The libraries in Lambeth closed at 1pm today.

Susanna Barnes, the Head of Libraries, gave this statement:

"The rate of infection is just too high and is a real risk to staff and public. As soon as the rate reduces to a reasonable level we will reopen."

The library is currently not open for regular visits due to covid-19 restrictions - but there are services still available.

Opening Hours: Monday to Saturday 11am to 4pm

(to maintain social distancing and keep everyone safe you will need an appointment to use the library)

to make an appointment call:
020 7926 6050

Services on offer:

PCs, printing, photocopying and scanning

Select & Collect - Reserve books online or get in touch and the librarians will help you select items

Home Library Service - the library can deliver books to you if you are housebound and cannot get to a library.

There is an extensive online service on offer for you to enjoy. For ebooks, audiobooks, film streaming and more visit:

www.lambeth.gov.uk

Our 20th annual Winter Fair will be held in St Saviour's Church Hall with the usual festive and community stalls, raffle, music and games.

The council has announced the 2nd phase of the Carnegie Library redevelopment works: the fit-out of the gym and removal of the library space to one front room. The cost is approximately £1 million, additional to the £1.8 million spent so far on the basement excavation and additional buildings on the library garden. A `roof terrace' or `roof garden' has also been proposed by the CCT, but this would require planning permission and an additional £100,000 which is not included in the budget. The works are expected to be complete by December.

The proposal also confirms that the current provision of 2 hours librarian staffing per day is only a temporary arrangement - funded by one-off Section 106 funds - and gives no assurance of any specific librarian staffing for the eventual re-opening of the library.

The opposition Green councillors submitted a call-in of the proposal, on the grounds of the lack of details of the financing of the work. This call-in was rejected but Greens leader Scott Ainslie is appealing this rejection.

The `community liaison' group meeting with the council over construction issues has been re-activated. Please contact the Friends if you would like to be added to this group.

The Herne Hill Forum are hosting a hustings for Herne Hill (Lambeth) & Village (Southwark) wards, at 7pm on the 17th April, at Herne Hill Baptist Church (Winterbrook St).

Library campaigners will be requesting that the Herne Hill candidates sign the Defend the 10 libraries pledge. So far the Green, Lib Dem and independent candidates have signed.

Detailed condition reports from architects and surveyors have confirmed that the library building:

• Is in good condition, and
• Can be expected to remain so for the next decade or two provided a proper programme of routine maintenance is carried out.

Specifically, the architects and surveyors advised that the roof gutters must be cleared of leaves twice a year to prevent the gutters overflowing and discharging rainwater into the front rooms of the building.

Clearing the gutters is a simple matter of accessing the roof from inside the building through a trap door and then walking along behind the parapet walls collecting the leaves.

For years Lambeth's property management failed to clear the gutters until water came in and eventually spent a six figure sum on repairs to plaster mouldings damaged by the water.  After the repairs Lambeth still omitted to clear the gutters.

Shortly before the Council's cultural services were due to be inspected by the Audit Commission the Friends complained to the Commission about this and other matters.  A one-year contract to clear the gutters quarterly was put in place before the Commission's inspection team arrived.  At the end of the year it lapsed and water came in again.  Lambeth insisted that the contract could not be renewed because "no paper trail" existed for setting it up in the first place.

In response to further complaints Lambeth responded that library staff must wait for the gutters to overflow before the gutters could be cleared because Lambeth did not have a budget for "preventive maintenance" of library buildings but only a budget for "reactive maintenance."

Eventually the library service gave up hope of getting any sense out of the property managers and themselves arranged for the gutters to be cleared twice a year.  There was then no further ingress of water for a few years until Lambeth closed the Library in March 2016 and handed control of the building to its property managers.  The gutters were due to be cleared the next month but this was not done and more water came in. The necessary routine clearing was still not arranged.  The front rooms are currently too damp to occupy.  The plaster work is in a disgusting state and will no doubt require more very expensive repairs.  The following photograph was taken in April last year.  The damage will no doubt be far worse by now.

Lambeth have saved hundreds of pounds by omitting to clear the gutters and then spent tens of thousands of pounds repairing the damage which they knew would inevitably result.  In due course they will no doubt argue that the building has to be sold because its maintenance costs are so high.  To add to the cost Lambeth have had their contractors put up scaffolding twice for no reason, damage and then replace roof slates and done completely unnecessary work to the roof.  Details are here.