Bristol Libraries invites you to our fun palace at Bristol Central Library. A fun filled day of FREE activities. Get involved and try something new.

From friendship bracelet making to taster Tai Chi sessions with Age UK Bristol. There is something for everyone. 

10:30-11:30 Friendship bracelets

11:30-12:00 Tai Chi and tea taster session with Age UK Bristol (open to everyone)

12:30-13:30 FUNgi Haiku and discovery session

13:30-14:00 Tai Chi and tea taster session with Age UK Bristol (open to everyone)

14:30-15:15 Spooky storytelling (for grown ups)

Plus big games in the Children’s Library throughout the day!

 

During the 18th century, British newspapers published advertisements for runaway enslaved people with rewards for their capture; for the hundreds of Black and Asian people brought to Britain through the Transatlantic Traffic in Enslaved Africans, these advertisements are often the sole record of their presence. This exhibition presents 13 advertisements for fugitive slaves from 18th century Bristol newspapers Felix Farley's Bristol Journal and Bonner & Middleton's Bristol Journal. Featuring original newspapers, maps and memoirs by 18th and 19th century Black writers, this exhibition assembles the possible lives of these runaways before their bid for freedom.

The exhibition also includes a screening of short film 'Fugitives in the Archive' (2024), which picks up the trail of one such runaway, Jeremiah Rowland. This poetic film follows Jeremiah through the archive after his escape in 1769 and considers how the lives of undocumented freedom-seekers can exist beyond the archive's limits.

'Fugitives in the Archives' exhibition will also be on display upstairs at Central Library from 14 October - 30 November. 

 

 

Experience the beautiful world of Ukrainian poetry by exploring it together with singer-songwriter and BBC Introducing featured artist Jules Ester. This event is free and open to all—no preparation required.

Help us build a paper model of Bristol!

 We’re constructing 2000 paper buildings for an event at M Shed in 2026, and we need your help! 

Local architects Architecture 00 have designed paper models of Bristol’s houses, shops, tower blocks & offices and we’re inviting you help us construct a miniature version of the city, one tiny paper building at a time. Come and sit with us, watch the replica city emerge, try your hand at some papercraft and learn more about our project. 

This event is suitable for adults and children 10 and above. Children must be accompanied and supervised by an adult at all times.

St Paul's Library

This panel display at St Paul's Library documents 500 years of Black music in Britain and explores the people, places and genres that have formed a British soundtrack. It highlights music as a form of entertainment and vehicle for community, as well as a source of liberation, protest and education, and spotlights clubs, carnivals and community hubs from across the country that have cultivated creative expression and inspired a number of Black British music genres. 

This exhibition is one of over 30 at local libraries that are part of the Living Knowledge Network. The Living Knowledge Network is a UK‑wide partnership of national and public libraries, which supports libraries to meaningfully connect with their communities by expanding access to inspiring experiences and sharing the UK’s national heritage. Founded by the British Library with the National Library of Scotland and the National Library of Wales, the network is the only one of its kind in the UK.  

Listen to the poetry of the street — on the street!

STREET! is an innovative new digital poetry project launched on the 2nd October 2025, bringing the voices of Bristol’s neighbourhoods to life through GPS-triggered audio soundpools outside 12 Bristol libraries.

 Walk past libraries Avonmouth, Bishopston, Bishopsworth, Central, Clifton, Filwood, Fishponds, Henleaze, Junction 3, Southmead, St George & St Pauls — and hear curated poems about street life, the local area, and community stories, all through your smartphone.

 Just download the STREET! app, open it, and step into a soundpool to experience poetry like never before.

 Download & info here: https://ralphhoyte.org/home/street/

Looking to understand your industry better? Whether you're starting a business, growing one, or exploring a new career path, IBIS World is a fantastic resource available at all BIPC branches—Central, Knowle, Junction 3, and Southmead.

 

IBIS World is a market research tool and is ideal for:

• Business owners looking to stay competitive
• Entrepreneurs researching new ideas
• Employees wanting to understand their sector
• Job seekers preparing for interviews or career changes

 

Here are the areas that could be researched with IBIS World:

• Is the coffee shop industry growing?
• What are the risks?
• What are the barriers to entry? And how could I overcome them?
• Who are the customers now?
• Where are opportunities for growth?
• How can I increase my chances of succeeding in the coffee shop business?

 

• Use any BIPC computer at Central, Knowle, Junction 3, or Southmead
• Visit the BIPC website
• Staff will log you in. You can download or print reports for personal use.

 

For free 1:1 sessions with our experts, visit BIPC Bristol's Eventbrite page. We also offer a wide range of up to date business books, both in the libraries and through BorrowBox.