Among the most significant changes the switch to digital has brought in recent years is the change in use of libraries. Once focussed only on book lending, they are now hubs for everything from baby weigh ins to memory cafés. Now Devon County Council has put out a consultation on the best ways to maintain these trusted community spaces while keeping costs within sustainable limits.

When public libraries were first introduced in England in the second half of the 19^th century, they relied heavily on rich benefactors and community self-help. The free library movement was focused on the education and improvement of the working classes and went hand in hand with other elements of liberal social reform, like banning child labour, making local authorities responsible for sanitation, and introducing free elementary education. 

Bideford adopted the Public Libraries Act in 1877, but it wasn’t until 1906, with funding from the Scottish-American steel magnate Andrew Carnegie, that the ‘Free Library’ building opened next to the Town Hall. In 2023 it moved to Bideford Arts Centre, though the old library building will stay in public ownership as a gym and business centre. 

Appledore Library also emerged from social reform movements in the late 1800s which established Reading Rooms as alternative social spaces to pubs, often segregated by gender. In Appledore, the Girls Reading Room opened in 1893, and the Hanson Memorial Sailors Rest in 1910. 

Northam Library emerged somewhat later. It was started in 1929 by a village schoolmaster who looked after it voluntarily. In 1947 a part time branch opened in the Infants School, with paid staff. In 1953 this moved to larger premises, and in 1966 a new library was opened, though it burnt down in 2005 and 90% of the books were lost. 

Both Appledore and Northam Libraries have been threatened with closure in recent years but saved through public action. A community movement to save Appledore Library in 2006 resulted in the foundation of the charity which now runs the Appledore Book Festival. 

Devon County Council suggests that the future for branch libraries like Northam and Appledore lies in community support. They want to cut paid staffed opening hours and encourage volunteers and community groups to come forward to plug the gaps, though Bideford, as a hub library, will suffer only minor cuts to staff hours. With pressure on budgets, the future of libraries as free public spaces rests once again with the community. Will the community rise to the challenge, as our Victorian ancestors did?