The Library since the War
The public library provided a book-based lending service above
all else for many years. One happy result of an early specialisation
by branch libraries was the development of the railway books collection
at Acocks Green, which now contains about 1,800 volumes. Although
it has not been possible to invest in this collection as before,
it remains one of the largest collections in the country, with
strength in depth from the 1960s to the 1980s. Today there is
a great deal more emphasis on links with the community, although
a local library has always been a community resource for local
people anyway. Certainly, it was the frontage of the library where
a garden of remembrance and cenotaph were erected in 1965.
Ever since the last war the British Legion had had a temporary
Garden of Remembrance in Acocks Green, and in May 1964 they applied
to have a permanent Garden made outside the Library, which they
would maintain. They wrote: 'we desire to have some place where
people of all denominations can freely place something to the
memory of their lost loved ones'. Just before Christmas the idea
was approved by the Council, and J White and Sons, Memorial Craftsmen
of Yardley, were asked to design the Memorial. They suggested
a paved area up to the Cenotaph and lawns either side and behind,
with a section of the Library wall coming down to give access.
Next spring the Acocks Green Branch of the British Legion put
in a request for rose bushes to be planted in the Garden, but
the City Librarian was only prepared to contemplate them being
behind the Memorial. He complimented the Legion on keeping the
frontage tidy, and actually asked them if they could take on the
other side of the frontage as well! As far as is known, the roses
were not planted.
Unfortunately, after a while, library users began to cut the
corner and cross the grass when leaving the building, which affected
the appearance of the area. By late 1980, other plans were coming
to fruition, and the wall on the right-hand frontage was partly
removed, and a paved area with shrubs and trees was installed.
Councillor Matt Redmond was involved in this work. Shrubs were
also put in on the left hand side around the memorial. The frontage
had already lost the railings, which had been removed for the
war effort: a small piece was returned, and stands to the right
hand side near the benches.
Every Armistice Day a service is held at 11.00 hours outside
the Library, and the British Legion put poppies and flowers in
front of the memorial. The memorial is a place of reflection and
dignity, and it needs constant effort to maintain that dignity
outside a public building.
By the late 1970s, the library was extending the range of its
services in the building. The former Newspaper Room, referred
to above, was converted into a Community Room in September 1978.
One of the most important groups to benefit was a drop-in and
advice centre for the elderly, which has prospered and continues
strongly as a Coffee Morning. It celebrated its 100,000th cup
in February 1987, and its 25th Anniversary in September 2003.
For many years, old furniture had to be begged or borrowed, until
the refurbishment in the mid-1990s. Also there was no kitchen
for about five years, so water had to be brought down from the
staff kitchen to be boiled, and washing up had to be taken upstairs
do be done. Below are some pictures. During the 1980s, four railway
models were rescued from being scrapped, and were installed in
display cases in the library. More information is available
here.
The coffee morning in the Community Room, showing the
old furniture
The 100,000th cup is celebrated, February 1987. In
the centre is Arthur Williams, leading light of the Coffee Morning,
and the couple in front are Miriam and Frederick Bates.
The 20th Anniversary of the Coffee Morning, September
1998
The library service had taken on many more community roles
since 1978, and the building itself was no longer capable of accommodating
all the new roles in its existing form, so plans were made for
a refurbishment. After nearly ten years these plans finally came
to fruition.
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