The Literary and Philosophical Society was founded in 1793, a place for the people of Newcastle to meet, talk and learn, and retains its original purpose, as one of the largest independent libraries in the country. It is a library in a building of historical importance with a venue for a rich programme of events, and is a resource that welcomes new members. The collections specialise in history, biography, science, travel, local history and poetry, and there is also a modern lending library. The outstanding music collection is considered one of the best outside London. All this is within one minute's walk from Central Station, Newcastle. www.litandphil.org.uk

 

Local Studies in Slough has reached another milestone. The website www.SloughHistoryOnline.org.uk was launched as an online collection of Slough Observer newspapers dating between 1883 and 1929, and volunteers have been indexing names, subjects and places for stories covering Slough, Windsor, Maidenhead and the surrounding villages. An index of the Births, Marriages and Deaths columns has been completed. December 2009 saw the half-way point, with 24 of the 48 years now searchable.