About Us

Built in 1913 in the traditional Carnegie design, Earlsdon library really is in the heart of the community. Sited in a prominent position and next to the local primary school, it is a much loved local landmark.

When threatened with closure, and thanks to the commitment of volunteers, it became a registered charity in September 2018 (1180063). It is managed and run by our Board of Trustees and a dedicated team of volunteers

Our Board of Trustees

Julie Rubidge (Chair) read more

Julie’s first post was in Willenhall branch library and after having a family she studied at Warwick University; thus beginning a career in education. She has taught across age ranges, was Deputy headteacher at a large primary school, took secondment to act as Advisory teacher for travelling children and taught post graduate students at Warwick university. A qualified anti-racism trainer, she has worked mainly in diverse settings across the West Midlands.

Rita Adams (Vice Chair) read more

Rita spent virtually all her career as an HR manager at Coventry University, working across a wide range of areas. As a volunteer at the Herbert Art Gallery and Museum she undertook research into the role of women in the early days of the motor industry. She is co-editor of a book of recollections of early lives working in car families, designed to support people with memory loss.

Ann Wheatley (Treasurer) read more

Ann began her career as a bilingual secretary in the engineering and construction industries. After a ten year break to raise her family she spent more than twenty years as a school administrator before retiring in 2015.

Graham Moffat (Legal Advisor) read more

Until retirement Graham was an Associate Law Professor at the University of Warwick, one of his areas of expertise being the law and practice of the charity sector. Graham is also currently a trustee of Central England Law Centre.

Kim Mullard read more

Kim is Director of of Operations for a national charity. She has two decades of experience in the charity sector, including grant fundraising project management, finance, governance and human resources.

Zara Turner read more

Coventry born and bred, Zara has lived in Earlsdon with her husband and daughter for twelve years. Embedded in the community she runs an Earlsdon based pet care company, attends St. Barbara’s church and is Chairperson of the Earlsdon Festival. She believes passionately that the library is the heart of the community; a place to escape to, have a cuppa, meet friends, hold meetings and even read a book or two.

Brian Fawcus read more

Brian’s teenage years involved regular visits to the library to satisfy his obsession with the works of Isaac Asimov, Ray Bradbury and other masters of science fiction. Retired since 2019, he now reads mainly non-fiction and has become a staunch advocate of the wider role of the library as a community hub.

In order to secure a lease from Coventry City Council it was necessary to reimagine the library layout to provide a multi-use community space and become a cultural hub; able to host events and rent space in order to provide an income and pay our running costs. Inspired by the potential of the building, a local businessman, Alan Denyer, worked with the trustees to reinvent Earlsdon Library into Earlsdon Carnegie Community library: satisfying the necessary criteria and enabling us to move forward

Understanding the need to think outside the box and reinvent ourselves as a thriving enterprise, Alan looked to the building itself for inspiration. Beneath a century of modifications, he recognised the hidden beauty of the building and was the creativity behind our successful reinvention; giving freely of his expertise and craftmanship and upcycling wherever possible.

Our lovely library now revels in her Edwardian charms. The symmetry has been revealed, original features rediscovered and brought out of hiding. The original Reading Room lettering was hidden behind book shelves, but is now revealed for all to see and is the model for our new signage.

With a focus on inclusion and reaching out to the wider community, particularly those suffering both physical and digital exclusion, we offer a wide range of activities, free of charge. From Creative Kindness on Mondays to the Digital skills drop in on Fridays, we try to support people’s mental and physical health; Storytime, Rhymetime and Saturday activities such as Gamezone, offer carers and children a calm yet stimulating place to come and relax and read.

We are proud to be the last safe space on the high street and are a registered Place of Welcome – offering hot drinks and biscuits free of charge and enabling visitors to stay all day to use our facilities, including access to toilets, computers, books or the chance to just simply be.

Checkout our Events page to see everything we offer.

There may be times when our service does not meet your expectations. If so please click on this link to view our complaints procedure. Click HERE

To find out more about Andrew Carnegie and a poem by Antony Owen (a poet raised in Earlsdon) and a strong supporter of ECCL, , Click HERE