Islington Libraries

Islington Libraries
Location	London, United Kingdom.
Branches	10
Collection
Size	146,526[1]
Access and use
Access requirements	Anyone can join
Circulation	530,267(2024/25)[2]
Population served	250,000[3]
Members	23,472 (2024/25)[2]
Other information
Director	Michelle Gannon
Website	www.islington.gov.uk/libraries-arts-and-heritage/libraries

Islington Libraries constitute the public library system for the borough of Islington in London.

The system has ten constitutent buildings, including the Central Library near Highbury and Islington station. It has operated libraries in the borough since 1906.^[4]

The system has ten constitutent libraries, including the Central Library (which serves as the headquarters for the system) in Islington's Highbury neighborhood.

As of the 2021 Census, 97% of Islingtonian residents had a library within a 15-minute walk, the highest proportion in the country.^[5]

Despite the passage of the Public Libraries Act of 1850, it took Islington until 1905 to establish its first public libraries. In that half century, there were a number of failed efforts to establish public libraries.^[4]

Notably, in 1897, Passmore Edwards offered £5,000 for the building of a central library, and twice £2,500 for the building of two other library buildings, on the condition that Islingtonians agree to maintain the libraries.

Passmore had helped fund libraries in other parts of London (such as in Shepherd's Bush, or Dulwich). In his offer, he lamented that:

"such a large and commanding parish like Islington, should have no such libraries, and particularly when so many other smaller and poorer parishes in London have adopted the Public Libraries Act, and provided themselves with libraries [... I] now leave the matter in the hands of the ratepayers of Islington, and hope they will practically act on it, and so be abreast of other London districts, in the promotion of a great education and ameliorative enterprise."^[6]

By a majority of 3,075, Islington ratepayers rejected the proposal.^[7]

A few years later, plans for a central library and four branches were adopted.^[4] The system's first library, North Library, opened off of Holloway Road in 1906.^[8] This library, along with three others (South, Central and West), is a Carnegie Library, built in part with funding from Andrew Carnegie.^[4]

In 1908, Islington Chief Librarian James Duff Brown was invited by the Belgian Government to lecture in Brussels and Antwerp on British municipal libraries -- the first time an English librarian had been invited to give such a lecture on the Continent.^[9] He closed his speech by noting that British municipal libraries deserved recognition for the "popularising of the book as a vehicle for conveying instruction, amusement, and conserving record."^[10]

As of the Public Libraries and Museums Act of 1964, councils must provide a "comprehensive and efficient library service" to all those "whose residence or place of work is within the library area of the authority or who are undergoing full-time education within that area".^[11]

In the 1950s and 60s, Joe Orton and Kenneth Halliwell began surreptitiously to remove books from several Islington Libraries and to modify the cover art or the blurbs before returning them -- activities for which they were later convicted and incarcerated. In "Library Tolls and Database Animals," Melissa Hardie argues that "rather than simply disrupt the circulation of library books the men introduced queer objects to the library that facilitated and fostered new and more engaged understandings of the library’s collection of book objects."^[12] The book covers (some of which can be viewed online) have since become a valued part of the Islington Local History Centre collection, with some exhibited in the Islington Museum.^[13]

In 2011, the system began to introduce automated terminals for book check-outs.^[14]

In 2017, Islington opened the Cat and Mouse Library, bucking a national trend of library closures.^[15] The Library was named after Cat and Mouse laws, and aims to recognize the sacrifices endured by Suffragettes imprisoned in Holloway Prison, which used to stand nearby.^[16]

In 2023, Islington Council ended library fines, in the name of access, and in the context of the "cost of living" crisis.^[17]

The Library Service is a part of the Directorate of Community Engagement and Wellbeing.

Within the Islington Council, libraries fall within the Equalities, Communities and Inclusion portfolio. As of 2025, Councillor Sheila Chapman (Labour Party, Junction Ward) is the Executive Member for this portfolio.

The Library Service is also overseen by the Homes and Communities Scrutiny Committee.

As of the 2021 Census, 97% of Islingtonian residents had a library within a 15-minute walk, the highest proportion in England and Wales (see map). All residents were within a 30-minute walk, and Islington had one library for every 22,100 residents. According to the 2023-2024 Participation Survey, an estimated 33% of Islingtonians visited a public library in the last year (±5pp).^[18]

As of 2025, Islington operates a total of 10 public libraries.

