To ask you for your money-raising ideas for libraries?

[LibraryLibrary]

I'm in my local library's consultation group. Our library is under pressure from the council. 1) We need to attract more users.2) We also need to find a way of reducing costs and/or raising funds.
A couple of months ago I asked people on Mumsnet for their ideas for attracting more people to use the library. The responses were very useful. I went through them all and then sent a precis to the library management. They are starting to take some of the suggestions on board. For instance, we have some new activity groups starting.
Can I now please ask you all for any ideas for bringing in money? The library is open to any suggestions - so I'm thinking fun competitions of different types for different age groups, a fashion show, training courses (but what would people be prepared to pay for?), food and drink events, maybe a talent show... What has (or hasn't - that's useful info too) worked for your local library, school or other organisation? We want to provide activities that people are happy to pay for - in exchange for a positive experience. Of course we may need to find volunteers to help run the events. Any suggestion on how to do that and how best to market the events would be very helpful too. Thank you!

I assume you already ask for, and sell, old books?
I have two huge bags to go to the charity shop which I'd prefer to take to a library. But I don't think ours takes them.

I tend to use charity shops as libraries, I buy a book there, then donate it back. So, a library with a £1 charge per book. But they can sell it again.
And they may be books the library doesn't have in.

@LibraryLibrary

Id suggest you contact existing libraries who have found themselves in the same position.
This is my local library
https://earlsdonlibrary.org.uk/
Its been turned into much more than a library , its become a thriving place at the heart of the community.
As well as the usual library services which remain free, its used for paid for events inc film nights, music events, comedy nights, yoga classes, craft fairs.

It does have a scheme where people can give a regular donation, as little as £5. As Im not in a position to volunteer I think its a small price to pay to keep a community resource going.

Its hard work, you have to be imaginative, look at local businesses for sponsorship

Good luck

This is one of the most depressing posts I’ve ever read on Mumsnet. Yes I’m sure your children like seeing familiar faces but libraries in some areas can involve having to manage antisocial behaviours, children that are left for a long time and all sorts of different things. They should not be a hobby for middle class people in nice areas. They should be a community service in every community.

I worked in a large local library in a London borough most of my career and any money we raised (extra to the usual) never made its way back to us specifically. It was swallowed up in a general Arts and Leisure moneypit pot. My local library now made space for the town's post office a few years back and not only do they pay to use the space, but it keeps the medium-sized library busy - attendees for events etc. They may think about closing other branches but ours will be ok.

Frustratingly I think we are used to libraries being the go-to place for free, or nearly free, things.

The busiest I have ever seen our library was when where was a community theatre puppet show. Parents are more likely to buy tickets for their children for something than spend the same money on themselves sometimes. It was a tiny travelling company, like 3 people, pitched at young primary age I would guess but inclusive of different ages. It was so oversubscribed I think they could have sold the tickets for more.

It's a shame you can't rent out a room or two as this is such a valuable resource. We have a child who's been out of school and these "third" spaces - not home, not school - are so important.

Preschool classes or homeschool group during the school day. Things like baby sensory, baby massage, baby signing command a decent fee and the organisers are expecting to pay for premises.

It may be too much set up cost but do up one of your office spaces as a sensory room with bubble towers, pretty lights, mats, a projector that projects an interactive picture onto the floor, and hire out by the hour. Our local community centre does this a few hours a week and everything is packed away in between.

Creative Writing classes of various types: short story, novel, poetry.
How about themed story nights for adults. You get someone to read a couple of stories aloud: spooky ones at Halloween, Christmassy ones at Christmas, romance at valentines, maybe some funny ones to shake off winter blues in late Jan, some ones set in far flung places for summer etc. You offer wine or a themed drink (free, but actually factored into the price of a ticket, to avoid needing a liquor licence) and a snack, again related to the story theme.

You could invite authors to come and read - sometimes a panel of authors discussing a theme or genre does well: cosy crime or psych thriller, gothic, historical, memoir or non fiction special interest: ecology, travel, sport etc. Please do pay them a little though. I know some authors and they get so upset at being expected to schlep to libraries, and see the libraries are charging a fee for the talk but they get nothing, even though they earn next to nothing from the books. A token fee and a bottle of cheap wine shows appreciation to them. And do plug their books and leave time for signings afterwards.

