Exclusive:'It's about people': How the Leeds Library is guiding youngsters back into reading 258 years after opening
The Leeds Library is opening its doors to a new generation of book lovers.
As part of the Yorkshire Evening Post’s Leeds Reads campaign, which aims to get the city once again immersed in books, the YEP were invited for an exclusive look behind the scenes at the Leeds Library’s historic collection of priceless books.
Founded in 1768, the Leeds Library on Commercial Street is the oldest surviving subscription library in the country, and it is now working with schools and colleges across the city to encourage youngsters back into reading.
Referred to as one of the city’s hidden gems, the library’s head of marketing and communications Ian Harker said it is about bringing the Leeds Library back into the public consciousness and encouraging the next generation away from digital devices.
“It’s not about books as objects, it’s about people,” Mr Harker told the YEP. “The Leeds Library is its members, its not a building full of books and every one of these books tells a story about people, to the commitment they have made to telling stories and to intellectual investigations.”
“In an increasingly digitised world, we need to guide ourselves back. It’s about taking the library from a ‘hidden gem’ to a jewel in the crown. Opening it up, welcoming new people and putting the library at the heart of Leeds.”
After purchasing the adjacent building in 2022, the library began work on the most significant transformation in its 258 year history and launched its ‘The Next Chapter’ project. A £2.3 million investment aimed at securing its long-term future.
The new building now offers a range of activities, including educational visits from schools and community groups, an expanded wedding package and a new programme of workshops and live events.
The library also recently appointed its first education and engagement officer, dedicated to building their relationship with the city’s numerous schools, colleges and universities.
“Having that space allows us to engage the younger generation in books and reading. We’ve got a wonderful provision for reading here in Leeds, through ourselves, Leeds City Council, and so many amazing teachers,” Mr Harker said. “But it’s about continuing to push for that cultural shift.”
“We need to develop, as early as possible, the habit of reading, which is a challenge for everyone as we all know about the dangers of screen time. It starts with the individual and we need to work together as a network in the city to develop a lifelong habit of reading books.”
First occupying a back room at Joseph Ogle’s bookshop on Kirkgate, the Leeds Library later moved to Commercial Street in 1808, where it remains to this day and the grade II listed building is a rare surviving example of a Georgian library.
Behind its historic façade sits a stunning collection of over 140,000 books, including rare and unique editions, some even dating back to before the library’s foundation in 1768. One especially rare book in the collection is Mandeville Travels - dating back to 1483.
A Registered charity since 2008, the library has seen memberships, which start from £15 a month, rise to record levels of over 1,000. It’s also now a fully modern library offering an online catalogue, digital resources, newspapers, magazines, audiobooks, DVDs, CDs, and academic journals.
“You develop a very unique sense of history when you work here, when you are working around books that are hundreds of years old and step into our archive. You get a sense of the evolution of history as it happens, and you get sense of your place within it,” Mr Harker added.
“It’s about leaving a legacy for subsequent generations that is as good as some of the people in this city’s history.”