The four historic libraries of Islington are Carnegie libraries, and Grade-II listed.^{[19][20][21][22]} They opened between 1906 and 1921.

• North Library was designed by Henry T. Hare and was opened on 29 September 1906 by Alderman Henry Mills JP, Mayor of Islington, with open-access shelving, a children's reading room, a lecture room, and a dark room for photography.^[20] Upon its opening, 14,000 books collected by Revd Robert Spears for the Highgate Hill Unitarian Church were given to the library system.^[23]
• West Library was designed by Beresford Pite, and was built by C Dearing and Sons. It was opened on 24 July 1907, at an estimated cost of £8700, of which £5000 came from Andrew Carnegie.^[24][21][23] The local paper described the ceremony as a 'humorous jumble of bans and blessings'.^[23] The building includes the letters of the alphabet in the spaces over its windows.^[21] It reopened in 2011 following a renovation that added self-service stations, a new reading space, and additional PCs.^[25]
• Central Library construction started in 1906, also with Hare as architect, and CP Roberts as builder. The building was opened by Sir Arthur Rucker on 4 October 1907.^[19] The building was enlarged in 1973-76,^[23] and renovated in 2019-2022, creating a dedicated space for a theater charity.^[26] It remains the headquarters for Islington Libraries.
• South Library building construction started in 1915, and was completed in December 1916. The building was designed by Mervyn Macartney.^[27] In 1920, the library was taken over by unemployed people, who were forcefully evicted on December 30, 1920.^[28] It was opened on 21 May 1921 by EH King.^[22]

• Islington Carnegie libraries
• 
  North Library
• 
  West Library
• 
  Central Library
• 
  South Library

Finsbury Library was originally supposed to be the central library for the borough of Finsbury, and was built as part of the redevelopment of the Skinners estate.^[29] The building was designed by Ludwig Franck; it replaced the Clerkenwell Free Library (built in 1890), known as the "first modern library in Great Britain" for its use of open shelving in 1894.^[30][31] The redevelopment was completed in 1967, and the library was opened by then Minister of Power, Richard Marsh, on 11 March, at an estimated cost of £225,000.^[23] At that point, the borough of Finsbury had already been merged into Islington (in 1965) -- and Islington already had a central library. As such, Finsbury Library is much larger than other branch libraries, and also houses the Islington Local History Centre, the Islington Museum, the Islington Computer Skills Centre and the area Housing Office.

• The Archway library originally opened on 2 November 1946, and was the first municipal building in Islington to have fluorescent lighting. A redesigned library was opened on 3 December 1980 and was designed by Alfred Head.^[23]
• The Mildmay library was designed by C.M. Cowney, and was opened on 3 April 1954.^[23]
• The N4 Library is part of the City and Islington College building, on Blackstock Road.^[32]
• The Lewis Carroll Children's Library opened in 2008, and remains the most popular library for school visits.^[33]
• The Cat and Mouse library opened on 2 December 2017. It replaced the John Barnes Library, as the Council redeveloped the area.^[34]

• 
  Lewis Carroll Children's Library
• 
  Archway Library
• 
  Cat and Mouse Library
• 
  Mildmay Library
• 
  N4 Library

Islington Libraries provides a wide array of services, including access to books, music, DVDs and other physical items; access to e-books, audiobooks and other digital media; as well as access to computers, and the internet. Four of the libraries (Mildmay, North, West and Finsbury) also offer toy libraries, where parents can borrow toys for their children.^[35]

Islington Libraries runs a Home Library Service that can bring books, CDs and DVDs to residents in Islington who find it difficult to get to a library because of age, disability, or caring responsibilities.^[36] The Service is regular and free.

The library also organizes a number of events, ranging from reading and game sessions for children, to exercise and gadget support classes for adults.^[37]

In 2024-2025, the library registered 889,990 visits, a 6.5% increase on the previous year, with continued progress towards the pre-covid high of 1,076,355 in 2019-2020 (see figure).^[38]

The library issued 530,267 items physically (+12%), and 325,833 items online (+4%). It had 23,472 active members (+5.7%).^[38]

62,789 people attended events across the libraries (+9.7%), including 29,633 children.^[38]

• Islington Borough Council
• Islington Local History Centre
• Islington Museum
• Islington Central Library

• Islington Libraries