This month’s catch up from Mel our CEO, who talks about bringing back our
Lockleaze Library…
In October 2024 Lockleaze Library was closed when our LNT’s old community building, The Cameron Centre, was demolished to make way for social housing.
Bristol Libraries, under budgetary pressure, felt unable to open another bricks and mortar library despite it being a priority for residents. We lost a key community asset – particularly the shelved books, librarian expertise, Bristol City Council information services, book-sharing spaces and computers that the old library provided.
To retain some kind of library service, Lockleaze Neighbourhood Trust agreed to run an interim pilot service in our Hub on Gainsborough Square for one year. Lockleaze Collection Point was born. Each week, Bristol Libraries delivers books ordered online by residents for collection, and residents can return any library books to LNT. Although we have no library books on shelves, this service is open five days a week.
And for the time being, that was that. Lockleaze residents got to order books online, and since November 2024 hundreds of books have been ordered and picked up. Perhaps we don’t need a real, book-on-shelves library after all?
Well, it turns out that Lockleaze residents have very strong opinions about our library! In our recent survey of Lockleaze residents (which we’ll be publishing as a new Lockleaze Community Plan in July this year), many residents mourned the closing of Lockleaze Library, recognising the unique things that a real library can offer to a community with challenges around health, housing and hardship, like books on shelves, children’s reading groups, book clubs for adults/ teens, support around literacy.
For LNT, running our Lockleaze Collection Point for the last six months has emphasised for us the crucial importance of a library in our community – not just as a space to discover and borrow books, but as a key local service. A Lockleaze Library builds on the togetherness of our community.
If we want to get a proper library back to Lockleaze, we’ve got to let Bristol City Council know. Luckily, Bristol Libraries are currently running a survey about the future of libraries in Bristol, and that survey even reads like there is still a library in Lockleaze. So here’s a suggestion. If you care about getting a library back to Lockleaze, let’s get our voices heard.
Fill in their Library Strategy TODAY (deadline 22 June) and let them know how you feel. We can get a library back to Lockleaze, if we work together.
Paper copies are also available in the Hub.