Sunday opening arrived at Hadleigh Library on 31st August with a bang, both literally and  metaphorically.  Balloons, some of which burst, added colour - and noise! - to an action- packed day.  A clown and a leopard on stilts greeted passing pedestrians and handed out leaflets about the new Sunday library experience, a flamboyantly-dressed John Row collected people's memories of Sundays past and wrote them all down; a Beatles tribute band, Words by Lennon and McCartney, sang hits of the Fab Four to great acclaim, children were encouraged to contribute to a very bright painting which is now displayed in the Children's section, and anyone of any age could have a go at paper-making under the expert eye of Judith Chestnutt, some of whose own original creations have been on display in the library.  We are expecting that some the paper which our visitors made will shortly also be on display in a collage.

The Children's Sunday Club should be up and running by the time you read this, from 10 to 12 each Sunday, and is open to children of all ages.  There will be drawing and crafts, story telling, and a great idea for budding J.K.Rowlings and Jeremy Strongs of 8 plus - children can write their own stories and book reviews and see them published on the Stories On The Web website.  We do ask parents to give their consent before children are allowed to participate in this activity; pick up a form on any Sunday.

Also available from 12 to 2 are bite-size beginner's sessions on the Internet.  Whether you have a computer or not, but are interested or curious about what's on the Web, a quick half-hour session can show you just a taste of the amazing amount of information that can be accessed through the library terminals.  And if you get a taste for it, you can use our terminals whenever we're open, free of charge, to "surf" some more, and maybe sign up for our more in-depth courses which run on Friday evenings.

From 12 to 2 teenagers are particularly welcome.  Come and relax, with music, stuff to read (music, film, games magazines) and CDs, videos, DVDs, PlayStation games to borrow.  Or get your homework finished with help from books and the Internet.

Of course, all this is thirsty work, so we have a drinks machine, with a selection of different coffees, teas and hot chocolate, at reasonable prices.  Not just on Sundays, either; it's available throughout the week.  Also available whenever the library's open is our new self-service terminal, which lets you check out and return your own books.  It's really easy to use following the on-screen instructions, takes just a few seconds to issue or discharge your books, and issues you a receipt so you know when your books are due back.  You can also return non-book items via the self-service terminal, but to check out videos, CDs etc.at present you need to pay for them at the counter first.  Don't forget to bring your library card to check out your books - it won't work without it.  You can still issue and return your books at the counter during the week, but on Sundays the service, I must emphasise, is very definitely "self" - please don't expect the Sunday staff to issue and discharge things for you, because that's not what they're here for, though they will be happy to show you how to use the self-service terminal, and the other library terminals on which you can check your loans and renew items.  Lots of people have already visited the library on Sundays between 10 am and 4 pm; if you haven't, come and have a look at what's available.

For information about opening hours and contacting the library, click here