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How a Birmingham community saved their library and became a part of a city-wide movement

When Birmingham City Council announced significant cuts to Birmingham’s library services in early 2024, communities across the city were dismayed. Initial plans included the proposed closure of 25 of the city’s libraries, which would have been devastating to the many people who visit their libraries every week.

One of those at risk of closure was Hall Green Library, which has been serving the local community for decades. Resident Rukhsana Malik was one of many people frustrated by the proposed cuts, and within weeks she and others began campaigning to encourage the council to reconsider. After many months of petitions and awareness-raising activities and interviews, the Save Hall Green Library campaign – which the RLF is proud to have supported – eventually led Birmingham City Council to agree to keep Hall Green Library open.

The fight didn’t stop there, however, as despite the council committing to keep Hall Green Library open four days a week in a February 2025 decision, the library is still at risk of losing its regular Saturday opening. Here, Malik reflects on a year of campaigning, the enduring power of libraries, and why being open on a Saturday is so important for community access.

Rukhsana Malik (second from left) and other Save Hall Green Library campaigners

What Hall Green Library Means to Our Community 

Hall Green Library is the heart of our community — a safe and welcoming space where children learn, read, and grow. With three schools and a college nearby, it provides vital access to books, computers, and the internet for families who may not have these resources at home. 

Libraries like ours level the playing field. Research from the National Literacy Trust shows that children who use libraries are twice as likely to be above-average readers. For many local young people, this library is their gateway to learning, confidence, and opportunity. 

Hall Green Library isn’t just a building — it’s a lifeline for education, inclusion, and community spirit. 

How did the Save Hall Green Library campaign come about? 

The Save Hall Green Library campaign began as a grassroots response to Birmingham City Council’s plans to cut services and reduce opening hours. What started as a community concern quickly grew into a citywide movement. Volunteers distributed over a thousand leaflets, held public meetings, and organised events like children’s “read-ins” and peaceful demonstrations outside the library. 

Support poured in from across Birmingham — historian Professor Carl Chinn, local artist Graham Jones, and Councillor Timothy Huxtable joined residents to highlight the library’s cultural and educational importance. Despite the absence of our ward councillors, the community stood united. 

Through petitions, workshops, and media engagement, residents made their voices impossible to ignore. Thanks to that collective effort, the council was forced to rethink its plans — a real victory for people power in Hall Green. 

Students from St Ambrose Barlow Primary School were part of the Save Hall Green Library campaign

Who was involved in the Save Hall Green Library campaign? 

The Save Hall Green Library campaign brought together people from every part of the community — parents, teachers, and local residents united to protect a vital community space. Historian Professor Carl Chinn MBE DL and local artist Graham Jones, creator of the library’s iconic Dragon Bench, stood alongside campaigners to defend its future. 

Support also came from Cllr Timothy Huxtable, who consistently engaged with residents and supported the campaign from the outset. Dedicated volunteers such as Harriet O’Hara played a huge role in community outreach, helping to organise events and petitions. Local schools, especially St Ambrose Barlow Primary School, showed inspiring involvement — with pupils writing heartfelt letters about why their library matters. 

Together, these individuals and groups showed what true community spirit looks like — proving that when a neighbourhood stands together, it can make real change. Campaigners across Birmingham — and especially in Hall Green — have shown incredible creativity and collaboration to raise awareness about saving their libraries. 

Volunteers have organised public read-ins, peaceful demonstrations, and community meetings to keep the issue visible and engage residents. Thousands of leaflets and posters have been distributed across neighbourhoods — with local printing companies generously producing materials free of charge, and business owners proudly displaying posters in their shop windows. 

The campaign has also gained strong support from the literary community. Book publishers and booksellers have donated books for children and schools to promote reading and remind people what libraries stand for. One such business, 2-Can Books, a local Birmingham company, has been especially generous — donating hundreds of free books to families, schools, and community groups as part of the campaign. 

Together with initiatives like petitions, consultation responses, and collaboration with the Birmingham Loves Libraries campaign, these actions have turned the movement into a citywide celebration of community pride, education, and access for all. 

Here are some of the ways campaigners in Birmingham — including those involved with the Birmingham Loves Libraries movement — have worked to raise awareness and build support for saving libraries like Hall Green Library: 

• Organising and promoting petitions to oppose the closures. 

• Producing and distributing leaflets, flyers, and posters to inform residents and mobilise community support. 

• Commissioning and distributing a “protest zine” — the Brum Library Zine — featuring poems, micro-plays, and essays from writers across Birmingham, celebrating libraries and resisting cuts. 

• Writing to councillors, MPs, and decision-makers, demanding transparency and challenging the consultation process. 

• Holding rallies, demonstrations, and public read-ins outside libraries and at city-wide events to keep the issue visible. 

• Creating workshops, reading groups, and partnerships with schools and arts organisations to show that libraries are vibrant community spaces, not just book-lending venues. 

• Children from St Ambrose Barlow Primary School attended a Birmingham City Council Cabinet meeting to ask questions directly — giving decision-makers a powerful reminder of how much libraries mean to young people. 

• An art and letter-writing competition invited children to share what their library means to them. Their drawings, messages, and heartfelt words were hand-delivered to the Council House, ensuring that councillors saw the human impact of their decisions first-hand. 

These efforts reflect the strength, creativity, and determination of Birmingham’s communities — proving that the fight to save our libraries is not just about buildings, but about people, stories, and the right to knowledge and belonging.  The future of the Save Hall Green Library campaign is focused on keeping the momentum strong. 

Our immediate success is clear — Hall Green Library has been selected for refurbishment as part of Birmingham City Council’s plan to improve ten community libraries across the city. It will also remain open four days a week for the foreseeable future, a huge step forward from the original threat of closure. 

But our work doesn’t stop here. We have learned how quickly decisions can change, and how easily vital community services can come under threat. Now is the time to stay alert, stay organised, and hold the council accountable to its promises. 

Local children were a key part in the Save Hall Green Library campaign

The next stage of our campaign is about ensuring the refurbishment genuinely improves access and services, that opening hours meet community needs — especially on Saturdays — and that our library is never put in jeopardy again. 

We’ve proven that when the community stands together, we can protect what matters. Now, we’ll keep building that strength to secure the future of Hall Green Library for generations to come.  

The Save Our Saturdays Writing Competition is currently running and open to everyone, of any age and from any background. Writers can submit a short story, poem, or reflection of up to 500 words in any genre, exploring what libraries mean to them and why we must protect them for future generations. The competition closes on 31 December. I’ve written a story myself to help inspire others to take part — because every voice matters, and every story helps remind the council just how much our libraries mean to us. 

Earlier in the campaign, we also held an art competition in which children created drawings and paintings of their favourite library memories. The entries were so full of heart that we hand-delivered them to the Birmingham Council House, ensuring councillors could see for themselves how much local libraries mean to our community. 

Through both art and writing, we’re keeping the message alive: our libraries are the heart of our neighbourhoods, and we won’t stop fighting for them. 

The RLF is pleased to support Hall Green Library and all local libraries across the country. Keep an eye out for our Collected: Live panel events in libraries and community spaces in the North of England, with dates to be announced in 2026.

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