Public libraries in the UK have experienced multiple closures over the last decade. The COVID-19 pandemic and the ongoing cost of living crisis have made it even more difficult to keep the lights on amongst budget-cut proposals. ‘CIPFA statistics and the future of England’s libraries’ on www.gov.uk shows a general downward trend in book issues and public library visits. In this report, suggested reasons for this trend range from a ‘digital shift’ or a failure of public libraries to modernise or carry out successful marketing, though no single factor could be named as the sole reason for the decline.

 

However, Southwark Council have “bucked the national trend”, according to the Spring 2024 edition of Southwark Life, and has successfully kept all current libraries open while opening six new libraries since 2010.

 

Among these is the new Una Marson library in Walworth, which opened in January 2024 and is dedicated to Una Marson, a Jamaican feminist, writer and activist who moved to the UK in 1932 and became the first black woman to be employed by the BBC during World War 2. The library hosts activities for children and young people - Chatterbooks and Bookstart for ages 7-11 and 0-4. It also hosts a crochet and knitting club for adults and the Una Marson Book Club: Championing Black Stories on the last Saturday of every month.

 

Southwark Council in the 2024 Spring edition of Southwark Life describe their libraries as “vibrant community spaces that host an array of events and workshops.” These include photography workshops and creative writing classes along with those previously mentioned as available at the Una Marson Library. The libraries are important to provide access to facilities like meeting rooms and communal spaces that can be reserved at low prices, information from e-museum services and online newspapers and magazines, making them a valuable resource for research and knowledge.

 

Though the information surrounding public libraries seems to be full of stories of closure and decline, the commitment Southwark Council and other organisations like Libraries Connected have shown to keeping public libraries open does give some hope. The reopening of Kingswood Library on Seeley Drive on Kingswood Estate, and the moves towards carbon reduction at Peckham Library, show a desire to increase the use of public libraries around Southwark while maintaining the ambitious goal of being carbon-neutral by 2030. Southwark Libraries seem to be some of the ‘trendbuckers’ showing improvements in visitors mentioned in the CIFPA report on public libraries and may be a potential example for the future of Public Libraries all over the UK.