A library outranks any other one thing a community can do to benefit its people.  It is a never failing spring in the desert.  Andrew Carnegie

Andrew Carnegie’s passionate belief in public libraries began at the age of 13.  Having left Dunfermline for Pennsylvania he was working in a textile mill earning $1.20 a week. A retired merchant, Colonel Anderson, opened his personal library to deserving boys.  Andrew Carnegie was one of them. The seed was sown and he went on to found  2509 libraries, many in America.

Councils had to apply for the necessary funds and thus the Carnegie Formula was designed.  Councils had to:

• Demonstrate the need for a public library

• Provide a building site

• Pay staff and maintain the library

• Draw from public funds to run the library

• Annually provide 10% of the cost of construction to support the operation

• Provide a free service for all

A covenant protected the library for 100 years

Three Carnegie libraries were built in Coventry around the same time; Stoke and Foleshill libraries are still fully funded by Coventry Council; Earlsdon library will close unless we can raise enough money to, quite literally, pay the bills. As Earlsdon library opened in 1912, so the 100 year covenant expired in 2012.

Our achievements so far

A registered charity; The Earlsdon Community Library, 1180063.

A board of Trustees and over 80 volunteers committed  and passionate about keeping our library as a vital community resource.

Extension of  our opening hours and will be remaining open at lunch times from May 2nd.

Around a 1000 people a week come through our doors.

A range of regular activities and events in place

A very successful Launch day in April (see Events)

The way forward

We continue to pursue the City Council’s stated objective of combatting loneliness, recognising that social interaction is beneficial for both mental and physical well being.  We will offer a place to meet, browse our shelves, and provide free access to computers.  There is a very real threat of digital exclusion for those people needing to access services but with no computer at home.

What we need

We continue to move forward.  We have excellent volunteers and a supportive community with many local businesses stepping forward to help but there is a need for a reliable monthly income stream to cover operating costs.

200 people donating £5.00 each a month for one year would pay our annual utility bills.

Please help us by donating through Virgin money giving to Earlsdon Library

Visit our bookshop and pick up a bargain. Wide range of fiction and non-fiction.

We are fortunate to have a large children’s library with everything from early board books for beginners to a non fiction range which feeds into  curriculum needs of local schools.

It’s a perfect setting for children to begin their reading experience; much loved and well used by carers and children alike.

Membership is free and open to everyone. All you need to join the library is ID and proof of address -and you can use your library ticket in any Coventry library.

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