Throngs of youngsters and their parents packed the Central Library in South Shields at the weekend for the Alien Invasion day.

The Prince Georg Square venue was filled with great characters like Darth Vader, stormtroopers and Darth Maul, and Daleks, Davros and the Ood for the National Year of Reading theme 'Do Something Different'.

And while plenty of photographs were being taken and autographs gathered, there was plenty of encouragement to get reading.

Staff at the library even managed to get Dr Who's arch-enemy Davros to join the library, and one of the Daleks was travelling along a whole shelf of books swapping its favoured catchphrase 'exterminate' for 'read it, read it'.

Reader development librarian Pauline Martin, who has been organising National Year of Reading events, said: "It was a great success, with more than 300 people coming along to join in.

"Many of the people attending took out books, and it really kicked off our Do Something Different in Libraries campaign."

Other Dr Who characters joining in the galactic fun throughout the day included Cybermen, the Clockwork droid, Ood, Robot Santa, the Sec human/Dalek hybrid, Brannigan, and Dr Constantine and Jamie from The Empty Child episode.

Pauline, who admits to hiding behind the sofa as a child when watching Dr Who, added: "I think the event was very successful and attracted a lot of new people into the library.

"We are always looking to 'do something different', especially for the National Year of Reading, and this event was certainly very different.

"I was thrilled to meet Davros and a Dalek, both of which are firm favourites of mine.

"The Clockwork droid and the Scarecrow were very scary, and if I had a sofa and a couple of cushions to hide behind, I would have."

The sci-fi characters travelled to South Shields Library courtesy of Hyde Fundraisers and were supporting charities BBC Children In Need and The Rainbow Trust.

Workshops in mask-making, computer animation and model-making also ran throughout the day.

And the event was certainly enjoyed by a range of people.

Pauline said: "We received some fantastic feedback and comments on the day.

"One dad said to me 'this is the first time I've been in here for ages, it's great for the kids, I didn't know you did things like this now'."

For more information on events as part of the National Year of Reading, contact Pauline or other members of the team on 424 7879.