The Guille-Allès library, in the heart of St Peter Port, is a library like no other, and one of our favourite places to visit. In 2018 it was transformed into a magical world where children can learn, have fun and be inspired, thanks to staircases only big enough for children, raised walkways leading to secret shelves and reading nooks, the beautiful tree centrepiece covered in fairy lights, circular reading bench and the artificial grass covering the floors. And if that wasn’t enough, the Children’s Library is home to more than 15,000 books!
Whether you are a Guernsey resident or just visiting the island, everyone is welcome.
Location
The Guille-Allès Library is located in the centre of St Peter Port in a pedestrianised street, so it is not possible to park outside. The closest parking is on Albert Pier, from there it only takes 5 minutes to walk to the library.
A Place of Inspiration
Guernsey’s Children’s Library is located on the 1st floor of the Guille-Allès Library and it is a place of wonder for children of all ages. The secret passages, doors only big enough for children to go through, grassed floor, reading tree, colouring table and countless children’s books has been developed to inspire youngsters in the hope it will give them a life-long love of books and reading.
Tovertafel Table
One of my girls’ favourite things to do at the Children’s Library is to play on the Tovertafel Table. This interactive table uses a high quality-projector and infrared sensors to project interactive games onto a table. It is great fun for kids and parents alike, especially for children with additional needs. Games include bursting bubbles, hunting for bugs, paint splat, fishpond and more!
The Tovertafel table is running in the Children’s Library every Tuesday afternoon until late night closing, and they hold separate sessions over the holidays.
Weekly Classes
The library offers preschool sessions every day of the week during term-time, whether in the library building itself, or out in the Community or one of their outreach sessions. Sessions include Rhyme Together for 0-4 year olds, Baby Bounce, Tots on Friday’s and there are often Guernsey French sessions for Preschoolers on Tuesdays. All sessions are free and details (including dates, times and class description) can be found in our What’s On calendar.
School Holiday Activites
The library always hosts a number of activities during school holidays along with a summer reading challenge where children get rewards (stickers, pencils etc) for reading a set number of books.
Fascinating Facts
- There are over 73,000 books to choose from at the Guille-Allès library (no wonder it takes me ages to choose a book!)
- There are over 160,000 visits to the library each year
- Over 300,000 books are loaned from the library each year
- There are 15,000 children’s books to choose from
- The top 3 most popular children’s books in 2020 were The Koala Who Could by Rachel Bright, The Singing Mermaid by Julia Donaldson and in top place The Brilliant World of Tom Gates by Liz Pichon.
- The library offers over 450 children’s activity sessions each year
Address: Market Square, St Peter Port, Guernsey, GY1 1HB
Opening Times: Closed Sundays and Public Holidays.
| Monday | 8.45 – 17.30 |
| Tuesday | 10.00 – 21.00 |
| Wednesday | 8.45 – 17.30 |
| Thursday | 8.45 – 21.00 |
| Friday | 8.45 – 17.30 |
| Saturday | 8.45 – 17.15 |
Website: https://www.library.gg/
