Library Book Released!

Drum roll please...

Matt Webber and I have just released our new book.

Library Book is an exploration of the history and the the changing face of the hundred year old public library in Weston-super-Mare. In 2012 the old library building closed it's doors for the final time and the library service moved into the newly refurbished Town Hall along with most of the other council services.

Anthropologist Matt Webber and I were given unrestricted access to the library's historical archives and permission to document the move as it happened. The result of this project is Library Book.

On Saturday May 3rd, the gleaming modern new home of Weston Library hosted our official book launch consisting of book readings, slideshows, and discussions on the new directions libraries are taking around the country. 

This event marked the culmination of a two year relationship between us and the North Somerset Library Service. It also signaled the beginning of a national tour exploring the changed face of libraries in the UK in 2014.

The new home of Weston Library before the arrival of books and furniture

Yesterday morning (May 4th) Matt and I traveled to the peaceful village of Westbury-sub-Mendip to visit the UK's first phone-box library. Local resident Bob Dolby told us of the village's experience of buying the phone-box for £1 in 2009, and entering a competition set by BT to find a creative use for the iconic K6 red telephone box. While the village failed to win first prize (claimed by a group who placed a mannequin bearing a changing range of historic costumes in their box) they did win a convenient local library, and world-wide media attention. The idea has spawned hundreds of copies throughout the UK from Little Eaton to Lewisham.

Bob Dolby, me and Matt Webber visiting Westbury Book Exchange (photo by Mrs Dolby)

Sunday afternoon was passed in the beautiful Devonshire village of Dittisham. Here, the sensible folk in charge of the village pub have collected a range of community services in one handy location. The Red Lion pub offers a post office, village shop and community library, as well as a fine pint and beautiful views of the river Dart. We were impressed by their pragmatic approach, they seem to be using every available inch of space in the pub to provide important resources and the library (squeezed into what otherwise would be a storeroom) has been successful - when it opened in 2011, they received more visits than the recently retired mobile library.

Me and Library Book in the community library at the Red Lion Pub, Dittisham

On Monday morning we were on Lawn Hill in Swindon, greeting the dawn with the people of the Swindon Festival of Literature. Now in its 21st year, the festival opened in its traditional way with an early morning feast of choral singing, juggling, storytelling and poetry. This year we joined them with photos and tales of Weston-super-Mare Library.

Library Book greets the dawn at Swindon Festival of Literature

In casual discussions throughout the morning, we found that the recent story of Weston Library is mirrored in Swindon. Both towns saw their old library building close and a brand new library facility open in a mixed-use building. In Swindon the move into the Arts Centre seems to have been a success, with everyone speaking very positively about their experiences there. This week the Swindon Festival of Literature will also play host to a talk by David Pearson who will be speaking on the present and future role of libraries, and the future of books in general (Thursday May 8th).

Matt and I outside Swindon Central Library

And the tour has just begun...

Tomorrow evening (Tuesday May 6th) I am speaking at the Bristol Festival of Photography about my experiences of making Library Book and of how it sits alongside my other ongoing project The Writing on The Wall

Then we head North...

Jesmond Library in Newcastle hosts us on Thursday lunchtime (May 8th), alongside a presentation by one of the local volunteers about their experience of reopening their library for the community after council closures. Friday involves afterwork drinks with the patrons of the George and Dragon Community Pub on the North Yorkshire Moors. This pub closed in August 2008 and sat empty for two years until it was bought and reopened in 2010 by the villagers as a community pub, library, village shop and allotments. The Northern leg of the Library Book Tour will end this Saturday May 10th in Burnage Activity Hub, Manchester, a facility which embodies a new relationship between council services and local volunteers.

This is not the end. Matt and I will be running a stall at Bookfest (Warwick Arts Centre) on Saturday May 17th and we are planning a number of London events later in the month.  For up to date info check our tour calendar.