Our December bulletin has been published, with updates on Lambeth Council's plans for the library, and our alternatives: December Bulletin
A new site has been launched for the Lambeth Libraries campaign:
Defend the 10
Magical Annual Winter Fair, 28th November!
The Friends annual Winter Fair will be in the library on Saturday 28th, from 11am to 3pm, featuring all the usual community stalls, arts & crafts stalls, food, games, events, Santa, etc.
Public meeting on the Carnegie’s future, 16th November
Lambeth Council's Cabinet has approved plans to convert the library into a "healthy living centre" based on a fee-paying gym with a "small selection of books" in the gym's lounge. There would not be any library staff; it is unclear whether the gym would be staffed. The conversion works are estimated to take at least 9 months and close the building for most of 2016. The Friends are holding a public meeting on Monday 16 November at 6.30 for 7-8.30pm in the Carnegie, to discuss the plans, and our work to oppose these and to promote alternatives.
Here are the slides from the meeting: Friends of Carnegie Library(1)
We will be posting more information on the campaign shortly. Thanks to everyone for your support!
What does Lambeth mean by a “Neighbourhood Library”?
This term was introduced by Lambeth in its Culture 2020 Report, which is available at
Cabinet report
in the Full cabinet papers.
The report uses the following key definitions :-
"Healthy Living Centre" is a gym which has a lounge. [1]
"Neighbourhood Library" is a self-service facility in the gym's lounge offering "a small selection of books," [2], Wi-Fi access and computers. [3]
In other words a "neighbourhood library" would not be a library.
[1] Page 45 paragraph 7.9
[2] Page 154
[3] Page 30 paragraphs 5.21 and 5.22
Please sign our petition against the cuts
We have started a petition to ask Lambeth to maintain a full library service at the Carnegie, please sign this at:
petition. This is also available in printed form in the library.
Some recent articles about the Culture2020 proposals are:
http://www.brixtonbuzz.com/2015/10/unison-criticises-lambeth-council-plans-for-libraries-to-become-leisure-centres-as-documents-show-gll-had-insider-advantage/
Library users furious over plan to turn the Carnegie into a gym
Lambeth Council has announced plans to spend a million pounds transforming most of the local library space at Herne Hill's Carnegie Library into a commercial gym and then further hundreds of thousands of pounds subsidising its use by Greenwich Leisure Ltd.
Surveys of local residents carried out in 2000 and 2014 disclosed no demand for a gym at the Carnegie, but Lambeth are nevertheless pushing ahead with the plan, with no further consultation.
The library would be closed completely for at least nine months while the work was being done and then reopen without any staff in a fraction of its previous space.
Jeff Doorn, Chair of the Friends of Carnegie Library, said:
"This will destroy our library which is a flourishing hub of the local community and promotes the health and wellbeing of people of all ages and fitness levels, not just the minority who will use a gym. At a time of financial stress Lambeth should be using its limited resources for the public benefit instead of throwing money away and destroying services."