A book club run by a member of the library. Once a month everyone meets up to discuss a book you've all read. Borrow from other local libraries enough copies of the book for the members. Take turns to bake cake or bring a light supper.

Do you ask for book donations or is that not permitted due to royalty rules? I never understand why libraries don't ask for books to be donated? Why do they spend money buying them new?

Our library has a film night once a month. People can bring wine, nibbles and quiet dogs. It's a cosy, sociable event and people pay what they can afford.

Very simple competitions for kids that have a small prize (like a £10 book token) might work. Things like a colouring in competition, treasure hunt round the library (find the hidden frogs or something like that), crosswords, word searches, it could cost £1 per entry and it might get some more kids going to the library.

Do you have local primary schools going in?

My local library did not have a permanent building, had to pay for the library & staff to visit once a week.

Had to pay for hire of the building

Despite hosting other things like crafts

Despite doing various things to fund raise

The council closed the library

We collected second hand books from public
Sold them at car boot sales or locally
Sold online to World Books
Money raised went back into the library

Our library service have a few theatrical members of staff - they put on murder mystery evenings, charge for tickets and we get a temporary liquor license and offer a cash bar. It is an awful lot of hard work and staff working out if hours though.
we always have a donations tin out - but rarely get any donations (my library is in a very affluent area...and the customers notoriously have very short arms and deep pockets) sadly

If you have the facilities selling refreshments is your best bet, undercutting commercial establishments

I work in a library our paid for events this year have been a murder mystery evening and quiz with takeaway pizza both were popular but we don’t make that much money to be honest! Have you rooms you can rent out for meetings or other services like community midwives/nurses?

The library does accept donations, though they don't ask for them.

@Jugendstiel We have book clubs, but they're free. Poetry reading, creative writing etc would probably not bring in a lot of people. I've been to a few of those events when they're been run locally and they're not hugely popular. It's really hard to find something that will actually appeal to enough people to make it worth doing.

I like this idea. Do you know why it didn't bring in much money?

@Shuufty I'll look into the puppet show idea, thanks.

Our central library has run events like Harry Potter ones after hours, with an additional cost.
Fairly regularly they host The History Wardrobe which always sells out:
https://www.historywardrobe.com/
Probably depends on what space you have whether you would make money from that.

A creative writing competition. You could have a theme (ghosts, water etc) and have a child category and an adult category. Each entry has a charge: £2.50 for children and £5.00 for adults. Perhaps ask local businesses to donate the prizes.

Our local library does a few things. One is inviting local authors to come and do book signings, I don’t know for sure but imagine the author has to pay? They also invite children’s authors to do sessions with children from local schools and it’s the same idea I’d guess since the children can buy the books and have them signed.

They have craft fairs where locals can sell their homemade items.

They have a coffee/tea/hot chocolate machine which is popular with the elderly who gather there or parents with their children.

They also put on theatre productions with local companies, the ticket fees are nominal and they’re always sold out. Same for things like wildlife experiences where they’ll bring some birds in for children to hold/stroke etc.

We didn’t charge a lot as didn’t want to price ourselves out and it was more for the community but we’re not a county with struggling libraries so didn’t have to make a huge profit sounds like you do though so maybe you could charge more?

Borh sold out though so there was definitely the demand! We did bring your own bottle for both so didn’t have to worry about licenses and stuff!

Home ed classes for KS2 which are a 40 min session (30mins of content) led by a librarian covering literacy concepts such as how to use a dictionary, index, glossary, features of different kinds of texts and advocating for the range of services available in a library. These types of things tend to either be a weekly terms' programme which then repeats two or three times a year, or an endless fortnightly slot - if you do it less than fortnightly for this age group it will get swamped out by people booking in weekly things as there is loads on.

Also a monthly KS3 home ed book club facilitated by a librarian (as they are old enough to be dropped off for 40 mins and don't want their Mum with them). I'd suggest 30mins talking about the set book and a chance to discuss/recommend other books to each other.

This sort of thing could charge ~£3.50 a head, though you might either only get small numbers to begin with or only be able to accommodate small numbers - ideally get people to book and pay in advance or a lot of people will flake!

Do you have anywhere you could project dvds of films based on books and do a monthly film night with refreshment stand? (Possibly licencing costs would be prohibitive though)

Our libraries now have a lot of unmanned hours where you can get access using your library card and a pin. I’m sure that’s saved a lot of money.