We are very pleased to announce an event with author Emily Kenway, on her ground-breaking and unflinching examination of the crisis in care and the experience of caring for a sick or disabled loved one.
We will host Emily in the library on the evening of the 26th of February. Tickets are free but spaces are limited so please speak to a member of staff at the desk, or give us a call on 0131 529 5651 to book your ticket.
This event is likely to be relevant to you if you have experience of giving or receiving care, or may do in the future. Which pretty much covers everyone!
We’re so excited to announce that we will be having EDINBURGH ZOO come to Muirhouse Library on the first Saturday of every month!
They will be talking about their animals, answering questions about the animals, and running an animal-themed craft session.
This will be at 11am on Saturday 1st March.
A *must* for animal lovers! This event is suitable for children aged 5 to 11, but if your slightly younger or older child is interested in animals, the event is likely to be suitable for them too.
We will have face-painting, slime-making, a magic show, a drop-in sewing workshop and the opportunity to meet the Muirhouse Library team and lots of great local organisations! It’s totally free – just pop by! We can’t wait to see everyone.
Global pop superstar and singer-songwriter Ed Sheeran wowed children and young people in North Edinburgh today with a surprise visit to local music initiative, Tinderbox Collective.
The secret visit formed part of the launch of the Ed Sheeran Foundation, a new music education initiative setting out to support and develop young talent and make music accessible to all.
During his visit, EdSheeran stunned a local youth club at Muirhouse Library, where he joined a group of young people trying out different instruments, and chatted to them about his journey, offering tips to aspiring musicians.
Maxwell from Craigroyston High School said: ““We were absolutely shocked. I’ve always admired Ed Sheeran and the way he sings and his music. I want to do music and now I feel even more motivated.”
A member of the Tinderbox Collective, Anno said: “Unbelievable. I really like Ed and I listen to his music. Just to see him right now is amazing. Crazy. Inspiring.”
Muirhouse Library was the first of Scotland’s “We Make Music Instrument Libraries”– an initiative to get musical instruments into public libraries so people can borrow them for free, just like taking out a book.
The initiative was established by Tinderbox Collective in partnership with Scotland’s Music Education Partnership Group and has since spread to over 30 libraries in 12 local authorities across Scotland.
The ambition to spread this as widely as possible across the country continues, and other libraries or library services interested in joining this programme and offering instruments as part of their service should get in touch.
Ed then joined a 100-piece choir at West Pilton Neighbourhood Centre made up of pupils from Forthview Primary School, Craigroyston Primary School, Pirniehall Primary School, St David’s RC Primary School and Craigroyston High School, and performed his hit single ‘Bad Habits’ with young rappers, singers and musicians from Tinderbox’s wider music programme.
Rhian from Craigroyston High School said: “Singing with him is something we’ll always remember.”
Lily from Pirniehall Primary Schooladded: “He came in and we all started screaming and there were happy tears.”
The visit to Edinburgh marked the official launch of the Ed Sheeran Foundation, an initiative designed to support youth music education across the UK through grant-making, raising awareness, and fostering collaborations.
Speaking about the foundation, Ed Sheeran said:“Music education has shaped who I am. I’ve always enjoyed playing music, and it’s led to some of the best moments of my life.”
As one of the first organisations across the UK to benefit, the foundation will support Tinderbox’s “Live in Libraries” tour to help kickstart Instrument Libraries around the UK, as well as elements of its signature programmes including its multi-genre orchestra, music technology lab and youth music hub.
Tinderbox Collective is a local charity offering a vibrant and inclusive space for young musicians who might not otherwise have access to such opportunities. From creative youth clubs filled with instruments, bands, song-writers and game design, to their flagship 20-piece Tinderbox Orchestra, their work builds a strong sense of community that has a profound impact on the lives of budding young artists.
Ed Sheeran’s visit underscores the importance of music education and the positive impact of making it accessible to all. In Scotland, a successful campaign to make instrumental tuition in schools free across the country was adopted by all parties in the last Scottish elections, and research from “What’s Going on Now” – a report on youth music in Scotland – has shown that over 100,000 more young people would take up opportunities to learn music if the service was expanded.
Ed Sheeran added: “It is so important to have brilliant music education both in and out of school. It’s great to hear that music tuition is now free in all schools in Scotland, but it is not reaching everyone and we need to do everything we can to make sure it is accessible and inspiring for all children and young people.”
