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Nottingham Central Library defies the odds as it thrives after £10.5m refurbishment
A library in the Midlands has been given a new lease of life after a massive £10.5m refurbishment, while other UK hubs continue to struggle financially.
Nottingham Central Library (NCL) first opened in 1868 and in 1977 moved to another 19th-century building in the city centre. However, after years without refurbishment the building was looking "run down" and was "no longer fit for purpose". While libraries were closing up and down the country, Nottingham City Council instead moved the library to the new Broadmarsh development, into a beautiful glass-clad "sun trap" building.
Georgina Wilding, library events lead at NCL, told The Bookseller: “I think [the investment] was absolutely money well spent. Rather than investing in a building that wasn’t perhaps fit for purpose, we’re now in this brand new site.”
Since the library opened on 28th November 2023, more than 90,000 people have walked through its doors. It has hosted 256 events (both special and regular), there have been nearly 66,000 book issues and more than 13,000 hours have been logged on the computers.
Wilding, who has worked at NCL for a year, attributes the success to the huge range of events at the library. She has been responsible for organising a huge calendar, from author talks and local history workshops to cabaret evenings, and even a visit from the Black British Ballet for Windrush Day.
She said: “It was made really clear really early on, that they don’t want this to be a standard run of the mill library—special as those things are—they want us to operate as a cultural hub.
“I really understood that as this is a building that not only showcases the writers but also allows the audiences to meet professionals in that industry and learn from them and develop themselves.”
This is a sentiment echoed by Central Library manager Mary Dansie, who added: “I am delighted to see how Nottingham has embraced the new library. I am thrilled at how engaged our regular events, services and special events have become, and I look forward to seeing these continue to develop.”
She also added that not even the summer holidays, which can typically be quieter, have not seen a huge drop in numbers.
Dansie said: “Term-time is busy, given that Nottingham is a city with two universities and a college in its centre. However, we are experiencing our first summer holidays now, and rest assured, it’s still busy. We’ve seemingly exchanged the students for little ones!”
NCL also hosts poetry performances from collectives, local history research workshops and a monthly cabaret evening which regularly sees 250 people attend. NCL also provides two key library service offerings: Local Studies and the Business & IP Centre (BIPC) Nottinghamshire. The BIPC provides free business support to start-up owners, entrepreneurs and inventors across Nottingham, Nottinghamshire, and neighbouring areas.
Wilding, a published poet herself, ex-director of Nottingham Poetry Festival and former young poet laureate for the city, said walking into a building of books everyday "is an incredible privilege".
She said: “It is so exciting to have access to all of these amazing books for free—which everyone should utilise. But more than that, I’ve had such a great time gigging and writing and being published and learning from great mentors along the way in my writing career that it’s now so beautiful to be in a position where I’m programming events to help other people get those opportunities as well.”
