Word Central

Manchester Central Library is celebrating ten years since a major refurbishment, and 90 years since its grand opening by King George V on 17 July 1934. As the ‘jewel in the crown’ of Manchester’s libraries and one of the most loved and iconic venues in the city, Central Library boasts services and facilities that are appreciated by over two million people annually—making it the most visited public library in the country.

Central Library is an inclusive and dynamic space that appeals to families, children, and young people, as well as aspiring entrepreneurs, culture vultures, archivists, students, musicians, along with traditional library visitors. Since reopening in 2014 we’ve had 12.3 million visitors with 1.6 million items borrowed, 2 million free Wi-Fi sessions and 1.3 million free PC sessions. 56,000 people have attended educational sessions, such as the free Digital Drop-ins, Storytimes for under-5s, and school visits, 500,000 people have visited special events and activities and 76,000 volunteering hours undertaken. Our partnership with Read Manchester promotes reading and boosts literacy across the city, engaging communities through a variety of campaigns. We gift brand-new books to foodbanks, community groups and holiday activity providers (120,000 books in 2023) to support literacy and wellbeing. We also engage with national partners to enable school pupils to meet authors, and we devise our own campaigns, including Take 10, which focuses on mental health and the benefits of reading. See Myself in Books offers books, teacher resources and author visits as a free package to schools, reflecting characters, stories, and the cultural diversity of Manchester.

In 2021 the children’s library was transformed into a fantastic new jungle-themed safari—perfect for letting children’s imaginations run wild! Complete with new comfortable seating, it boasts crawl-through spaces for little explorers, wildlife wall art, new book display cases, and even a cosy corner for children and their parents to sit together and read. It has become hugely popular for Storytimes and primary school visits, encouraging children to fall in love with reading at an early age. Our busy cultural programme continues to evolve and expand through author events, concerts, unique performances, family fun days, as well as community and national celebrations such as International Mother Language Day and Festival of Libraries. Our successful partnership with Manchester Literature Festival has produced fantastic author events with Simon Armitage, Zadie Smith and Howard Jacobson, to name just a few. We will be celebrating our 90th birthday by hosting a fantastic Sunday Funday for all the family on 16th June featuring themed craft and activities, live music, and entertainers.

We have had a varied programme of exhibitions, such as There is a Light that Never Goes Out, celebrating Manchester’s rich music heritage through iconic photography, Sex Pistols in Manchester, 50 Years of Rock Photography, Oasis DNA, The Danger Tree, Peterloo Massacre 1819, Manchester Hip Hop Archive, and Bobbins, the hugely popular posthumous celebration of iconic performer Frank Sidebottom (Chris Sievey). One of our current exhibitions—Greater Mancunians, presented by The Manchester College—celebrates people born and bred in Greater Manchester, or those who have made it their home and have in some way shaped the city and its surrounding boroughs, for the greater good. It is very much a celebration of the Mancunian spirit.

Our expanded music library continues to evolve. In addition to borrowing from our vast collection of musical scores and music books, you can consult our world-renowned research collection of manuscripts and early sheet music and use our computers to compose your own. You can also use our collection of instruments (including pianos, guitars, and drums), join one of our popular jamming sessions, and experience intimate live performances. Our archives centre of excellence, Archives+, provides a range of archive and heritage services from one location. Archives+ brings together Manchester Libraries, Information and Archives, Greater Manchester County Record Office, North West Film Archive, Manchester Histories, Manchester Voices, Ahmed Iqbal Ullah Race Relations Centre and Education Trust, and Manchester and Lancashire Family History Society. In recognition of the importance of Central Library and Archives+, we became the Northern Hub for the 1921 census, being only one of three venues in England and Wales able to offer free access to the census.

The Business and Intellectual Property Centre (BIPC) based in Central Library helps local people to start, run and grow their own business. From that first spark of inspiration, to successfully launching and developing a business, the tools, support, and advice are all here via free access to over £5m worth of business and intellectual property databases and publications. There is also one-to-one support, including our Patent and IP Clinics; workshops and networking events; a podcasting studio for small businesses and start-ups; and a 3D printer for prototyping. We encourage and foster creativity and participation for all ages and are continually evolving to reach and engage with new audiences and partners. We look forward to welcoming everyone over the next 90 years.