List of UK volunteer-run libraries

The following list is taken from news reports and from information supplied by local authorities and library users.  It does not claim to be comprehensive. Please email publiclibraries@live.co.uk if you have anything to have any additions or corrections.  Arts Council England counted over 170 volunteer-run libraries in the UK (November 2012) with the PLN stats being very similar at a minimum of 168.

• Barnet

1. Hampstead Garden Library (1) (2) (3) reopened 28th June 2012 by Jonathon Ross with 45 volunteers.
2. Friern Barnet.  To be run with volunteers and some paid staff after long campaign of protest against closure (1).

• Bexley – Bexley Village Library run by charity and volunteers from 19/7/12.
• Birmingham – Attempts to turn Hawthorne House  into a community-run library failed.
• Blackburn with Darwen – a 500-book collection open only on Saturdays at Barlow Institute, Edgworth from 2012.  First birthday celebrated Jan 2013.
• Bolton – Barlow Institute (Saturdays 10am to 1pm).
• Bradford

1. Wilsden
2. Addingham
3. Denholme
4. Wrose

• Brent – Barham Library friends group running library from shop while trying to take over original library building.
• Buckinghamshire: Linked into council libraries system. Opening hours here.  Bucks has gone further down this route than any other authority and now has significantly less (nine) council-run libraries than it does volunteer-run libraries.  An explanation of its strategy is here.

1. Little Chalfont Community Library (winner of the Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service, £6k from Natwest competition),
2. Chalfont St Giles Community Library and Information Centre (celebrated its fifth birthday 14/1/12),
3. West Wycombe Library,
4. Farnham Common Library
5. Chalfont St Peter (3/1/12, extended its hours 30/8/12),
6. Flackwell Heath (24/4/12), Long Crendon (3/4/12),
7. Wendover (5/12/12). 90 volunteers and 2 paid members of staff.
8. Haddenham (3/11/12)
9. Gerrards Cross (3/5/12 – the largest – will have 2 paid members of staff, costs of £8000 p.a. paid by “community” – some funding from council and grants e.g. from Tesco.  To be opened 1st September 2012).
10. Great Missenden Library has 2 members of staff but the rest are volunteers.
11. Beacon Villages Community Library (previously Ivinghoe) opened 2nd June 2012.
12. Stokenchurch to be volunteer run from November 2012.  Eventually opened as volunteer-run Jan 2013 with 40 volunteers.
13. Wing (10/11/12).
14. Winslow – In pipeline (Dec 2012).  Handed over (Feb 2013).

• Buckinghamshire: Independent libraries not linked into council libraries system:

1. Steeple Claydon,
2. Richings Park,
3. Downley (community centre includes library),

• Cambridgeshire – Ten  ‘Local Access Points’:

1. Somersham (Queens Award winner),
2. Bottisham
3. Fulbourn
4. Haddenham
5. Waterbeach
6. Melbourn
7. Bassingborn
8. Swavesey
9. Little Downham
10. Gamlingay.  Been volunteer run since 2003, one paid supervisor.  Relies on donations.

• Camden

1. Primrose Hill Community Library (previously Chalk Farm) from 1/4/12 with £500,000 raised by locals.
2. Keats Community Library (previously Hampstead)  from 17/4/12 and has a very impressive website and events.
3. Belsize Community Library took over from the Council on 1/4/12.

• Carmarthenshire

1. Pontyates Libary needs volunteers or it will close.
2. Tumble Library.  Run by volunteers and  then closed shortly after.
3. Dafen Library run by volunteers with town council support.
4. Trimsaran.  Run by volunteers and  then closed shortly after.

• Conwy – Penrhyn Bay Library to be volunteer-run in 2012.
• Cornwall – Morrab Library in Penzance.  The oldest volunteer-run library in the UK, established in 1818. See BBC article.  Charges £27 per year membership.  Roche library is part of a cafe in an ex-church, opened May 2012.
• Cumbria -  Fox and Hounds Pub has 100 council books and weekly IT sessions.
• Devon

1. Sparkwell (replaces lost mobile library service)
2. The Red Lion in Dittisham
3. Cafe-on-the Green at Widecombe-in-the-Moor
4. a village store in Broadhempston
5. Colyton Library remains a public library but with volunteers opening every Tuesday.

• Doncaster

1. Stainforth Library (staffed by volunteers from 1st March 2012)
2. Balby Community Library (9/4/12)
3. Sprotborough Community Library
4. Warmsworth
5. Bawtry
6. Rossington (28/3/12).

