Located off Essex Road, it opened in 1921 as the "South-East" Library. It was awarded Grade II listed status in 1994.[2]
History
Construction and design
South Library was constructed as part of the initial construction of public library services in Islington, funded by Scottish-American industrialist Andrew Carnegie. The South Library was the last of the four Carnegie Libraries to be built in the Borough.[3]
The building is in Portland Stone, with red brick, and occasional blue brick, with four free standing Doric columns in the ground floor room.[2]
1920 seizure by unemployed persons
The library was completed in 1916, but its opening was postponed when it was requisitioned as a Food Control Office during World War I.[7]
In early November 1920, a number of unemployed Islingtonians seized the still-empty library building for accommodation during the winter. The Unemployed Relief Committee argued that "their work was more urgent than the provision of an additional library." The committee made clear that they would not leave the building willingly, and did not take up the Mayor's offer of using a room in the Islington public baths instead.[8][9] That winter, at least 8 other public buildings across London were seized including the Finsbury Public Library, Tottenham Town Hall, and Walthamstow Public Baths.[10] On the 18th of November, the Labour Mayor and Borough Council decided to allow the Committee to use the building.[8][9]
8 weeks after the seizure however, the Mayor called in the police, and forcefully evicted the Committee on December 30, 1920.[11] The Mayor suggested that they could have stayed in the building, but "when they threatened to smash shop windows and the revolutionary element began to creep in I decided it was time to shut the place up."[12]
The library's name eventually changed from South-East to South
Opening and recent developments
The library was opened to the public on 21 May 1921 by Islington Mayor EH King.[13] In the 1921/22 year, the library already loaned out 157,074 books, third in the service.[14]
In 2021, the Council funded renovations to the library's leaking roof, and repairs to interior areas that had been affected by water infiltrations.[15]
Services
March 2025 saw the highest level of loans, with nearly 4200 items borrowed
In 2024/25, the Library had 2,612 active members (3rd in the service), and 66,794 visits over the year (6th in the service). On average, it performed 3,831 loans per month (4th in the service), with over 4,000 loans in January and March.[16]
On top of serving as a lending library, South Library provides access to 9 free public computers, free Wi-Fi, and printing facilities.[17]
In 2024/25, the library hosted events including included Easy Read, an adult literacy initiative which links adults to volunteer coaches. In 2024/25, South Library welcomed 4,029 attendees for events – 6% of attendees to all Islington Library events.[18]
The library is not wheelchair accessible, with three steps to get to the Adult Library, and more for the Children's Library and Reading Room.[17]
South Library saw its opening hours drop by 10% following budget cuts in 2011
Following budget cuts in 2010/2011, the South Library saw its annual opening hours cut by around 10%.[19][20] In 2024, North Library was open for a total of 1816 hours, and closed on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Sundays.[17]
In popular culture
The South Library was featured in "Reading Room," a film by Lucy Harris that explores the "striking features" of the library.[21]
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Essex Road 
