In 2024 Farsley Library celebrated the 60th anniversary of its opening. Previously located in the Old Council Offices at the other end of Farsley Town Street, a purpose-built library was opened by Councillor Mrs Fuller Smith on Tuesday 23rd June 1964. The local newspaper ran the headline ‘Too Much Filth, Say Openers of Farsley Library’ as Councillor Fuller Smith complained ‘there is a lot of filth in modern books.’ The article does go on to note more favourable opinions about the modern layout, strip lit shelving and comfortable lounge areas.
The anniversary was a prompt to celebrate this much-loved library and collect memories and best wishes from our customers. Here is just a taster of some of the stories that were shared:
My sister and I made all our books at home into a library and played at being readers and librarians- in the late 1960s. The one thing we didn’t have was a stamp to issue the books with. My sister was very keen to get one for Christmas, but we couldn’t find one to buy anywhere. So, when the library got a new one, Mrs Mitchell and the other librarian gave Rachel the old one- we still have it!
Thank you for always being so welcoming to parents and little ones. You’ve saved me on many a tiring day and given us a real sense of care and community.
I have happy memories of going to the story time after school in the 60s and choosing a book as my mother chose hers. The silence was deafening! It gave me my love of reading and writing stories. Libraries are extremely important for our communities. Long may they remain!
We celebrated the anniversary in style on 15th November, with music supplied by Farsley Farfield Primary School’s samba band and recorder group. Much to the audience’s delight, the recorder group performed an array of familiar tunes from the 1960s. Around 50 people attended the celebration with staff past and present, long-standing customers and some of our youngest borrowers. We also heard from Ali Mitchell and Julie Palfreeman from Farsley Library Writers Group who had written pieces celebrating the library.
The celebration also saw the launch of a collaborative community art project. Over subsequent weeks photographs of the Faces of Farsley Library were collected. On January 13th, a portrait workshop was held, delivered by Boris Cruse. Attendees enjoyed mark making exercises, emboldening them to be free and expressive with shape and textures. Later, having been instructed on the more technical details of proportion, each created a portrait representing a Face of Farsley Library. In celebration of the 60-year anniversary, these works have been combined and printed onto a banner to display outside the building.
Happy Birthday Farsley Library!