Campaign Update If you can make it tonight there is a meeting re the Campaign to save a professional library service across Lambeth and in Upper Norwood. It will be in the Gipsy Hill Tavern by Gipsy Hill Station at 7pm.It is being organised by Momentum and Ruth Cashman from Unison, a member from the Upper Norwood Library Trust and I from the Upper Norwood Library Campaign have been invited to speak. On Monday a group of Friends on Lambeth Libraries met with the leader of the council Lib Peck, Deputy Leader (Policy Delivery), Cllr Imogen Walker and Deputy Leader (Finance & Investment), Cllr Paul McGlone. It was a constructive meeting and we were given assurances that Susanna Barnes' the head of libraries alternative plan is getting serious consideration. We tried to reiterate that Susanna's plans do make the savings needed, but keep all 10 library buildings open and more critically providing a professional library service not gyms or a volunteer model. That said after the meeting the Campaign is convinced that we must all play our part making the strength of our feeling against the decimation of the library service across Lambeth as it appears Lambeth council is still minded to go with its original postcode lottery proposals of a library service. The strike on Monday across all the libraries across the borough of Lambeth was total and had solid support from library users. Library Campaigners lobbied and had a read aloud protest at this week's cabinet meeting. On another front all the Labour Party Lambeth ward and costituency meetings are being targetted to pass motions in support of the Susanna Barnes proposals. The latest to pass one just last night was Vassall ward which joins Herne Hill and Thurlow Park. If you are a Labour party member and support libraries please do what you can to help persuade more ward meetings to promote the Barnes proposals. A similar motion was passed at the Dulwich and West Norwood Constituency meeting. I would urge you all to revisit talking to or emailing the local Labour Councillors to get them to support the Susanna Barnes proposal if you want to see a professional service maintained at Upper Norwood Library. One indication of what be on the cards for Upper Norwood Library if it is not funded sufficiently to retain a professional service is that Croydon Council officers have been discussing plans to remove local history archives from the library. As an independent joint library I would query whether this is even legal. But if Croydon officers believe that the library will not be funded sufficiently to help people with local history inquiries we should be redoubling our efforts to make our local politicians make sure our concerns are listened to. We have so much rich history in this area we all cherish and which we should be holding on to and celebrating. I have made this point in the strongest terms to both Croydon and Lambeth. Hope to see some of you tonight. Kind Regards, Robert Gibson