Library community and events
Join the library community
Do you want to find out about all our exciting events in the library? Join our library community and we will email you about activities and opportunities available.
Get involved, make friends and have fun!
Email us at [email protected] and join our mailing list.
Forthcoming Library events
The library organises a range of events aimed at our students and staff throughout the year. Here you can see what is coming up next, book a place and also read about our past events.
Archive tour at Special Collections
Where: JB Priestley Library, University of Bradford.
When: Wednesday, 29 Jan, 14:00-15:00.
Discover the archive of Jacquetta Hawkes, a highly respected archaeologist, film-maker, broadcaster, peace campaigner and writer.
The archive is an incredible record of her life and includes diaries, letters, photographs, notebooks and drafts of books, poems, plays and articles.
Meet with David Mullin, the library's Writer in Residence, who will share knowledge of his research within the collection.
The event is free but places are limited, so booking a place is essential.
Poetry, archives and the body
Special Collections are working in conjunction with award winning poet Tom Branfoot to bring a workshop about poetry, archives and the body.
This event will take place in the JB Priestley Library on Saturday, 25 Jan, 13:00-15:00.
Study Hub poetry competition
Do you fancy yourself as a bit of a William Wordsworth, or perhaps a John Keats or Maya Angelou?
As we enter the Bradford 2025 UK City of Culture, we are looking for budding poets to fill the new Study Hub in the JB Priestley Library with beautiful, inspiring words.
The Study Hub on Floor 01 opened in October. It features 12 bookable pods, each named after a feature of the Yorkshire moors, such as bracken, skylark and Swaledale sheep.
Earlier in 2024, we held a photography competition and a panel of judges picked one photo for display in each of the bookable pods. Now we want to add to the display with a poem on the theme of each pod.
The poetry competition is open to students, staff and alumni. The closing date is Friday 21 March, World Poetry Day. A panel of judges will pick the winners, which will then be displayed in each pod. An overall winner will also receive a £15 gift card.
You can enter more than one poem, but only one for each theme. The themes are below.
Themes
Please write your poem along one or more of the following themes.
- Bracken
- Heather
- Bilberries
- Oak
- Swaledale (the breed of sheep, not the valley)
- Butterfly
- Curlew
- Skylark
- Ingleborough
- Top Withens (ruined farmhouse near Haworth)
- Beehive
- Limestone
Terms and conditions
- Entries will be judged by a panel.
- Entrants will retain the copyright for any poem they submit to the competition but by submitting a poem, you grant the University a perpetual licence to use your poem.
- If your poem is chosen for display, you permit the University to print your name and course/job title alongside the poem and in University communications.
- Winners will be notified by email.
- One overall winner will receive a £15 high street voucher. No cash alternative will be given.
- Any personal data provided will only be used for the purposes of providing vouchers and will be deleted after three months.
- Artificial Intelligence-generated (AI) poems are not permitted.
How to enter
Use our Poetry competition form to enter. You will be asked for your name, UoB student/staff number, then you will be able to paste your poem into the form.
We hope to read all of your poems soon!
Living Library
Don't judge a book by its cover!
Living Library books are people from our community in Bradford who will share a personal experience or perspective on life. Borrow a living book in a safe space and take the opportunity to have a conversation and learn more about their experience. Read more about our past Living Library events.
Why be a Living Book?
Would you like to volunteer to talk to others about your life story, building understanding of your culture and history, to develop a more inclusive and accepting environment for all of Bradford’s diverse staff and students?
Watch the story of ‘Living Book’ Nico Kalkusinski, who spoke at our Living Library launch event.
Why be a reader?
‘Borrow’ a Living Book in a safe space and take the unique opportunity to have an open, respectful conversation to hear more about the personal life experience of the Living Book. Listen, talk, and learn.
Ana Jara Gonzalez’s experience of attending the University of Bradford’s Living Library launch event as a ‘Reader’.
Library Event Coordinators
Student Event Coordinators (Library Services) volunteer to help run library-based activities and events in the "Library Community Group". Working as a team they develop and plan a programme of innovative events for the library community.
Read more about the role and benefits, including recruitment for this role.
Library book club
The Library runs a regular book club in collaboration with Bradford Libraries who kindly provide us a number of books to borrow. For each title chosen, the group then meet to discuss the book. The book club is friendly, informal and open to all students and staff - do come and join us!
Read about our previous book club titles and meetings.
Next title in book club
Coming soon!
