Demonstration against library busting book dumping Oxford College 3.30pm today

The pop up library before destruction

There will be a demonstration outside Kensal Rise Library at 3.30pm this afternoon following this morning's dawn raid by Cluttons, estate managers to All Souls College, which saw the pop up library destroyed and books dumped  on the pavement.

Meanwhile Meg Howarth has sent the following message to John Vickers, Warden of All Souls College:

Dear Sir John,

Link below FYI - staggering news of which you may not yet be aware:

http://wembleymatters.blogspot.co.uk/2014/01/oxford-college-destroys-pop-library-and.html?spref=fb

Someone must have ordered Cluttons to send in the security guards to destroy the Kensal Rise pop-up library early this morning - unless your property agent of generations chose to act on its own initiative. 

An Islington resident, I contacted All Souls originally on 29 May 2012 in the immediate wake of that morning's shameful - and shameless - 3am raid that stripped the fine college-owned Kensal Rise Library building of its books and Mark Twain commemorative plaque. Clearly someone has learnt from that shameless tactic.

With dismay and regret that such behaviour could be carried out in the name of the once-prestigious All Souls College.

Sincerely,

Meg Howarth

Muhammed Butt, Brent Council leader, tweeted:

 Cllr. Muhammed Butt ‏@CllrButt 9m

Dismayed at destruction of @SaveKRLibrary pop-up. I've written to All Souls & @roxanne_mashari has been working w/ campaigners at site..

He added that he was arranging for storage of the books.

Barham Pop Up Library to open on Saturday

Friends of Barham Library will be opening a Volunteer POP UP Library on Saturday 21 April 2012 in a former nursery building next to Barham Primary School in Danethorpe Road Wembley.

Barham Library situated in the popular Barham Park is one of the 6 libraries closed by Brent Council last October. The friends of Barham Library have been campaigning ever since to get the Library reopened and have offered to run it with the help of volunteers and through fund raising effort. Brent Council have kept the former library building empty for over 6 months and have so far refused access to local volunteers.

According to Francis Henry, from Friends of Barham Library as over half of Barham Library's active users were young people under 19 years of age it is the local youngsters who have been hurt most by the closure.

Although the Volunteer Library will serve the whole community irrespective of age and background it the loss of a library for young people in particular that is the driving force behind Friends of Barham Library determination to get their library back. It is planned to operate the Saturday Library from Saturday 21 April 2012 until the end of July 2012.

"Barham Library was originally opened on 31 May 1952 and just like the Queen the Library is celebrating its Diamond Jubilee this year. Opening a Volunteer run Saturday Library next to a local school of helping to provide a much needed library service for local people" says Francis Henry who lives in Sudbury with his family.

Local people are being urged to show their support by coming to the opening of the Barham Volunteer Library on Saturday 21 April based in the old Nursery Building next to Barham Primary School accessed through the school entrance in Danethorpe Road Wembley. The library will be open between 10:30am and 2:30pm. on its opening day.

Friends of Barham Library are also urging local people to help by becoming volunteers, donating books, DVDs and CDs and by helping to fund raise.

Meanwhile the Independent has a story on pop up libraries elsewhere LINK