Read and sign the Open Letter

Please sign this open letter to the Council, objecting to recently revealed plans to eliminate the position of Head of Libraries as part of a restructuring of Council services.

The Friends of Lambeth Libraries have written this open letter to seek wide support from all library users and residents who care about the future of local libraries in Lambeth.

The Friends of Carnegie Library are alarmed by this proposal, which we see as a destructive development.

To sign, please open this link OPEN LETTER where you can also see the names of all of those who have already signed. (Scroll to the very bottom of the link to add your name)

The letter explains the situation, so far as is currently known, and explains why this is a threat to the future of our libraries in Lambeth.

Please stand up and be counted by signing this letter to demonstrate your concern about these plans and to tell the Council in no uncertain terms that you care about the Carnegie Library and all the local libraries in our Borough and that you expect the Council to honour its own stated commitments to support them - and not by decapitating the library service.

Open letter to Lambeth Council to protect professional library leadership in Lambeth Libraries

Dear Dipti Patel (Corporate Director: Growth and Environment, Lambeth Council) and Councillor Natalie Kane (Cabinet Member for Inclusion, Democracy and Culture)

We welcome the news published today by the Lambeth Green Party that there will be no cuts to library opening hours. However, there is another looming cuts risk with a current untransparent restructure which we believe will significantly damage the library service and its ability to meet statutory obligations.

We understand that the Head of Service for Lambeth Libraries and Archives (Susanna Barnes) has had her post deleted and in place there will be a new post for the whole of Libraries, Archives, Leisure Centres and Culture at a lower grade. Libraries are a statutory service and it is therefore essential that there is a head of service who has professional expertise and qualifications in order to deliver this. It appears that the only existing post ringfenced to this role is the current Service Manager for leisure. So this individual overseeing these distinct service areas, would not necessarily be a qualified librarian, understand the day-to-day running of a library, nor have the time to focus on this, as they would just as much need to have expertise in leisure centres - which of course is also an incredibly important but very different complex service. Additionally, the HMP Brixton Prison Library is also a statutory service and requires particular attention from a qualified and experienced libraries manager to meet all requirements of contract with the Ministry of Justice.

National library sector bodies, including CILIP (the Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals), DCMS (the Government’s Department for Culture Media and Sport) and Libraries Connected (the national organisation for Library heads of service) all advocate for professionally run library services with leadership by an experienced librarian. 

As we continue to steer through a cost of living crisis, a disastrous decline in reading for pleasure, an urgent need for AI-aware digital literacy and many Lambeth young people not having a study space at home - it is more urgent than ever to protect our libraries and their professional leadership so we are best prepared to weather these challenges. 

Lambeth has had notable head librarians (often historically called chief librarians) such as Frank J. Burgoyne and John Vincent, to which we now consider Susanna Barnes to be of this standing, where her contribution to the borough has been exceptional, leading the library service to great successes. At the time she started, CIPFA showed Lambeth had one of  the worst‑performing library services in London. Now, Lambeth is seen as leaders nationally, being finalists in the The British Book Awards’ (Nibbies) Public Library of the Year for the last two years running, demonstrating just how critical strong, expert leadership was for turning the service around. She is well known in Lambeth’s communities too, working well with Friends groups and always at the library service's prominent literature events. She is always keen to speak to residents to gain feedback and build to improve the service. Lambeth's library service is incredibly busy, running seven days a week (we also understand this is now at risk), providing many services, books and help for those in our communities.  It requires attention and good steering.

Here are some of the fantastic developments in Lambeth Libraries under Susanna’s leadership:

- Achieved Library of Sanctuary and Safe Haven status, demonstrating a strong commitment to inclusion and equality

- Delivered significant library transformation and investment programmes, including numerous library refurbishments and the successful reopening of West Norwood Library, South Lambeth Library, Brixton Library, Durning Library, Waterloo Library creating improved, modern and accessible community spaces.

- Led the development and opening of the new Lambeth Archives Centre, strengthening the borough’s heritage offer and providing a dedicated accessible space for residents and researchers to engage with Lambeth’s history.

- Established a strong cultural and events programme, delivering successful events and sell-out exhibitions, including the highly successful Sir Frank Bowling exhibition, Black History Month, Readers and Writers Literature Festival, LGBTQ+ History Month programmes, raising the profile of Lambeth Libraries as cultural destinations.

- Built a culture of professional excellence by encouraging and supporting staff to achieve professional accreditation and undertake Library and Information Science Master’s qualifications, resulting in a highly skilled workforce of eight qualified librarians, two chartered librarians and three qualified archivists across the borough.

- Representation of Lambeth at regional and national levels, including membership of the London Libraries Executive Board 

- Accessible IT upgrades, alongside accessible design improvements across library buildings. This has significantly increased digital inclusion, enabling residents with visual, physical, and cognitive access needs to use library technology independently and confidently.

- Successful management of a complex statutory prison library service, ensuring compliance with national guidelines and contractual requirements. Her move to incorporate the HMP Brixton Prison library service into the library development team, results with the Prison library now being run at an incredibly high service standard, with constant professional guidance leading to continued improvements in literacy rates.

- Acquisition of Lambeth Archives digital catalogue for the very first time, meaning that soon the Archives collections will be opened up dramatically for public consultation making the borough’s heritage far more discoverable and usable.

- Significant strategic care during the Covid-19 pandemic to both protect communities but keep services running, Lambeth being one of the very first UK services to run a substantial online offer during lockdown helping to combat loneliness and social isolation by continuing to provide access to reading, learning and cultural events.

- The reopening of Waterloo Library in August 2026 restoring a much needed service in the north of the borough, an area with high need. 

- Extending Wriggle and Rhyme, so that it runs year‑round rather than only in term time, providing a much needed service for families during the holidays when many stop. 

- Receiving green libraries funding to promote methods and products for residents to save money while having less of an impact on the environment, which helps support Lambeth’s Climate Action Plan.
- The winning of numerous awards, the Edge Library Design award (West Norwood Library), for accessible equipment at South Lambeth Library and as mentioned finalist of the UK Library Award for the last two years running

We are therefore very concerned that the Council is on course to delete this job in September. It is critical for the future of the library service that it has professional leadership. We are writing to you to ask to extend the already started consultation to residents and other stakeholders. We understand that consultation has only been shared to the staff impacted and unions, but for example none of the 100 library staff know or have been shown documents and have been left in the dark about this significant change to their work. It is also important to understand that a failure to carry out a clear, evidence based consultation on a significant change to the library service could place the Lambeth Council at risk of formal scrutiny by the DCMS and the National Archives, who can investigate to determine if the council is meeting its statutory duty. We, as the users and people who care about Lambeth Libraries, are ultimately recommending for you to keep this post in place as we have evidenced its importance to the high quality service we all deserve. It may be that this restructure needs a complete rethink.