MEMBERS’ NEWS

‘NEW FOUNDATIONS’ – THE STRATEGIC PLAN FOR THE LONDON LIBRARY

In the autumn of 2018 the trustees approved a new 5-year strategy which sets the overall direction and key aims of the Library up to 2023. Encouraging progress has been made during 2018–2019.

The aim of the strategy, which was introduced to members at the 2018 AGM, is to expand the Library’s reach and impact, while restoring its finances to balance, creating ‘new foundations’ for the future. A difficult task, certainly, but necessary if the Library is to continue to inspire and support writers, thinkers, scholars and artists in the creation of works and ideas that touch the lives of many millions and help shape the intellectual history of the nation and the world.

Based on the overall aim of the strategy the two principal goals are as follows:

Goal 1 To substantially increase awareness of, access to, and engagement with the Library

The first goal is rooted in the desire to deliver increased public benefit, enhancing the fulfilment of the Library’s charitable purpose and its founding principles.

Goal 2 To remove the core operating deficit by the end of 2022–2023

In the past few years the Library’s Treasurer has used these pages to detail the challenging financial situation the Library faces. Income from membership, commercial activities and ongoing revenue fundraising does not cover the day-to-day costs of running the Library and maintaining its premises and collections. In order to become financially sustainable, the strategy has the aim of removing this core operating deficit by 2023. This will require an increase in membership numbers, revenue fundraising providing an increased proportion of the Library’s annual income, and tight cost control. Compared to the previous year the core operating deficit reduced by £123k to £737k for the year ended 31 March 2019, so although the deficit is still significant, progress is starting to be made.

In order to achieve these goals the following 8 objectives were identified and the progress against each in 2018–2019 is detailed below:

The Times was one of several major news outlets covering our discovery of Bram Stoker’s source books for Dracula.

Objective 1 Raise our public profile to drive increased awareness, use and membership of the Library. We will give an additional focus to attracting and welcoming younger people to the Library.

Much has been achieved in moving the Library from ‘hidden’ to ‘renowned treasure’ status. The Library has featured in a series of print and radio interviews and articles during the year, including interviews with BBC radio during the Henley Literary Festival and a feature on miniature books in the Guardian.

In early 2019, in collaboration with Creation Theatre, we staged an extremely successful sell-out run of 22 performances across 6 weeks of the stage play Dracula. This followed on from the discovery by Philip Spedding, the Library’s Development Director, that the Library’s shelves were home to 26 of the 32 original books that Bram Stoker used to research his eponymous novel, published in 1897. The discovery, and the subsequent staging of the play, resulted in media exposure on television and the radio, and in a number of national and international newspapers.

Recognising the importance of young people to the future of the Library, the maximum age for Young Person Membership was increased from 24 to 26 and we started a Trustee placement scheme to add the voices of two young people to board-level discussions. Our Young Person Membership increased by 40%

Our public events programme has continued to attract new audiences to the Library.

during the course of the financial year and overall membership of the Library increased by 83, the first increase since 2011–12.

Objective 2 Create new ways to access and engage with the Library including: a high-quality programme of events and outreach activity at the Library and other venues, and new ways to join or use the Library aimed at less frequent visitors and those for whom the membership fees are a major obstacle.

The Library has put on a fascinating and varied speaker events and panel discussions programme, which has proved highly successful in attracting non-members into the Library as well as building general awareness. Speakers have ranged from historian and author Joshua Levine and Pulitzer Prize-winning author Jhumpa Lahiri to bestselling novelist Jessie Burton. Many events have sold out and half of the audience have been nonmembers. Through its partnerships with the Henley Literary Festival and the Bloomsbury Institute, the Library also staged a number of talks at other venues.

Although launched just after the 2018–2019 financial year, the Library has introduced two new tiers of membership, Remote Access and Associate. These provide attractive and affordable options for those who want access to the collection and online resources but do not need to use the Library’s building on a frequent basis. We have worked with schools to improve our offering and created London Library Schools Partnerships, through which individual schools can give pupil groups full access to the Library.

A programme for emerging writers was launched in January receiving 600 applications. The programme is fully supported by donations and the cohort of 38 writers joined the Library in May 2019.

Objective 3 Deliver new spaces at the Library to accommodate our growing programme of events, outreach activity and private venue hire, more reader spaces and comfortable, catered spaces where members can meet, share ideas and work in a less formal environment.

Twelve new reader spaces with views over the square were added to the St James’s stacks during the year. Plans are currently being developed for ways in which other spaces within the Library could be improved, providing new facilities for members and allowing more outreach activities to take place.

Objective 4 Find a new model for our library collection that allows for continued acquisition and maintains the accessibility and usefulness of the collection, while working within the twin constraints of available storage space and cost.

