Take part in the library consultation
We want to provide a comprehensive, sustainable and efficient library service for people who live, work or study in Enfield. This includes books and access to digital resources, quiet spaces for study and reflection, access to support groups and social activities for all ages, health and wellbeing support, makerspaces, training and employment advice.
The council faces budget challenges after over a decade of government underfunding, historic inflation levels and recent interest rate rises, and the ongoing cost of living crisis resulting in more residents needing our support. Savings will inevitably need to be made now and in years to come across council services to balance our budgets. In this context, we need to ensure our libraries are delivering accessible and responsive services in the best and most efficient way to meet local need, and matches the offer delivered by other London boroughs.
Our library service plays a critical role in helping people realise their full potential – including those living, working, studying in or visiting Enfield and particularly those facing disadvantage. A number of factors have impacted what people need from their library service, including the Covid-19 pandemic, climate change and the cost-of-living crisis.
To meet the council’s principles to deliver accessible and responsive services and be financially resilient, we have considered how our library service can be delivered in a more efficient way, while ensuring that it continues to meet people’s needs and is comprehensive. The draft strategy proposes to:
- improve and enhance the library service at Ordnance Unity Centre, Edmonton Green, Ponders End, Fore Street, Millfield House, Palmers Green, Enfield Town and Ridge Avenue, by increasing opening hours at these libraries by a total of 56 hours per week
- retain the home library service and digital library service
- reduce the number of libraries by closing Bullsmoor, Enfield Highway, Enfield Island Village, Bowes Road, Southgate, Winchmore Hill, Oakwood and John Jackson. This is a reduction of 281 hours per week in available services across the borough.
- formally declassify Angel Raynham as a public library, (Angel Raynham is classified as a public library, but it is staffed and managed by the primary school and is not open to public)
We want to hear your feedback to help us further develop and improve our proposals. Using your feedback, we then plan to finalise and publish our final strategy in early 2025. Please give your views by completing our questionnaire. We will also be available to discuss the consultation, answer your questions and help you complete the questionnaire if required.
Take part in our drop-in sessions at the branches proposed to be closed:
- Bullsmoor Library – 3 September 2024, 9am to 11am
- Bowes Road Library – 5 September 2024, 3.30pm to 5.30pm
- Enfield Highway Library – 9 September 2024, 1pm to 3pm
- Enfield Island Village Library – 10 September 2024, 2pm to 4pm
- John Jackson Library – 17 September 2024, 4.30pm to 6.30pm
- Southgate Library – 19 September 2024, 10am to 12pm
- Oakwood Library – 1 October 2024, 4pm to 6pm
- Winchmore Hill Library – 3 October 2024, 9am to 11am
East and South East Asian Heritage Month
September is East and Southeast Asian Heritage Month, which celebrates (you guessed it) East and Southeast Asian Heritage! To join in on the festivities, we've asked our staff for their reading recommendations from ESEA authors and about East and Southeast Asia, and here is what they recommended:
General fiction
Kafka on the Shore by Murakami Haruki
Recommended by: Agi
“It's almost impossible to understand, it's the most complicated book I've ever written." Murakami sets the reader on magical and sometimes frightening adventures in this book. You can turn the pages at the speed of light, be amazed, laugh, be horrified but always enjoy the high level of the writer's imagination.
Murakami weaves the 2 strands together smartly: one is the story of a 15-year-old boy (Tamura Kafka) growing up, and the other is the story of a naive, simple-minded but a lovable 60-year-old man (Nakata). Kafka is trying to escape his father's fatal prophecy, while Mr. Nakata uses his special ability to search for stray cats, befriend one-time truck drivers, and try to lock up a stone endowed with magical powers. Of course, there are countless other eccentric characters (and, of course, cats) populating this strange world. The whole book is a wicked dream world, strangely mixed with Japanese identity and religious uniqueness. Murakami leaves several questions for the reader to answer. I liked how the countless references and patterns from high and pop culture were mixed.
Inspector Imanishi Investigates by Matsumoto Seicho
Recommended by: Eva
Inspector Imanishi investigates a death in 1960s Japan. He has only 2 leads and keeps coming across an avant-garde artistic group bring new ideas from the West. Although he would like to spend more time with his haiku and bonsai, Imanishi wants to prevent further deaths and becomes consumed by the mysterious happenings and by the intricate puzzle they pose.
It is a refreshing read without many of the cliches and tropes of western crime novels while also providing an insight into Japanese culture at a time of change.
Recommended by: Caroline
I read all the James Clavell novels when I was in my teens and loved them. Starting with King Rat, set in the infamous Changi POW camp in Singapore, moving onto Shogun and Noble House, but my favourite of all was Tai-Pan.
Tai-Pan is the story of Dirk Struan, the ruler, the Tai-Pan, of the most powerful trading company in the Far East. He is also a pirate, an opium smuggler, and a master manipulator of men. This is the story of his fight to establish himself and his dynasty.
To be honest I don’t remember much about it now, but it has stayed with me that it was a cracking good read and I have always wanted to go to Hong Kong, but mainly Macau, because of that novel. I am off there this month, so I shall be borrowing this novel again to give me the historical insight into the founding of these great trading ports and to also take me back to my past.
