Ten years ago today we re-opened Forest Hill Library as a community run library, after the council’s second round of closures. A collaboration between V22, The Forest Hill Traders’ Association and The Forest Hill Society successfully bid to run the library. We’ve since set up a Charity, and now operate under the brand of Calico Projects, operating four libraries in the borough as well as other community ventures.
Forest Hill Library remains open seven days a week, longer opening hours, we think, than any other community managed library in the country. Issue figures are up 20% on the year we took over and in the first six months of this year we have issued more books than any other library in the borough, for the first time in its history. We also had more kids sign up to the Summer Reading Challenge than any other library in Lewisham.
Anyone here that uses Sydenham or Crofton Park Libraries will know that we have extended their opening days and operational hours; book borrowing at these libraries has more than doubled in the last ten years.
When we launched we ran a very successful crowdfunder, and so we’re having another one, not a one-off crowdfunder so much as a plan to try and get a spot of regular funding. We are no longer in the land of ‘use it or lose it’ and there is no performance related pay in libraries, so alas we have to rely on funding and donations. If you can support us, thanks in advance, but either way, if you haven’t used your local library in a while, pop in and say hi!