The Whitechapel Community Library has been set up by a group of independent voluntary organisations - not receiving any funding from any public source of any kind – to continue to facilitate public access to and use of the books and materials that used to be in the now-closed Tower Hamlets Council-controlled Whitechapel Library. The site is soon to be taken over by another body, not a library. The Tower Hamlets Council has been accused today of destroying the library resources in the area. A new community, alternative, library is being set up and will be opened to the community in the very near future
A group of voluntary organisations made an emergency decision today to save books and materials that would definitely have been destroyed by Tower Hamlets Council.
This come sin the wake of East End wide programme of cut backs and reductions of the formerly public resources.
The irony is that the cutbacks are not being caused by any lack of resources. Tower Hamlets Council is being seen increasingly as a brazen tool for the destruction of everything decent in society.
The Council is already embroiled in the huge confrontation, ironically very near the site of the now-closed Whitechapel public library - with the community opposing the Crossrail holes in the area.
Then there is ongoing discourse about how the Council brought the Crossrail problem to the area.
Then there is the row over Tower Hamlets Council's dubious programme of transferring of Council housing stock to practically private conglomerates of housing stock controllers.
Then there are the very poor results by a very large numbers of pupils attending Tower Hamlets Council-controlled Schools.
The closure of the Whitechapel Library is being interpreted as the inevitable consequence of Tower Hamlets Council become an agency for profiteering, looting outsiders, Big Business, who have been eyeing the properties in the East End that is worth much more than their ordinary occupants n long term, leaseholders can afford.
This is the latest episode in the saga of the social destrcion of the East End under the Tony Blair regime.
This come sin the wake of East End wide programme of cut backs and reductions of the formerly public resources.
The irony is that the cutbacks are not being caused by any lack of resources. Tower Hamlets Council is being seen increasingly as a brazen tool for the destruction of everything decent in society.
The Council is already embroiled in the huge confrontation, ironically very near the site of the now-closed Whitechapel public library - with the community opposing the Crossrail holes in the area.
Then there is ongoing discourse about how the Council brought the Crossrail problem to the area.
Then there is the row over Tower Hamlets Council's dubious programme of transferring of Council housing stock to practically private conglomerates of housing stock controllers.
Then there are the very poor results by a very large numbers of pupils attending Tower Hamlets Council-controlled Schools.
The closure of the Whitechapel Library is being interpreted as the inevitable consequence of Tower Hamlets Council become an agency for profiteering, looting outsiders, Big Business, who have been eyeing the properties in the East End that is worth much more than their ordinary occupants n long term, leaseholders can afford.
This is the latest episode in the saga of the social destrcion of the East End under the Tony Blair regime.
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Where were you 4 years ago?
16.03.2006 19:00
1. The Whitechapel Library was set up following a vote by the parish under the Local Libraries Act not by Tower Hamlets Council.
2. The Whitechapel Library freehold was purchased by public subscription and therefore the freehold is owned by the parish not the London Borough of Tower Hamlets.
3. The Whitechapel Library was the first public library in the East End.
4. The Whitechapel Library building was paid for along with 5000 books by an American philanthropist not by the London Borough of Tower Hamlets.
5. The Whitechapel Library is being handed over for an undisclosed sum to Whitechapel Gallery, written request by the public to determine how much the art establishment is paying for our library have been refused by the Borough on the grounds of "commercial sensitivity". The Whitechapel Gallery have refused to answer any request by the public for details on their deal with LBTH.
6. For many years the Whitechapel Library had a donated portrait of a famous German anarchist on display, any one seen it recently?
7. The closure of the Whitechapel Gallery was largely the responsibility of central government especially Lord Sainsbury who wanted to build the Idea centre ouside his Whitechapel Sainsbury superstore.
8. Finally, the new Idea Store has come in years late and massively over budget due to building problems with the site. Why not ask LBTH how late and how over budget....it will be highly embarassing given central governments role in it.
Goodluck
Bookworm
Responding to "Where were you 4 years ago"
16.03.2006 19:53
We admit full responsibility for not being part of the campaign against the closure of the library.
We could not do anything as we were already in other campaigns, against other policies of the Council.
Now, by a set of coincidences, we are able to at least make some protests. In principle.
We would very much like to hear more from you and your colleagues about things you know and things you can share with us.
We would welcome your email to begin with so we can contact you and learn from you.
Thanks for the post.
Whitechapel Community Library
e-mail:
whitechapelcommunitylibrary@yahoo.co.uk
Where? more details please.
17.03.2006 03:17
If not, what do you have in mind?
How do you imagine this will work?
What help do you need?
Please try to write more complete reports in the future. It is great to hear about this initiative but you've not really said anything beyond that fact that a group has formed and decided to set up the library and then you've got loads of other tangental info.
n
Re - "Where? more details please"
17.03.2006 12:55
We are busy rescuing some of the books that would be permanently destroyed or removed or skipped after today!
Is that tangential?
We shall publish a complete programme for the practical and operation of the Whitechapel Community Library on Monday.
The Whitechapel Community Library will be operated from the same area. Exact location cannot be given because we have yet to find the bulding. What we have found so far is a place to store the books that we have been able to rescue from the former Whitechapel Library building.
Hope that is not too late or incomplete.
Thanks you for your interest.
In the meantime, if you have any specific suggestion ore if you want to know more about what we are doing – all the facts are not publishable on the internet – please send we your queries or texts by email to
And we shall respond.
Whitechapel Community Library, London, E1
e-mail:
whitechapelcommunitylibrary@yahoo.co.uk