Fantasy
Grandmaster of Demonic Cultivation by Mo Xiang Tong Xiu
Recommended by: Gaff
Wei Wuxian was once one of the most revered cultivators of his generation, but the horrors of war caused him to seek out demonic magic, ultimately leading to his untimely death. Years later, he is revived in the body of an aggrieved young man. In exchange for a body, Wei Wuxian must seek revenge its original owner's behalf, and in doing so, perhaps unravel the mystery of his own death.
Mystery, revenge, romance, humour, magic, what more is there to ask for? Originally a Chinese web novel, this series has become an international sensation, spawning multiple publications, translations, animations, and inspiring the live-action drama 'the Untamed' (which I also heartily recommend). The translation by Suika and Pengie is excellent, and they have included a handy glossary at the back, if you loose track of all the xianxia martial arts cum fantasy terms.
Non-fiction
Intimate Encounters – by Lieba Faier
Recommended by: Gaff
Anthropologist Lieba Faier explores lives and stories of Filipina women who have emigrated to rural Japan to work in the hospitality industry.
Originally disparaged as prostitutes and foreigners, some of them have come to be viewed as 'ideal, traditional Japanese brides.' Intimate Encounters underlines the flexibility of identity, and interrogates what it means to be 'Filipina,' 'Japanese,' and in-between. It's a great case-study in how 'tradition' is constantly re-created and re-imagined, saying more about the present than the past.
The Story of China - by Michael Wood
Recommended by: George
Compressing 4,000 plus of Chinese history into one readable volume is tough, but Michael Wood manages it well.
It is informative and will make you reassess your perceptions of China.
An eye opener.
National read a book day
Friday 6 September is National Read a Book Day, a day designed to indulge in and celebrate the joy that is reading!
According to the Reading Agency, barriers to reading include lack of enjoyment and difficulty finding interesting content to read. With this in mind, here are some things you can do on National Read a Book Day to discover or rekindle a passion for reading:
- Visit your local library to browse their selection of books, and even speak to the librarian for recommendations, and to find out what’s new
- Read that book you’ve been meaning to get around to, today’s the perfect opportunity! You can even log the book on an app like Goodreads, where you can track and update your progress, leave your own reviews, read other people’s, and explore recommendations.
- Discover other forms of reading such as magazines, e-books and graphic novels. Even listening to an audiobook counts as reading! With an Enfield Libraries membership readers have access to: Libby, Borrow Box and uLibrary. These apps form part of our digital library service and allow members to download and read/ listen to e-books and audiobooks.
School's back in session
Summer ends, the days grow shorter, it's still hot but hopefully less so. The end of summer means the beginning of the new school year, as well as the return of the Libraries' beloved term time events! Whether you're coming back after the break or meeting us for the first time, we look forward to seeing you soon!
For more information on our regular events, check out our Library events page.
Enfield Town
- ESOL English Conversation Club – Monday and Thursday, 6:30pm to 7:45pm
- Toddler Time – Wednesday, 10:15am to 11am
- Baby Songs and Play – Thursdays, 2:15pm to 3pm
- Chess Club – Every other Saturday, 2pm to 4pm
Ridge Avenue
- Turkish Language Toddler Time – Tuesdays, 4pm to 5pm
Edmonton Green
- After School Project – Tuesdays, 4pm to 5pm
- Songs, Stories, and Chat – Wednesdays, 10am to 11am
- Children's Chess Club – Thursdays, 3pm to 4:30pm
Fore Street
- Story Time for Under 5s – Tuesdays, 11am to 12pm
Ordnance Unity Centre
- Stay and Play – Tuesdays and Thursdays, 10:30am to 11:15am
- Homework Club – Tuesdays and Thursdays, 4pm to 6pm
- LEGO Club – Fridays, 3:30pm to 5pm
Palmers Green
- Bounce and Rhyme – Mondays, 10am to 10:30am
- Stories and Play – Fridays, 10am to 11am
Bowes Road
- LEGO Club – First Tuesday of the month, 3:30pm to 5pm
Writers' workshops
Mechanics adventure writing
Saturday 21 September, 1pm to 3:30pm – Palmers Green Library
Free masterclass workshop sessions, incorporating creative writing and self-publishing. For more information, email Chima at c.ezechukwu@sky.com or Livingston at mlbsolutionsuk@gmail.com.
Afro hair and story telling workshop
This is a free event for ages 6 and over. Limited spaces available.
- Southgate Library – Saturday 14 September, 10am to 12pm
- Palmers Green Library – Saturday 14 September, 2pm to 3pm
For bookings, contact Southgate Library on 020 3838 7652, or Palmers Green Library on 020 8379 2727.
New in... for children
For early readers
Inside Outside Upside Down by Stan and Jan Berenstain
A new edition of the popular Berenstain Bears story.
Toddlers and young children can gain confidence while reading about the small bear’s epic adventure.
Created from a vocabulary of only 23 words.
