RUSHDEN ECHO June 7 1968

HIGHAM’S NEW LIBRARY OPENS

The parish rooms in Higham Ferrers were yesterday due to be used for the first time as a newly converted library, which, for four and a half days a week, will serve adults and children in the area.

The library will be the headquarters of the County Library Service for the eastern part of Northamptonshire and as a result readers living in the Higham Ferrers area will have access, perhaps, to better facilities than might have been available in a normal branch library.

The building houses a large adult lending library supported by a separate children’s library area, while a reference study provides adequate opportunity for quiet meditation.

10,000 books

A total of some ten thousand books offering comprehensive coverage of most subjects and with many fiction works will be available.

The building itself was purchased by the county council early this year and has since been provided with a modern gas central heating system and has been redecorated throughout.

Minor internal structural alterations have also been made.

The library will be open Tuesday to Thursday from 9.30am to 7pm, on Friday until 5pm and for the morning on Saturday, closing at 12.30pm.

RUSHDEN ECHO June 7 1968: Notebook! By Mister Cobbler

Higham Library – and not before time!

Higham Ferrers can now boast a library – and about time. The people of Higham have been paying long enough towards the Northamptonshire County Library Scheme and it is time they started to show a return for their money.

It is true the town had a library “of sorts” before yesterday’s opening of the new library in Midland Road, but it was hardly adequate.

It was only open three days a week for a total of just over nine hours and for this the council (ratepayers) was paying the full whack on the county rate.

Unlike Rushden – the town operates its own library service – Higham was included in the County Library and paid an additional sum on the rates each year for its service.

The current library rate, for instance, is 4d, which on the present product of 1d rate works out at £2,600 a year.

Now the town will be getting real value for its money as a good library is an invaluable asset to any community.

It will be open four days a week from 9.30am to 7pm and on Saturday mornings from 9.30 to 12.30pm.

There will be more books to chose from. In fact, adults will have something like 7,000 books to browse through. Another addition is a reference and study room.

Over the last couple of years there have been about 30,000 books a year issued from the Higham Library. Now the new hours and service are in operation I am sure there will be a marked increase this year.