Croydon Central Library
Encyclopedia
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 Clocktower. On Level 0 there is the customer service desk and the level includes a large children's library.
It was the third-most-used in the UK in 2010.
. A local studies library and extensive archives, that are also present in the Museum of Croydon. An enquiry service is available as well as a Tourist Information Centre, one of three in South East London
. The Clocktower Café is situated just outside the library, and is very popular. A large and extensive gay and lesbian collection is available in the library, the largest range in London. Books are available in most of the languages spoken in the borough. There is a large newspaper archive
on the top floor of the library which includes all the major newspapers dating back to the 1990s. Other features include community information, homework help clubs and reading groups.
Public library
A public library is a library that is accessible by the public and is generally funded from public sources and operated by civil servants. There are five fundamental characteristics shared by public libraries...
located inside the Croydon Clocktower
Croydon Clocktower
Croydon Clocktower on Katharine Street in Croydon is an arts centre in London, England. It contains the Museum of Croydon, the Riesco Gallery with a collection of Chinese pottery and ceramics, the David Lean Cinema, the Braithwaite Hall used for concerts and conferences, and a café and bar...
in Croydon
Croydon
Croydon is a town in South London, England, located within the London Borough of Croydon to which it gives its name. It is situated south of Charing Cross...
, south London. It is owned by the London Borough of Croydon
London Borough of Croydon
The London Borough of Croydon is a London borough in South London, England and is part of Outer London. It covers an area of and is the largest London borough by population. It is the southernmost borough of London. At its centre is the historic town of Croydon from which the borough takes its name...
on behalf of Croydon Council. The library is located on four floors inside the Clocktower. On Level 0 there is the customer service desk and the level includes a large children's library.
It was the third-most-used in the UK in 2010.
Collections and services
Croydon Central Library offers a wide range of books, periodicals, CDs, DVDs and videos for reference and loan, the largest range of these in any Croydon Library. It also includes a wide range of free-to-access PCs which includes internet connection. Other features include a Wordwise collection of books for children who suffer from dyslexiaDyslexia
Dyslexia is a very broad term defining a learning disability that impairs a person's fluency or comprehension accuracy in being able to read, and which can manifest itself as a difficulty with phonological awareness, phonological decoding, orthographic coding, auditory short-term memory, or rapid...
. A local studies library and extensive archives, that are also present in the Museum of Croydon. An enquiry service is available as well as a Tourist Information Centre, one of three in South East London
South East (London sub region)
The South East is a sub-region of the London Plan corresponding to the London Boroughs of Bexley, Bromley, Greenwich, Lewisham and Southwark. The sub region was established in 2008. The south east has a population of 1,300,000 and is the location of 500,000 jobs...
. The Clocktower Café is situated just outside the library, and is very popular. A large and extensive gay and lesbian collection is available in the library, the largest range in London. Books are available in most of the languages spoken in the borough. There is a large newspaper archive
Newspaper
A newspaper is a scheduled publication containing news of current events, informative articles, diverse features and advertising. It usually is printed on relatively inexpensive, low-grade paper such as newsprint. By 2007, there were 6580 daily newspapers in the world selling 395 million copies a...
on the top floor of the library which includes all the major newspapers dating back to the 1990s. Other features include community information, homework help clubs and reading groups.