The trustees created a new Collections Committee to oversee the work on the collection-capacity management strategy, which is ongoing. Following an extensive review of the use of the collection over the past 6 years, the rate of acquisition of foreign-language materials was reduced, although a designated budget has been retained for foreign-language requests by members. Spending on online and electronic resources has been increased.

The collection remains at the heart of the Library’s appeal, and over 5,600 volumes were added to the collection during the year.

Objective 5 Increase our revenue fundraising, making fundraising a bigger proportion of our overall income.

Some generous single gifts enabled the Library to exceed its revenue fundraising target by over £150,000. The Library also successfully encouraged smaller donations through its annual appeal, with the St James’s Windows Appeal raising £116,000 and allowing the replacement of the windows as well as the addition of 12 new reader spaces. The Founders’ Circle, a group of patrons who give regular donations, remains central to the Library’s annual fundraising. We are very grateful to all who gave during the year – something that is particularly important as the ongoing fundraising income plays an increasing part in covering the costs of running the Library.

The St James’s Windows Appeal has funded restoration of the windows and installation of new desks in the St James’s stacks.

Objective 6 Launch a major appeal to ‘re-found’ the Library, consisting of a capital fundraising campaign to finance the creation of new spaces, and a longer-term campaign to deliver a substantial endowment for the Library.

Planning is progressing well in respect of both the capital and endowment campaigns and these will be launched in 2019–2020.

Objective 7 Develop new ways to increase our income from other sources, such as private venue hire.

The opening hours were changed from January 2019 to allow Wednesday evenings to be available for venue hire, with extended opening hours on Monday and Tuesday to compensate for the earlier Wednesday closure. Venue hire has been increasingly popular and bookings have included thirdparty film showings, book launches and receptions. The Library has also been increasingly promoted as a film location and has featured in numerous TV and film productions, including the BBC TV thriller Killing Eve and a range of BBC documentaries.

Objective 8 Restrict cost increases, finding more ways to work more efficiently and seeking to minimise the impact on members.

All departments carried out a review of costs during the year, with savings and efficiencies being identified and implemented, while seeking to maintain the level of service to members.

TWENTY IN 2020

The London Library is proud to announce a new partnership with Jacaranda Books’ Twenty in 2020 initiative for promoting black British writing. Twenty in 2020, launched by Jacaranda earlier this year, sees the UK publishing house exclusively dedicating a year of publishing output to 20 black British writers, publishing new works from each of them during 2020. The project has won acclaim from across the publishing world and recently won the London Book Fair International Excellence Award 2019 for Inclusivity in Publishing.

Jacaranda has now teamed up with The London Library to announce a partnership that will provide a package of support for the 20 authors on the Twenty in 2020 programme. The partnership was launched on 18 July at an evening event in the Library’s famous Reading Room, with industry leaders, influencers and press joining with the 2020 authors to celebrate this exciting new stage in the Twenty in 2020 project.

About the Partnership

The London Library will be providing the Twenty in 2020 authors with two years’ free membership to the Library. They will have full access to our extraordinary collection of 1 million books, and extensive online resources, as well as use of the Library’s unparalleled spaces which have been an inspiration for writers for nearly 200 years. Overall cost increases were limited to well below inflation levels, which has contributed to the reduced operating deficit detailed above.

The full 5 years of the strategy will be needed to achieve the principal goals but, as can be seen from the progress made in the year, awareness and membership of the Library is increasing and the operating deficit, though still uncomfortably high, is heading in the right direction.

The very challenging journey is only at its early stages, but the end result – The London Library fulfilling its potential at the centre of the UK’s cultural landscape, benefiting many more users and standing on a firm financial footing – will be a tremendous reward.

ANNUAL REPORT

The Library’s Annual report and Accounts 2018–2019 is downloadable as a PDF from our website at londonlibrary. co.uk/about-us/agm-annual-reports

In the interests of supporting the environment and keeping printing and mailing costs to a minimum, we now use a print-on-demand system for those members wishing to receive a physical copy. If you would like a printed copy of the Annual Report to be posted to you, please request one by email (director@londonlibrary.co.uk) or telephone (020 7766 4712).

Some of the authors on the Twenty in 2020 programme at the Library launch.

The Library also aims to incorporate the Twenty in 2020 initiative into its popular events programme, providing a high profile platform for Twenty in 2020 authors and ambassadors at speaker events.

Philip Marshall, Director of The London Library, commented: ‘From the moment we heard about the Twenty in 2020 project we knew this was an initiative we wanted to be involved in. The London Library is a centre for literary creativity and we are delighted to be supporting a programme that is doing so much to help black British writers get greater publishing recognition.’