• Dorset Puddletown, Chickerell, Wool, Colehill, Stalbridge, Burton Bradstock Library and Charmouth Library
  

1. Burton Bradstock first staffed by council and volunteers on alternate days (2007) but moved to full control (Oct 2012).
2. Puddletown, the first entirely volunteer-run but “council maintained library” in the country.
3. The application for a volunteer-run Corfe Castle Community Library was in process (June 2012).
4. Wool Library, in partnership with parish council, started Jan 2013.  35 volunteers. “Dorset County Council will continue to support the community libraries with a package worth around £5,500 a year that will include books and IT services.”
5. Charmouth. Passed to volunteers (Nov 2012).
6. Chickerell – Early 2013
7. Colehill - Early 2013
8. Corfe Castle – Expected Mid to Late 2013.
9. Stalbridge – Early 2013.

• East Sussex

1. Old Town Community Library in Eastbourne has been running for ten years.
2. Little Common Community Library in Bexhill has been running since 2002, now with 34 volunteers (April 2013).

• Essex

1. Jaywick.  Operated by residents keen to keep library after council moved original library into a new school
2. Springfield – New library staffed from the start by volunteers with paid staff support.

• Gateshead

1. Ryton – Closed in 2007 but reopend in 2010 as volunteer-run.

• Gloucestershire

1. Painswick reopened on 20/6/12 after being closed since 2009. Seven council-run libraries to be transferred to volunteers 2012/13. (3/12).
2. Nailsea Library to be open for 12 hours with paid staff and 10 hours with volunteers after being reduced from being open 35 hours per week (25/7/12)
3. Lechlade
4. Berkeley
5. Bream
6. Brockworth
7. Mitcheldean.
8. Minchinhampton

• Hackney -  Woodberry Down
• Hampshire 

1. Stanmore Community Library at The Carroll Centre – Jan 2013 opened.
2. North Baddesley Community Library.

• Herefordshire - Peterchurch. Garway (new service in village hall).
• Isle of Wight

1. Shanklin Community Library became volunteer run Feb 2012
2. Bembridge
3. Brighstone
4. East Cowes
5. Edward Edwards (previously Niton)

• Kirklees – Fresh Horizons at the Chestnut Centre in Huddersfield.  Library based in building along with police, business, cafe, employment support.  Organisation appears to run library via a direct grant from the council. MLA case study.
• Leeds – Rawdon Library has volunteers running it on Thursdays.
• Lewisham

1. New Cross People’s Library appears to be doing well.
2. Crofton Park
3. Grove Park
4. Sydenham.
5. Blackheath Village Community Library set up to replace closed library, “there seemed to be more volunteers than borrowers when I popped in one afternoon. It’s a work in progress, though, with the full project not due to be finished until next summer” [1]. Blackheath is run by Age UK (not be confused with Age Concern) and received £230,000 of council money to do so [2].

• Lincolnshire

1. Caistor Arts and Cultural Centre mixes paid staff and volunteers
2. Waddington Library mixes co-located pharmacy staff with volunteers
3. Ingoldmells launches volunteer run branch (with 300 books) to replace withdrawn mobile library stop (18/9/12).
4. Sutton Bridge.  Interestingly, this library (not part of the council network) is having its funding cut with its most local mobile stops also ceasing.
5. Saxilby
6. Winthorpe “in pipeline”. Opened Dec 2012 for one hour per week.
7. Woodhall Spa extends opening hours by using volunteers, March 2013.
8. Alford – 14 volunteers with basic training increase hours after council threatened to cut them, April 2013.
9. Bratoft - 300 books provided for village hall, May 2013.

• Liverpool - Woolton Community Library – Closed March 2012 as council library, reopened February 2012 as volunteer run.
• Merton – West Barnes Library will be entirely staffed by volunteers on Mondays.  Friends of West Barnes Library site
• Middlesbrough - Marton Library has 34 volunteers who assist library staff.
• North Lincolnshire -

1. Barton Library will be open for 3.5 hours unstaffed.
2. Goxhill Library run by volunteers since Spring 2011.
3. Broughton Library opened in village hall to replace mobile library stop (19/9/12).

• North Somerset -  Congresbury Library run with aid from parish council and with 20 volunteers. Talks in Winscombe and Yatton to do the same thing (March 2012).
• North Yorkshire

1. Bainbridge
2. Grassington
3. Great Ayton Discovery Centre (includes library),  Celebrated first year anniversary (May 2013) with 10-strong management team, “dozens of volunteers” and 4,000 visits per month.
4. Darley. Replaced mobile library stop. “In the last year of its operation, the mobile library to Darley was used by only 36 people and issued less than 900 books and other items. But the new Darley Community Library now has more than 100 members, and has issued more than 1,200 books in the first year of its operation.”
5. Derwent Valley Bridge (was East Ayton Library),
6. Hawes (with Upper Wensleydale Community Office)
7. Mashamshire.
8. Barlby
9. Bilton
10. Embsay
11. Gargrave.
12. Hunmanby Library was to be run by volunteers but failure to get sufficient numbers/fudning means library will close.
13. There is a mini-library in the “George & Dragon” Hudswell Community Pub.
14. Bentham – Staffed by volunteers for 5.5 hours per week.

