Graham Durham speaks abut his first novel, 'A Peal of Socialism' Kilburn Library, October 9th 11am-12 noon

 Wednesday October 9th Kilburn Library 11am-12 noon TICKETS

£765,000 project to save and improve the deteriorating Kilburn Library

Photographs from collection submitted to Cabinet

Brent Cabinet will be considering major plans to rectify structural problems at Kilburn Library and improve the facility at its meeting on Monday. The project will cost £765,000 of which  £534,000 would come from Strategic Community Infrastructure Levy and £231,500 from an application to the Arts Council of England's Library Improvement Fund.

A dossier of photographs (see above) are submitted alongside the proposed works.

Offices explain:

This investment will:

 
· Upgrade the library facilities and building, including the substantial but
underused garden;
· Implement a flexible design to expand the use of the library and enable
hires outside of core opening hours;
· Improve the accessibility of the building through improved design and
signage;
· Extend the footprint of the building to create a dedicated event and
learning space which could also be used for community hire.

The last refurbishment undertaken at Kilburn Library took place in 2009/10.
Structurally, the building is in a poor state. There are large cracks forming in the
structure of the building and there is concern that debris may fall. Furnishings
are mostly fixed and offer limited flexibility to develop the library offer or adapt
the space for different audiences and uses. There is no dedicated event space
despite the strong demand for cultural programmes in the area. Local
consultation for the Health and Wellbeing Strategy 2022 also identified
community priorities of food growing and access to green space. Kilburn Library
has an underutilised garden and will meet this need, but it requires investment to
make it fully accessible and be used more extensively by the community.

 

The works would entail building an extension to the existing building and
reconfiguring the layout to create a larger more flexible space. The driver for this
is a need to increase engagement with residents in the South Kilburn area and
to meet an increased demand and need for services, with a particular focus on
digital, learning, culture and health, following the large amount of growth that is
currently taking place and expected to take place. The new spaces and design
would enable us to increase our programming in these areas and work more with
local partners to expand our reach and library usage in the area.

The increasing population of South Kilburn is cited as a further reason to improve the facility.

Costings:

The Project Plan

Hear Melissa Benn on motherhood, daughters, selective education and much else on Thursday

From Brent Culture:

Melissa Benn will be giving a talk at Kilburn Library this Thursday 20th  October

6.30-7.30pm

Kilburn Library, 42 Salusbury Road, London, NW6 6NN

Melissa is an author, commentator and journalist and member of the famous Benn political family, daughter of the late Tony Benn and sister to Hilary Benn MP.  She is also a local resident.  She has written and campaigned on many issues but is most known for her views on education.

On Thursday Melissa will talk about the seven books she has written; Public Lives, One of Us, Madonna and Child: Towards a New Politics of Motherhood, School Wars: The Battle for Britain's Education, What Should We Tell Our Daughters?: The Pleasures and Pressures of Growing Up Female, The Truth About Our Schools, Death in the City. 

She will also be talking about her current campaign to end selective education.

It promises to be a lively evening and will include a question and answer session so get ready to voice your own opinions!   

James Powney roasted in Kilburn Library

While his colleague Muhammed Butt was being grilled at Brent Town Hall James Powney faced a roasting at Kilburn Library. LINK

The occasion was the launch of veteran feminist and anti-racist Selma James' new publication, Sex, Race and Class: The perspective of winning. Cllr Powney was adopting a low profile in the audience. He might have been warned of what was to come if he had read Brent Council's press release on the event which included this quote from Selma James:

 I’m pleased to be talking with my community in our library and to support libraries as centres of learning and culture in every community. We need the libraries for our ongoing education to which we are all entitled.

When Selma started by stressing the importance of libraries and condemned Brent Council's closures of half the borough's libraries a member of the audience stood up and pointing to James Powney  said, 'We have the architect of the library closures in the audience here, Councillor James Powney, I hope he will listen and take note of some of the anger and outrage that residents feel about these library closures.'

The audience rose up up against the slight figure and angrily denounced Brent Council, library closures and capitulation to the cuts. Powney sarcastically said, 'Yes I am the evil architect of these library closures. I am going to defend myself' and gesturing to the refurbished library,  boasted of IT resources, new books and increased borrowing.

Needless to say the audience was not convinced.

Now Kilburn Library to close for 16 weeks

Following the closure of half our libraries and just before the closure of Willesden Green Library for redevelopment Kilburn Library is to close for refurbishment for more than three months.

The Council's press release appears to be a cut and paste job - spot where they have got their libraries mixed up:

Kilburn Library will be closing for refurbishment from Monday 21 May 2012 until Sunday 9 September 2012. During this time the library will be redecorated and redesigned, with a brand new children's library, heating, lighting, furniture and extra computers installed.

The library is scheduled to reopen on Monday 10 September 2012.

Customers wanting to renew their items can do this by phoning our automated 24 hour service on 0115 929 3388 (these calls are charged at a national rate) or by renewing online.

The nearest libraries to Ealing Road are:

• Willesden Green Library
• Harlesden Library Plus.

During the exams study period from Monday 21 May until Friday 6 July 2012, study spaces will be available at BACES Carlton Centre, Granville Road, Kilburn NW6 5RA. The centre will also have internet and wi-fi facilities.

We apologise for any inconvenience caused.

Kilburn Library Garden will open on Saturday

The reading garden in April

 It is a pity this on the same day as the Green Fair in Willesden Green but perhaps you can spend some time at both events. After getting funds from  what was then Neighbourhood Working in 2008 local people got digging and have transformed a rubbish dump behind Kilburn Library into a reading garden. This year they have managed top get Ward Working funds for the seats.