This is a question being asked by Stephen Carlill after corresponding with the Leader of Lambeth Council, Lib Peck. Stephen responded to a form email Cllr Peck sent out, received a reply from her and wrote again. The correspondence is here. The letter from GLL, which the Leader calls "the most credible proposal," is here.

Stephen is Vice Chair of Friends of Carnegie Library. It should therefore be mentioned that although the Council Leader was writing in her official capacity Stephen was writing in his personal capacity. If he expresses opinions, rather than merely pointing out facts and asking questions, the opinions are not necessarily those of the Friends' committee.

The Users Consultative Group is an informal network of the groups who support and use the library. It was formed in June of last year and the members are:
Book at Breakfast, who meet and read together.
Carnegie Creatives, who are the artists and others who use the desk spaces on the ground and first floors of the downhill (North) wing.
Carnegie Library Book Group, who meet to discuss books they have read.
Carnegie Library Chess Club.
Friends of Carnegie Library.
Ruskin Readers, who run the adult literacy clubs.
Parents and Toddlers, who take part in the Wriggle and Rhyme sessions.
Silver Surfers, who are middle-aged or older people mastering computers and the internet with help from our friendly library staff.

The Users Group fully supports the proposal for a Community and Staff Mutual comprising all ten of Lambeth's Libraries and the Home Visit Service, which provides a library service to the housebound from the Carnegie Library building. However, Lambeth might insist on the building being leased to a separate entity local to Herne Hill and the precaution has therefore been taken of forming a charitable incorporated organisation which would be able to manage the building in support of the Mutual. Its name is Carnegie Library Herne Hill Association CIO and it has the shorter working name of Carnegie Library Association CIO.

The Association is a membership organisation and from the first AGM onwards the members would elect a committee of trustees to run the Association. The minimum number of trustees is three and the maximum twelve. Three officers of the Friends became trustees on incorporation and the aim is to recruit a trustee from each of the other groups, so that the committee would become broadly representative of the users and the Friends would be in the minority.

A copy of the Association's constitution is here.

Our February bulletin is now being distributed, with the latest information on the library and the campaign to keep it open. A detailed version with references to information sources is here.