“Everyone is welcome to enjoy our safe, warm space”: Earlsdon library given decade-long lease

Earlsdon Carnegie Community Library signed a 10-year lease yesterday morning, keeping its doors open to the public.

Earlsdon Carnegie Community Library

The library has been described as a pillar of the local community, with over 6,000 visitors relying on it each month. Julie, the chair of trustees at the library, said, “Within the context of forty council-run libraries closing each year and the shrinkage of local libraries, gaining a ten-year lease is remarkable; demonstrating, as it does, confidence in the future.” The library was almost closed for good in 2017, following multiple other library closures in the community.

The positive impact this lease has on Earlsdon is clear. Julie said, “It means we can apply for much-needed funds to sustain and further develop what we already do; for over a hundred years, it has been a space where stories live, friendships grow, and imaginations take flight. Everyone is welcome to enjoy our safe, warm space, have a free hot drink, browse books, use a computer find people to talk to.”

 Many locals rely on the library as a place of community and safety. One frequent visitor said, “Closing the library would be like turning off the light.  I would be lost.”

 The value of this library is undeniable, and they can now continue this positive impact for another decade.