Picture books
Who Lives here? by Julia Donaldson
A little boy can’t wait to go and play at his friend Dan's house. But he doesn't know which house Dan lives in. Along the way he meets some very interesting characters but will he ever find the right house?
Enchantingly-written in a rhyming style with beautiful illustrations to delight and inspire children to read.
Junior fiction
Star Friends Power Gem by Linda Chapman
Horrid Mr Patterson is trying to destroy the clifftop habitat to build 2 massive mansions. The town’s community try to stop the plans from going ahead but things start to fall apart.
The Star Friends believe Mr Patterson is using dark forces to distract the town, but can they use their magic to discover the truth before they begin to suspect each other?
New in... for teens and adults
Older teen fiction
The Blonde Dies First by Joelle Wellington
A thriller combining themes of race and class with suspense and horror.
Devon’s sister invites her to an exclusive private school party. When those weird kids play with a Ouija board something is released. Something that hunts Devon, her sister and her sister’s friends. A real-life horror film begins.
The blonde is up first, then the nitwit, right up to the Final Girl. Unless the murderous cycle can be broken, they're all going to be next…
General fiction
Daré's follow up to The Girl With the Louding Voice finds Adunni settling into her new life and school in Lagos, until dramatic news forces her to return to the village she fled to seek a better future.
However, she can’t escape from her past. Tia, the woman she’s found refuge with, tries to protect her from an uncertain fate.
Adunni must try to save not only herself but all the young women of her village and transform Ikati into a place where girls are allowed to claim the bright futures they deserve - and roar their stories to the world.
A Fire beneath The World by Jas Treadwell
It is 1791 and the age of belief and superstition is passing. Revolution in Paris threatens to set the world ablaze.
But who is responsible?
In England, Thomas Peach lives in quiet retirement. Is he a magician or a madman? When his friend the poetess Arabella Farthingay, becomes a victim to a sinister seducer, Mr Peach's fading powers are called on once more.
He follows her to France - and into a world where reason clashes with terror, brotherhood with bloodshed and the last remnants of faith with the oldest enemy of them all...
The Berest family possess a mysterious, unsigned postcard. On one side is an image of the Opéra Garnier: on the other, the names of relatives killed in Auschwitz. When Anne traces the lives of her ancestors from their flight from Russia following the revolution, their journey to Latvia, Palestine, and Paris, the war and its aftermath, her discoveries shatter her certainties about her family, her country, and herself.
An exploration into family secrets, mother-and-daughter relationships and a fascinating depiction of 20th-century Parisian intellectual and artistic life, this is the story of a family devastated by the Holocaust and yet somehow restored by love and the power of storytelling.
Crime
The Mystery Guest by Nita Prose
The Regency Grand Hotel’s reputation is damaged when a famous guest dies in the tearoom.
Molly, the maid who sees everything, is the only one who holds the key to the mystery behind one guest’s door.
It’s up to Molly to put the pieces of the puzzle together and discover whether the death was an accident or something more nefarious…
Non-fiction
The Tailoring Book by Alison Smith
Do you want to alter a vintage item or create something from scratch?
With over 80 step-by-step techniques on:
- measuring
- cutting
- altering
- finishing
This guide has everything you need to produce elegant, bespoke garments that last a lifetime.
Gluten Free Air Fryer by Becky Exell
Gluten Free Air Fryer has everything you need to know about this appliance, with a huge variety of practical, delicious gluten-free dishes. It also contains options for:
- dairy-free
- lactose-free
- low FODMAP
- vegetarian
- vegan
Botanical painter Susan Ogilvy and forester Richard Ogilvy provide an informative account of the trees of Britain through their leaves.
Susan paints every tree's leaf or needle in exquisite, life-size detail, while Richard explores their natural history, their landscapes and the ways we use the trees.
Overleaf is a delightful guide for both beginner tree-spotters as well as experienced ones.
Waiting to Be Arrested by Tahir Hamut Izgil
In 2017, the Chinese government stepped up its repression of its Uyghur citizens.
Successful filmmaker, poet and intellectual, Tahir Hamut Izgil had had first-hand experience of state surveillance and violence, having spent 3 years in a labour camp on fabricated charges. As his friends disappeared it became clear that fleeing the country was his family's only hope. He was one of only a handful from his community to escape the genocide. Escape to America allowed Izgil to share this rare personal testimony of the Xinjiang genocide to the wider world.
This book charts the ongoing destruction of a community and is a call for the world to wake up to a humanitarian catastrophe. It is an unforgettable story of courage, escape and survival, and a moving tribute to Izgil's friends and fellow Uyghurs whose voices have been silenced.
As Ike Anya starts his medical training in 1990s Nigeria, he bears in mind his grandmother’s mantra: “Everything worthwhile is achieved small by small”.
Anya’s account takes us through the successes and failures of his student days to his first demanding year as a house officer.
With sharp wit and gentle humour this memoir recalls the political turbulence and social change of that time while celebrating the friendships, minor rebellions and sheer hard graft of student days.
You can also download our Enfield Libraries newsletter – September 2024 (PDF, 1296.82 KB).