Croydon Central Library

{{Short description|Library in Croydon, London, England}}

{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}}

{{Infobox Historic building

|image=File:Croydon Central Library.jpg

|caption=

|name=Croydon Central Library

|location_town=Croydon, London

|location_country=England

|client=London Borough of Croydon

|construction_start_date=

|completion_date=

|date_demolished=

}}

Croydon Central Library is Croydon's main public library, located inside the Croydon Clocktower in Croydon, south London. It is owned by the London Borough of Croydon on behalf of Croydon Council. The library is located on four floors inside the building. There are also children's rhymetime sessions.{{Cite web |date=March 2024 |title=Under fives sessions at Croydon Libraries |url=https://www.croydon.gov.uk/sites/default/files/2024-03/Rhymetimes-under-5-sessions.pdf}}{{cite web|url=https://www.timeout.com/london/attractions/croydon-central-library|title=Croydon Central Library|publisher=Timeout|accessdate=1 September 2019}}{{cite book |last1=Black |first1=Alistair |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ZgkkDwAAQBAJ&pg=PT314 |title=Books, Buildings and Social Engineering: Early Public Libraries in Britain from Past to Present |last2=Pepper |first2=Simon |last3=Bagshaw |first3=Kaye |date=2017 |publisher=Routledge |isbn=978-1-317-17328-1 |pages=314–320 |language=en}}

Croydon's first central library was at 100-106 North End.{{Cite web |last=Croydon Council |date=17 November 2014 |title=APPENDIX 3:Central Croydon Conservation Area Appraisal and Management Plan |url=https://croydon.moderngov.co.uk/Data/Cabinet/20141117/Agenda/cab20141117_09_04_appendix_36a7f.pdf?cmte=CAB&meet=30&href=/akscroydon/images/att4501.pdf}} The library moved to the Croydon Clocktower buildings when they first opened in May 1896, the library was located in a central wooden panelled room (later used as a local studies library and now used as the David Lean Cinema),{{Cite book |last=Burgoyne |first=Frank James |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=fK_uEncj9zsC&dq=%22croydon+central+library%22&pg=PR19 |title=Library Construction, Architecture, Fittings, and Furniture |date=1897 |publisher=Allen |pages=206 |language=en}} it was then notable opening with a large collection of over 100,000 volumes and for being one of the first public libraries at the time with open access shelves.{{rp|225–226}}

An extension was built to the Clocktower municipal buildings in the early 1990s with a new four floor library space opening in November 1993.{{Cite web |title=Town Hall {{!}} Croydon Council |url=https://www.croydon.gov.uk/council-and-elections/mayor-croydon/history-mayor-croydon/town-hall |access-date=2024-03-29 |website=www.croydon.gov.uk |language=en}}{{Cite thesis |last=Eccleston |first=Catherine J. |date=1997 |title=An evaluative study of the electronic provision of information in public libraries |url=https://repository.lboro.ac.uk/articles/educational_resource/An_evaluative_study_of_the_electronic_provision_of_information_in_public_libraries/14236853/1 |pages= |doi=10.26174/THESIS.LBORO.14236853.V1}}

One notable chief librarian W. C. Berwick Sayers was instrumental in advancements in library classification and children's librarianship.{{Cite book |last1=Seadle |first1=Michael Steven |title=Educating the profession: 40 years of the IFLA section on education and training |last2=Chu |first2=Clara M. |last3=Stöckel |first3=Ulrike |last4=Crumpton |first4=Breanne |date=2016 |publisher=de Gruyter |isbn=978-3-11-037526-8 |series=IFLA Publications |location=Berlin |pages=56}}

It was the third-most-used public library in the UK in 2010.[http://www.cipfa.org.uk/press/press_show.cfm?news_id=61154 In 2010, Croydon Central Library was the third most utilised library in the UK] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110129010020/http://www.cipfa.org.uk/press/press_show.cfm?news_id=61154 |date=2011-01-29 }}

Croydon Libraries is part of The Library Consortium (TLC) shared catalogue.{{Cite web |date=2022-10-19 |title=Home |url=https://thelibrariesconsortium.org.uk/ |access-date=2024-03-29 |website=TLC |language=en-GB}}

The Rainbow Reading Group (run in conjunction with the Croydon Area Gay Society (CAGS) meets at the library monthly. The group reads LGBTQI+ books and has been running since 2011.{{Cite web |title=Rainbow Reading Group |url=https://www.rainbowreadinggroup.org.uk/ |access-date=2024-03-29 |website=www.rainbowreadinggroup.org.uk}}