FREE Drama Taster Class with Light UP Youth Theatre
Light UP Youth Theatre is planning to bring a new junior theatre class to Cobbett Road Library from May 2024. To offer the opportunity to more children to try their amazing drama classes and with the support of the Re-futuring Libraries project, we are offering a free taster session open to children aged between 7-12 years.
FREE Junior Drama Class on the theme 'Library of the Future' 30th of April 2024 4-5 pm @CobbettRoadLibrary Booking is essential, please register as soon as possible to avoid disappointment. |
About the projectIn the past decade, following extensive local authorities' budget cuts as well as a digital revolution in accessing books and doing research, the number of publicly funded libraries has been reduced significantly. In many communities and neighbourhoods where public libraries faced closure, community libraries have emerged. However, their management and business models are quite precarious, and their value is not fully understood. An example is Cobbett Road Library, a partner of the project, which has moved from being council-led to being run by an external community-oriented organisation. However, the impact of Covid-19 has resulted in the organisation deserting the building and its community. In the last 3 years, the council has unsuccessfully tried to find a new tenant, until the recent re-opening thanks Awaaz Radio. In the meantime, a potentially valuable community resource has remained closed. This example is not unique, and many community libraries across the South have struggled to respond to continuous challenges (Covid-19, economic and energy crisis). The project aims to explore the role that community libraries can play in local placemaking, including facilitating community cohesion, intermediation, and creative engagement. It also explores their potential to connect with local development through education, job creation and opportunities to become hubs for creative and cultural organisations. It aims to engage with the broader agenda of re-futuring community libraries. Using both social science and creative methods allows us to understand the future of community libraries and how they can be supported and fostered for the benefit of communities. Firstly, we will conduct policy-oriented academic research, including a literature review and mapping of case studies of successful community libraries in the South and beyond. Through interviews, we will explore business models, traditional versus innovative uses and community engagement. This mapping will lead to a conference and the potential establishment of the network “Community Libraries South”. Secondly, we will use the local partners, Friends of Cobbett Road Library (FCRL), to explore ideas with a real community, engage in consultation with library users and run a series of creative workshops and activities. The consultations and creative engagement activities will capture different groups: families, children, teenagers, adults, and the elderly. The results of the consultation will feed into a creative workshop / play-in-a-day (May2024) that will try to visualise and bring together all the different voices of the community. A final report will summarise key findings and learning and feed into a broader reflection on the future of community-led libraries. |
Project Partners |
The project received ethics approval from the University of Southampton (ERGO number: 90083)
Information sheets are available here: SURVEY / INTERVIEWS
Information sheets are available here: SURVEY / INTERVIEWS
The Refuturing Community Libraries Project has delivered free activities to the local community between November 2023 and June 2024.
Below is the archive of all the activities offered.
Creative Writing Workshops with Improbable Club
Are you 7-17?
Join us for a FREE creative writing workshop! Come and play with ideas around the theme of the writing competition Library of the Future Wednesday, 27th March, 4-5pm, Cobbett Road Library Wednesday, 3rd April, 4-5pm, Cobbett Road Library Booking is essential, book early as places are limited. For more information please email: improbableclub@gmail.com |