Losing yourself in a book can have a profound impact on body and mind, akin to entering an altered state of consciousness. The effect is rapid, too. After reading for just six minutes, the average person’s stress levels fall by two-thirds as the mind is taken away from its habitual thoughts and the body relaxes. Reading works can relax you even faster than listening to music.

Celebrate World Book Day by going on a blind date with a book. All this week in the Library, you can borrow up one of our specially wrapped hand-picked books from the trolley in the Atrium and discover something you might not otherwise have ever read. Where might your date take you?

In celebration of World Book Day on Thursday 7 March 2024, we would like you to share your favourite books of all time. Let us know which books have moved you and what you like about them or why they excited, engaged, moved or changed you and like books posted by others and we will try to buy the most popular for our library collection so that others can enjoy the books you love most.

With the new Budget coming out on 6 March 2024, there has never been a better time to familiarise yourself with everything being said about the country’s finances. The Budget Service from Lexis+ provides all the relevant full-text content on the day of the budget, providing an invaluable resource of information on changes brought in by the Budget, including the full budget speech, press releases, budget notes, resolutions, and a budget summary from the Tolley Tax Editorial Team.