Marcus Garvey Library

The Marcus Garvey Library in Tottenham, North London first opened in 1987. It is a branch of Haringey Libraries run by London Borough of Haringey and is open 7 days a week.[1] It has an active friends group; the Friends of Marcus Garvey Library.[2] Its Black Literature and Marcus Garvey collections are amongst the resources used by a local Black diasporan community.[3]

Marcus Garvey Library
LocationTottenham, north London
Typepublic library
Established1987
Branch ofHaringey Library
Collection
Size13,862 items
Other information
Websitehttps://www.haringey.gov.uk/libraries-sport-and-leisure/libraries/marcus-garvey-library

History

The library as a central library in Tottenham replaces the Carnegie 1907 built Tottenham Central Library, the building still stands on Tottenham High Road.[4]

The library is named after Black activist and businessman Marcus Garvey.[5]

Marcus Garvey's son, Marcus Garvey III, was invited to visit the site of the new library in the Afrikan Jubilee Year in 1987, to lay the building's foundation stone with an inscription which is now found in the library foyer.[3]

The building that contains the library, firstly called the Tottenham Green Centre (also known as the Marcus Garvey Centre[6]) first opened on 7 August 1987, the library shares the building with a leisure centre.[7]

The library finally opened in 1993.[3] Its development was largely instigated by Bernie Grant, then a Councillor in Haringey.[8]

The building's design has postmodern cladding with yellow and red brick.[9]

Marcus Garvey Library - Friends Group event in 2016.

In 2015 the Council announced plans to move Customer Service Centre facilities into the building, therefore presenting a risk of the library being downgraded and made smaller, to which the Friends of the library launched a campaign and petition.[10] The campaign was supported by local politicians such as Jeremy Corbyn and David Lammy who said he was frustrated that Haringey's public consultation had been "poor".[11]

The library reopened in 2016 with this change which included a £3 million refurbisment.[12]

Services and collection

The library has a Black literature section, as well as a large collection relating to Marcus Garvey, including biographical books, speeches and essays about Garvey.[3]

The library has a children's section and a garden.[13]

Black History Month celebrated at the library annually in October includes guest speakers, plays, dances and new book launches.[3][2]

Patrick Vernon in 2011 described the library as having "a large diaspora community of Jamaicans and people from the Caribbean who frequently use it to be inspired or to learn about the black contribution to British and world history... I have given talks on family genealogy, screened films and promoted authors and publications here."[14]

The library is one of Haringey's 9 Libraries, in 2022 the service will join The Library Consortium (TLC).[15]

Exhibitions

A selection of exhibitions which have been at the library over the years include:

  • Making Freedom: Riots, rebellions and revolutions by the Windrush Foundation. August 2013.[16]
  • Celebrating the Life of Cy Grant – Touring Exhibition. 1–30 November 2016.[17]
  • Bernie Grant Exhibition. Organised by Friends of Marcus Garvey Library, CONEL, Sharon Grant, the Bernie Grant Archives and artists Sharon Foster and Caroline Rault. September 2018.[8]

The library is mentioned in a story in Foreign Soil by Maxine Beneba Clarke[18]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Marcus Garvey Library.

References
  1. "Marcus Garvey Library | Haringey Council". www.haringey.gov.uk. Retrieved 2022-11-06.
  2. lois. "Tottenham Residents Protest Against Marcus Garvey Library's Closure". Black History Month 2022. Retrieved 2022-11-06.
  3. Wanda, Ronald Elly (2016-03-04). "In praise of…The Marcus Garvey Library, Tottenham, London | Pambazuka News". www.pambazuka.org. Retrieved 2022-11-06.
  4. "South East and South West England, Greater London Gallery – CarnegieLibrariesOfBritain". carnegielibrariesofbritain.com. Retrieved 2022-11-11.
  5. Lovina Chidi, Sylvia (2014). The Greatest Black Achievers in History. Lulu.com. p. 123. ISBN 9781291909333.
  6. "Marcus Garvey Library and Customer Service Centre | Haringey Council". www.haringey.gov.uk. Retrieved 2022-11-06.
  7. Dewe, Michael (2006). Planning public library buildings : concepts and issues for the librarian. Aldershot, England: Ashgate Pub. p. 123. ISBN 978-0-7546-8150-2. OCLC 319492026.
  8. O'Donovan, Seán (September 2018). "Library exhibition remembers Bernie Grant" (PDF). Tottenham Community Press. p. 5. Retrieved 6 November 2022.
  9. London 4 : North. Bridget Cherry, Nikolaus Pevsner. New Haven: Yale University Press. 2002. p. 576. ISBN 0-300-09653-4. OCLC 719418475.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: others (link)
  10. "Campaigners angry at "patronising" council". Tottenham Independent. Retrieved 2022-11-06.
  11. BBC London News. "Save Marcus Garvey Library campaign". Retrieved 6 November 2022.
  12. "Haringey celebrates re-opening of Marcus Garvey library | The Voice Online". archive.voice-online.co.uk. Retrieved 2022-11-06.
  13. admin. "CO-ORDINATION MEETING, 7th October 2021 | Our Tottenham: Planning & Regeneration BY the Community, FOR the Community". Retrieved 2022-11-06.
  14. Malone, Theresa (2011-02-05). "Save Our Libraries day – as it happened". the Guardian. Retrieved 2022-11-06.
  15. "Our Libraries | Haringey Council". www.haringey.gov.uk. Retrieved 2022-11-11.
  16. Dixon, Carol (2014). "Making Freedom: Riots, rebellions and revolutions". Geography. 99 (3): 153–156. doi:10.1080/00167487.2014.12094409. ISSN 0016-7487. JSTOR 43825400. S2CID 135059498.
  17. admin, Cy Grant (2016-11-04). "EVENT: Celebrating the Life of Cy Grant - Touring Exhibition 1-30th/11/16". Cy Grant. Retrieved 2022-11-06.
  18. Clarke, Maxine Beneba (2017). Foreign soil and other stories. New York. p. 22. ISBN 978-1-5011-3636-8. OCLC 944380460.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
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