THE LONDON LIBRARY AT HENLEY LITERARY FESTIVAL

The London Library will be taking part in the Henley Literary Festival again this year. We’ll have a stand in the Festival Hub, and during the festival fortnight – which takes place from Saturday, 28 September to Sunday, 6 October 2019 – the main festival venues will be hosting the following exciting series of London Library talks: We bring together two award- his love of books and The on the experiences of survivors, ANTONIA FRASER IN winning biographers to discuss London Library. Sir Tim will Giles Milton’s bold new history CONVERSATION what it took to be a woman be interviewed by Radio 4’s tells the story as never before. WITH KATE WILLIAMS at the heart of the war effort, Commissioning Editor for Arts, Sunday, 29 September 2019 focusing on Britain’s first James Runcie. THE LONDON LIBRARY: 2pm female special agent of the A TREASURE TROVE Second World War and the GILES MILTON Friday, 4 October 2019, 2pm Gestapo’s most wanted Allied D-DAY: THE SOLDIERS’ A panel of renowned members spy. The event will be chaired STORY discuss how they use the by historian Rick Stroud. Thursday, 3 October 2019 Library to work, offering a 4pm valuable insight into how to go about the delicate business of researching and then turning that research into literary gold. Author and broadcaster Travis Elborough, novelist Victoria Hislop, and Abi Daré who is a participant on our 2019 Emerging Writers Programme, speak to chair, Giles Milton.

Best-selling author Lady Antonia Fraser discusses her life in literature and her latest book, The King and the Catholics: The Fight for Rights 1829, which brings colour and humour to the vivid drama of the Catholic Emancipation, with historian Kate Williams.

SONIA PURNELL & CLARE MULLEY THE WOMEN WHO SPIED Monday, 30 September 2019 2pm SIR TIM RICE IN CONVERSATION WITH JAMES RUNCIE Monday, 30 September 2019 6.30pm NOW SOLD OUT

London Library President Sir Tim Rice discusses his extraordinary life, the inspiration for his awardwinning work, the partnerships which have underpinned his career and what it takes to pen some of the best-known lyrics from the biggest stage and screen musicals of all time. He’ll also talk about The desperate struggle of 6 June 1944 was, above all, a human story of individual heroics – of men driven to keep fighting until the German defences were smashed and the precarious beachheads secured. Drawing

Tickets can be booked via the Henley Festival website (henleyliteraryfestival.co.uk). We look forward to welcoming you for a fascinating few days of literary conversation.

To get advance notice on all our events, and to keep up to date with the latest news about the Library, sign up to our newsletter at londonlibrary. co.uk/newsletter-signup

‘A Treasure Trove’ – The London Library is the subject of one of the 5 Library events at this year’s Henley Literary Festival.

ARTISTS IN RESIDENCE

As reported in the summer issue, Bob Matthews and Mark Harris are currently undertaking a 12-month Artists’ Residency at The London Library, drawing on their expertise in the processes of print production and the history of the printed image. Bob, an artist and exhibition organiser, has taught on the MA Print course at the Royal College of Art since 2002; Mark is Associate Professor of Fine Art at Kingston University and has exhibited widely, both nationally and internationally. The Artists’ Residency runs until spring 2020 and forms the first stage of a larger project for Bob and Mark that reimagines the notion, purpose and form of libraries generally. From July 2019, six new artworks – three paintings by Bob and three collages by Mark – have been on display on the Green stairs between the Reading Room and the Members’ Room. All have been created and displayed free of charge to the Library and we look forward to seeing more of their work in coming months.

DONATE TO THE LIBRARY FUND

Earlier this summer the Library launched the Library Fund, an annual fundraising campaign focused on improving the Library in ways that directly impact its users. The funds raised this year will go towards the refurbishment of the toilets on the red staircase which are in desperate need of a major overhaul. The 2019 Fund will enable a complete refurbishment of these facilities, while ensuring they remain in keeping with the style of the historic building. The improvements will include work to the floor, pipework, fixtures, lighting and more.

The budget for the project, and target for this year’s Library Fund, is £75,000, with costs in large part dictated by the particular requirements of refurbishing a Grade II-listed building. All funds raised will go towards this project, and should more than is needed be donated the excess will be applied to next year’s project.

Every year supporters donating to the Fund enable the Library to carry out work that can’t be funded through normal operating income and which help enhance the Library’s amazing building and its even more extraordinary collection. You can donate via our website (londonlibrary.co.uk/support-us/donatelibrary-fund) when you’re next in the Library, or by text message by texting LIBRARYFUND to 70085 to donate £10 (this costs £10 plus a standard-rate text message).

New paintings by Bob Matthews (see above) and new collages by Mark Harris (see left) are now on display in the Library.