Jack Nissan, Director of Tinderbox Collective, said: “Ed’s visit was so inspiring for all the young musicians in Tinderbox and it’s fantastic to have him advocate for music education and help build links with the wider music industry.
“We need to work together across schools, the community and the industry to fill music education with as much energy, diversity and creativity as possible, and to make sure that it is accessible, relevant and inspiring for everyone.”
Councillor Joan Griffiths, education, children and families convenor at the City of Edinburgh Council said: “We are committed to nurturing and encouraging local music talent in our city.
“In Edinburgh around 5,000 pupils currently receive free instrumental music tuition, with over 19,000 receiving free whole class music through the Youth Music Initiative. There is always more that can be done to make learning an instrument and access to music education more inclusive.
“Programmes run by Tinderbox Collective open up musical opportunities for youngsters who may not otherwise have had the chance, bringing young people and the wider community together.
“It’s fantastic to see Ed’s commitment to using his platform to champion accessibility to music and I have no doubt that he will have inspired all those he has met in Edinburgh.”
Mae Murray from Scotland’s Music Education Partnership Group said: “It is amazing to have Ed Sheeran visit young people in Scotland and help advocate for music education here.
“In 2021 we won a campaign to make music tuition free in all Scottish schools, but we still don’t reach all of Scotland’s young people, and we need more investment both in school and in the community to ensure that music is accessible to everyone.”
We’re so excited to announce this! On the 2nd of December, we will be hosting hit author Sara Sheridan at Muirhouse Library!
Join us to hear from Sara about her novels, an opportunity to ask her some questions, and to eat a mince pie (or two…). Tickets are totally free, but booking is essential.
To book, please speak to us at the front desk, or give us a call on 0131 529 5651.
We will take your name and a contact telephone number, and your postcode, as for the first week we are giving priority booking to people who live in EH4 or EH5.
On Wednesday 20th November we will open out the booking to everyone.
Edinburgh Multicultural Festival goes on tour! This fall we will be visiting libraries in the Edinburgh North neighbourhoods with our featured artists.
This Saturday, 26 October, Muirhouse Library will be hosting Morgan Njobo who will bring a South African flavour to your day with his signature signing and drumming performance and workshop.
Morgan Njobo, Edinburgh Multicultural Festival director, is a versatile artist, a singer, composer, musician, choreographer, dancer, director and producer known for traditional and modern African and World Music performances and productions. Morgan has worked with many communities across Edinburgh hosting vocal, music and dance workshops across the city.
We hope you’re as excited as we are for our opening next week!
Here’s what’s on in the new Muirhouse Library (!) next week – we hope to see lots of you there, for Bookbug, kids’ craft sessions after school, and coffee mornings.
The city council’s Future Libraries engagement stage survey was launched on Friday (January 26) by Culture and Communities Convener Val Walker.
Earlier this month, the Convener visited the site of the new Macmillan Hub, which will include a new Muirhouse Library. This is a good example of modern library service delivery.
With the old Muirhouse library having been demolished in 2021, the new community hub at Macmillan Square is being developed in partnership with North Edinburgh Arts and will incorporate a creative arts space, our Early Years facility, employability support, six flats for social rent, and of course a thriving community library.
In December 2023, the city council’s Culture and Communities Committee agreed a proposal to develop a new strategy and vision for the library service over the next five years.
The new strategy will consider ways to modernise services to meet changing community need, encourage participation, and address budget pressures. Further information on the plans are available on our website.
Going forward, taking in the views of service users, colleagues, and stakeholders before developing the draft strategy is key. The launch of the engagement stage survey will identify what works well, where changes could improve the service, and how delivery supports vulnerable groups. This will run for twelve weeks until April 19, 2024.
The council will then use this learning in our follow-up Consultation stage, where people will have the opportunity to make comments on the draft strategy and any proposals for service change.
This will run from June 2024-August/September 2024.
Culture and Communities Convener, Councillor Val Walker said:“It was fantastic to visit the site of the new Macmillan Hub and see firsthand the future direction of our libraries taking shape.
“I’d encourage everyone to take part and engage with our Future Libraries strategy. This is a really exciting opportunity to make your views heard on the services which matter to you and your communities.
“I’d like to thank Council colleagues for all their hard work going into the development of a new libraries strategy and I look forward to seeing its progress over the coming months.
“We’re committed to getting the basics right for the people of Edinburgh and our thriving libraries network is a key part of our priorities for the city.”