• Northumberland

1. Prudhoe Community Trust.  Old library demolished, new library being built, funded by government and council grants, sharing space with town council, volunteer service and other organisations.  “The Library building, in the heart of Prudhoe, is set to be demolished and, with funding from Communitybuilders, replaced with a modern three story community and civic building. The new library building will act as a single access point for a range of local services including Northumberland County Council’s information services, Prudhoe Town Council, Citizens Advice Bureau and Victim Support.” (Asset Transfer Unit).
2. Ellington,
3. Cowpen,
4. Heddon-on-the-Wall,
5. Corbridge,
6. Haydon Bridge
7. Hadston.

• Oldham – Delph Library became volunteer-run in 2005 but has since suffered from a lack of volunteers and could not use library system computers due to data protection issues.  “They have now rejoined Oldham Libraries network and have been given £20,000 to do this.” (9/2/12). This money is for computers and for training of volunteers.
• Sandwell -  Priory Express Library staffed by children’s centre staff and volunteers.
• Somerset

1. West Camel
2. Ilchester. Information from MLA website – google search does not find them. C
3. Congresbury Library run with volunteers and Parish Council.

• Southampton -  Millbrook (jointly staffed by council and volunteers)
• Stoke on Trent – Ball Green Methodist Church and Chatterley Centre has 500 books in room. Set up to replace mobile library closed this year.
• Surrey.  10 branches will be volunteer-run by April 2013. “Under the partnership, Surrey County Council will continue to provide the building, books, computers, free wi-fi and everything else associated with a library”

1. Byfleet Library now run by volunteers, extended opening hours (25/9/12)
2. New Haw (4/10/12).
3. Stoneleigh (22/2/13).

• Swindon -  Walcot Library.   Usage has “gone down dramatically” since staffed by volunteers.  Largely used as a charity shop.
• Tameside -  Carrbrook Library.
• Trafford – Hale Library (18/7/12) staffed by two full-time equivalent staff and 30 volunteers.
• Wakefield -

1. Havercroft (from 27/11/12) – moving from library into Community Learning Centre where volunteers to run service and buy own books.
2. Kettlethorpe – Date of transfer to be announced.
3. Walton - To be announced in connection with local school.
4. Kinsley – Library closed.  Transferred to local Learning Centre where volunteers to run service and buy own books.
5. Upton – Transferred to volunteers, will open from Easter 2013.

• Waltham Forest 

1. South Chingford Community Library – April 2012. Will lend books from May (open for computer use from April) for 3 hours per week
2. Leytonstone Epicentre Library – April 2013.
3. Harrow Green Community Library – May 2013. 1,000 books, with 10 volunteers.

• Wandsworth -  York Gardens Library. Small number of paid staff, otherwise volunteers, planned income largely from room hire.
• Warrington – Grappenhall Library taken over (8.1.12) eight months after being closed.  Appleton Parish Hall has a volunteer-run library opened after the ending of its mobile library stop (2012, source: personal conversation with volunteer).
• Warwickshire
  

1. Kineton Library taken over (9.1.12), the first of 12 planned to do so before April.
2. Henley-in-Arden Library (4/4/12).
3. Dunchurch Library (3.4.12)
4. Studley Community Library (9/4/12),
5. Bidford on Avon (2/5/12)
6. Baddesley Ensor (24/5/12),
7. Bulkington Library (28.1.12
8. Dordon Library (volunteer run by September 2012) is using part of library as dancefloor.

• West Sussex – Volunteers to work alongside paid staff advertised for.
• Wigan -

1. Hope Community Library (more info here)
2. BookCycle charity running now closed Beech Hill Library

• Wiltshire

1. Purton Library (team of 40 volunteers).
2. Aldbourne Library (library paid for by parish council), Tuesday mornings staffed by 4 volunteers. 300 volunteers in total used to “keep open” ten of the smallest libraries.
3. Box and
4. Ramsbury libraries partially staffed by volunteers.

• Worcestershire

1. Welland Library (staffed – but not apparently run by – volunteers)
2. Catshill (staffed with paid council staff and volunteers, in school grounds).
3. two others.