Mildmay Library set for a refresh to make it more ‘welcoming’

Artist’s impression of Mildmay Library. Image: Public Works Group / Islington Council

A library could turn over a new page in its history with plans to make it look more welcoming and make space for community activities.

Islington Council asked residents for their views about a facelift for Mildmay Library last year.

It told them: “We want to make improvements to the library and also create spaces where new activities and services can be run for people of all ages. This will include activities to support health and wellbeing, learning, children and youth activities and services that help local people with challenges they face.”

The library is also home to workshops run by Music Education Islington.

The council has just submitted a planning application for the refurbishment.

A design and access report by architects Public Works Group said the building needs a new look.

The report said: “The tiles that give the building its unique appearance are dirty and need cleaning. Yellow metal shutters on the windows and doors make the library appear closed and the sheltered portico area invites some anti-social activity out of hours.”

It said the amount of street furniture outside the library in Mildmay Park creates a barrier “that does not feel welcoming”.

The yellow shutters were put in to prevent computer theft when the current building opened in 1987 as Islington’s first fully computerised library.

The shutters will go in as part of the new plan, and the white tiling will be cleaned.

The plans include a new entrance with sliding doors, ground-floor toilets and changes to the children’s library, which the report said was “well used but too large”.

It proposes making it self-contained and reducing the size from 145sqm to 60sqm following feedback from residents.

The council plans to make it more child friendly with new reading “nooks”, bright colours, and soft furnishings.

There will also be a community area with a separate entrance so it can be used after library opening hours.

The main library will have new study areas and there will be more places to read and work in a new conservatory which will replace the current one, which can “suffer from overheating”.

The council plans to create an outside seating area with a garden, which could be used by volunteers and screen the bin stores with more planters.

It also wants to put up a pillar with the library’s name outside the building to make it more welcoming from the street.