a child, sitting in the children’s section and sorting through the wooden boxes of picture books, or searching for your favourite author on the shelves and looking forward to delving in?

Maybe you recall borrowing videos from the library when they were introduced in the 1980s, or researching information on one of the computers that were available to use free of charge from the 1990s?

Or do you remember when the county’s first purpose-built library in West Sussex opened in Horsham in 1957?

If you would like to reminisce about your favourite books or library memories, you can write on special memory walls and books available in all our libraries, or send them through to us on the link below.

Half term birthday fun!

There is always lots going on for children and young people in our libraries – and next week we have some special half term centenary themed story and craft sessions.

Join in the 100-year birthday fun from 17 to 21 February at libraries across the county.

Places are limited and pre-booking is required for all half term activities.

Please check the individual event listings via the link below for more details.

What were our libraries like in times gone by?

Take a magical history tour with us as we look back at some of the fabulous memorabilia we have in the West Sussex archives.

You can find out about the first county librarian Henry Twort, who chose the books for customers, piled them into his Morris car and then travelled round the county delivering them!

Or learn more about rebel librarian Marian Frost, who was a pioneer in her field at Worthing Library and Museum in the early 1900s. She persuaded a steel baron to give the town the equivalent of £500,000 to fund a new library.

There’s also a video that you can watch showcasing some of the best photos from days gone by. You might spot someone you know!

A free talk on the history of West Sussex libraries will be held on 25 March in Chichester, or you can join online. Click here to reserve your space.

Not a library member yet but want to join in the fun? It’s simple and easy to join the library. And it's completely free if you live, work or study in West Sussex.

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