Come into Central Library to pick up your Trail map and plan your summer activities around our BookBenches! Venues across the city are hosting 58 BookBench sculptures - all decorated by local schools and community groups. Pick up a map and start ticking them off as you see them and get involved in the summer […]
In 2014 Daniel Hutchings made Django Away! (the j is silent). Now he’s back and he’s on the brink of success beyond his wildest dreams. Daniel Hutchings is the self-proclaimed Freelance Giggle-oh and he’s got his big break on Gemma Wilde’s show. Hutchings is introduced to the world with such fascinating facts as his favourite […]
In this fascinating exhibition, artist Richard Bartle explores in minute detail the customs and icons of major world religions and belief systems. Manifested in a series of 12 scale modelled garden sheds, the work reduces the usually grand architecture of churches and temples into more private spaces of worship. Viewers are invited to make their own […]
Pop in and see this wonderful LEGO model of Central Library, which was built by Robert Clarkson for ‘Bricktastic’ at Manchester Convention Centre in 2015. It has been shown around the country and is here now, 'inside itself', in the Central Library Search Room, for a limited time only! Robert says: 'My hobby is creating […]
What stories can be uncovered from a city? every thing every time, a new flip-dot artwork by Naho Matsuda, takes information from our interactions within the city to tell a new story about the people and the places of Manchester. With the rise of the ‘Smart City’ asking important questions of what we want from […]
Join us for a fun afternoon of free family activities. Have a go at letterpress printing with images from the archives. Create your own wonderful prints to take home. The Architectural School for Children will be visiting to deliver a book-making workshop. Free - no need to book - just drop in
Join us at Manchester Central Library for a live screening from the British Library celebrating science writing past, present and future. There will be a panel discussion beamed from the British Library chaired by Dara O'Briain and including Dame Jocelyn Bell Burnell, Vivienne Parry and Professor Mark Miodownik - with your chance to put questions […]
Hear the stories behind some of the magazine's featured headlines; “Anderton on the rampage” “Poppers the price you pay" “Gay sauna raid” “Job security for lesbian and gay workers" “New gay bar in Bolton" Amateur yet unashamed, over its lifespan (1978- 1986) The Mancunian Gay magazine documented the evolution of the LGBT rights movement in […]
Faye MacCalman (clarinet, tenor saxophone)/John Pope (electric bass)/Christian Alderson (drums) Faye MacCalman fronts Newcastle sax-bass-drums trio, Archipelago, drawing on garage rock, minimalism and free improvisation: riffs, silence, noise and grooves create a collage of hard-edged blocks of sound that evolve over the performance. A Manchester Jazz Festival event Free - please drop in (subject to availability)
Otto Willberg (double bass)/Harry Smith (tenor saxophone)/Alexander Tod (drums) A fiery take on the sax-bass-drums trio format, favouring short and snappy tunes in the spirit of punk: free improvisation delivered with humour, melody and fun. “The band has been described as “Imagine Eric Dolphy playing Stravinsky-esque circus music and you’ll get some inkling of the kind […]
Electrifying guitarists Alex Roth, Chris Montague and Chris Sharkey exploit the instrument’s full potential to create music of extremes, using extended techniques and expansive soundscapes. Advance: £8.50 (inc 50p bkg fee) / OTD: £10 A Manchester Jazz Festival event
Andrew explores the capabilities of the pocket piano – a tiny, hand-built synthesiser. He improvises sweeping soundscapes using both intricate textures and simple melodies. Bristol sax and drums duo, Run Logan Run strive for intensity within the moment - from quiet, bird-like noises to huge, monolithic sounds. Advance: £8.50 (inc 50p bkg fee) / OTD: […]
From dedicated performance spaces to stairwells, screens, nooks and domes, Central Library might directly inspire your next event or intervention. Contact us to arrange a tour.
