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Don't miss out on the opportunity to take part in our public consultation!

Bolton Library and Museum Services want to hear your ideas about how we can improve our service for you.

Your opinion matters to us so why not fill out our short online survey?

Some background on the survey (PDF document)

Bank Holiday opening times

The Bank Holidays are fast approaching (Monday 28 August)!:

Bolton Central Library, Museum and Aquarium will be open from 10am to 4pm.

It’s Bolton’s Food and Drink Festival so come and join us for lots of free activities.

All the Community Libraries will be closed on Bank Holiday Monday.

Smithills Hall will be open from 12pm to 4pm.

Support for Business Start Ups

Big Ideas Generators!

Coming to a library near you soon

Funded by the Arts Council, Big Ideas Generators will support innovation and enterprise across 10 Greater Manchester library authorities. One team will be working across the Greater Manchester Combined Authority, a first for the city region, offering one-to-one business information surgeries, “How to” sessions, workshops and informal networking opportunities, as well as specialist training in skills such as 3D printing. The project will be delivered from June 2017 to March 2018.

Click here for more information

Summer Reading Challenge - Animal Agents

Saturday 8 July to Sunday 10 September

Challenge your children to read any six books of their choice from their local library during the summer holidays.

This year’s theme is ‘Animal Agents’ and there’s something peculiar going on! Collect the clues in a detective folder and help the Animal Agents find out what’s really been going on behind the scenes.

Ask staff at your local library about joining up.

Check out our summer holiday programme of family activities…

Schedule of July activities

Schedule of August, September activities

Temporary closure of Bolton Museum

The museum will be closed while the Eternal Egypt gallery is being installed, but we still have the Animals and Us exhibition and a selection from our art collection exhibited in the basement opposite the aquarium.

More detail on the museum closure and temporary exhibitions

Food and Drink Festival 2017 Library and Museum Activities

There’s lots of free activities to keep your family entertained at this year’s Food and Drink Festival…

Details about our activities

Restoration plan for Smithills Hall

Work is now underway to restore the West Wing of Smithills Hall to its original splendour

More detail on the plan

Work on Bolton Museum’s new tribute to ancient Egypt is now underway

A new gallery, entitled Eternal Egypt, will be built in the museum’s current art gallery, history centre and temporary exhibition gallery.

It will feature a full size reproduction of the burial chamber of Thutmose III as its centrepiece and depict Bolton’s important links to ancient Egypt in a family-friendly and interactive exhibition.

In order for the work to take place, the museum – which is situated on the top floor of the building – is now closed to the public for the duration of the project.

Find out more about Eternal Egypt