Downham Library first opened its doors in 1937. It is situated in the centre of Downham Housing Estate, Downham (which is in the Borough of Lewisham, south-east London) and caters for residents of all ages. Over the past 64 years there have been many changes to ensure that the most up to date stock and equipment are available. 1991 saw the opening of our Employment Resource Centre which enabled local people to gain new skills to help with their search for employment. In 1997, on the library's 60th birthday, we launched our Youth IT Space which has opened up the world of computers to local school children aged 7-18, including access to the Internet. Free Internet access is also available for adults in the library. Downham Library was also selected as a site for the council's innovative new project TELLYTALK. This is a video conferencing system connecting local people to the Lewisham Council offices in Catford, SE London, without them having to travel there. Local Schools regularly bring classes and it gets quite crowded after school hours with children doing homework or school projects. Staff are always available to help. The library stock was greatly enhanced by funding from Literacy 2000 and local children have been entertained during the school holidays with funding from Downham Pride. Events range from puppet shows and crafts for under 5s to circus skills and magic workshops for older children.

Literacy sessions and a homework club both take place weekly and are well attended. For our older borrowers we have large print books and story tapes are also available. These are also useful for people with visual impairments. The library also has disabled access. Downham has a very active Reminiscence Group who used to meet at the library twice a month.

Back to DownhamYouth Space

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