Author C.J. Schüler: The Wood that Built London

Author Event

Tuesday, 12 September 7:00 - 8:30 at the library (or online)

Author C.J. Schüler presents his book exploring the vast woods which were intensively managed for a thousand years, providing timber for construction, furniture and shipbuilding, and charcoal for London's blacksmiths, kilns and bakeries. Now they afford important green space, a vital habitat for small mammals, birds and insects.

The Great North Wood gave its name to Norwood.

Event organised by the Friends of Carnegie Library as part of the Lambeth Heritage Festival, and with the cooperation of and kind assistance from the Carnegie Library librarians

This event will be streamed live online - to view online please register with Eventbrite

Lambeth Libraries Survey results!

News

In February 2023 Lambeth Libraries undertook a survey of library users. The survey is the CIPFA Public Library Survey which has followed mainly the same format for well over a decade and so provides a useful insight into trends and views of library users over a long period of time.  

Executive Summary

  • Satisfaction with the library has increased in all areas over the last thirteen years
  • The standard of customer care is now rated at 94% Good/Very Good
  • Overall satisfaction with the service is 93% Good/Very Good
  • Areas for improvement: study space provision
  • More people use their own devices in libraries
  • 6 people out of 10 use the library for study and learning
  • Health and wellbeing is seen as the next most beneficial reason for using the library by 44% of users
  • To borrow books is still the main reason why people go to a library
  • 18% of library users do not have a library membership
  • Most people visit the library once a week.
  • Most people travel to the library on foot

CIPFA USER SURVEYGood or very goodadequatepoor or very poor
All Libraries Results: What do you think of this library (overall results)201020132016202320102013201620232010201320162023
Opening hours78%81%83%86%18%14%12%12%5%5%4%2%
attractiveness outside62%69%83%84%27%23%14%13%12%8%4%3%
Attractiveness inside58%68%86%87%32%24%11%11%10%8%2%1%
Standard of customer care78%87%91%94%18%11%8%5%3%1%1%1%
Choice of books61%67%80%84%32%26%16%13%9%7%5%1%
Physical condition of the books72%76%86%89%26%21%12%10%3%2%1%0%
Computer facilities60%65%77%76%33%29%20%22%7%6%2%2%
Information provision66%74%82%84%31%24%17%15%2%2%1%1%
Events and activities   78%   20%   2%
Study space and facilities (seating and tables 2010)56%  76%31%  20%12%  4%
Overall how good is the library service75%82%91%93%22%16%8%7%2%2%1%1%

Carnegie Library is in the upper table for Events and Activities (81% very good or good), but room for improvement for Study Space (74%) and for Opening Hours (77%).

This is a great tribute to the Lambeth Library Service from the users.

Friends of Carnegie Library wish to thank the Carnegie Library librarians for their part in achieving this clear line of improvement.

Crime Writing with Louise Candlish

Author Event

Join Louise Candlish to discuss her latest crime novel - The Only Suspect

Tuesday evening, 8 August 7 to 8:30 (at the library or online)

Presented by Friends of Carnegie Libary

Wrong time. Wrong place. Wrong man. Alex lives a comfortable life with his wife Beth in the leafy suburb of Silver Vale. Fine, so he’s not the most sociable guy on the street, he prefers to keep himself to himself, but he’s a good husband and an easy-going neighbour. That’s until Beth announces the creation of a nature trail on a local site that’s been disused for decades and suddenly Alex is a changed man. Now he’s always watching. Questioning. Struggling to hide his dread . . . . As the landscapers get to work, a secret threatens to surface from years ago, back in Alex’s twenties when he got entangled with a seductive young woman called Marina, who threw both their lives into turmoil. And who sparked a police hunt for a murder suspect that was never quite what it seemed. It still isn’t. No one else could have done it. Could they?

Louise Candlish is the Sunday Times bestselling author of fourteen novels. Our House, a #1 bestseller, won the Crime & Thriller Book of the Year at the 2019 British Book Awards, was long-listed for the 2019 Theakston Old Peculiar Crime Novel of the Year, and was short-listed for the Goldsboro Books Glass Bell Award. It is soon to be a major ITV drama made by Death in Paradise producers Red Planet Pictures. Louise lives in London with her husband and daughter.

Visit her at LouiseCandlish.com or connect with her on Twitter @Louise_Candlish.

To attend online, register at Eventbrite for an invitation and link.

Simon Keable-Elliott

Author Event

Tuesday evening, 11 July 19:00 - 20:30 (in the library or online)

Simon Keable-Elliott presents Utterly Immoral, the story of his grandfather and a novel that brought scandal to the writer

Simon Keable-Elliott presents Utterly Immoral: Robert Keable and his scandalous novel, about the book written by his grandfather which was condemned by critics and became an international best seller.

Utterly Immoral traces Robert Keable’s experiences from Croydon to Basutoland and on to France as a WW1 chaplain to mistreated black labourers, the novel’s success, his loss of faith, an escape to Tahiti with his secret lover, and his final relationship with an island princess.

Event organised by the Friends of Carnegie Library

Register on Eventbrite for a link to view online.