THE LIBRARY        

Open whenever the Centre is open.
See Sumac Diary for event details..
(Other times by arrangement. Phone 0845 458 9596 to confirm.)


Our library offers a rich source of information covering a wide variety of subjects, e.g:

  • Social Justice and Co-operative working
  • Environmental protection and campaigning
  • Human and Animal Rights
  • World Issues
  • Peace Issues
  • and more...

Pending the redevelopment of additional workshop space, the library facilities are currently quite restricted, with many materials in storage. If you are interested in helping with developing the resource, please get in touch

Whether you are involved in campaigning, project work, finding out facts and figures or simply curious, we stock information in many forms, from in-depth analysis to children's books and videos:

  • Books — covering a wide variety of subjects are available to read in the Centre, and may often be bought for the cost of replacement.
  • DVDs/Videos — we have an extensive collection of documentaries, feature-films, cartoons etc. They are available for groups to borrow for their own events or for personal interest.
  • Leaflets — we hold a large stock of information & campaign leaflets - ideal for giving to people who want easily accessible information to take away.
  • Journals — we receive a large number of publications. About 160 of them are listed here together with links to their sites. Past issues are archived, going way back to the 1980s.
  • Press Cuttings — To keep up to date with the world around us we used to monitor the press and extract relevant items. We now provide internet access for this kind of research, through resources such as Indymedia and SchNEWS, and host presentations by visiting activists from overseas.
  • Your contributions are welcomed — You may have books which you could loan or donate to the Library. You could support your favourite organisation or journal by funding a subscription on our behalf. You could keep a spare disk handy by your dvd player to record programs relevant to our work. For a wish-list of resources that we would like to make available through the library see Reading and Research list from the Urban 75 Website.

In addition, the Centre compiles exhibition materials available for loan to anyone with a suitable venue, and for display at green gathethings during the summer season . We also assist people who wish to compile their own.

We may also be able to provide speakers on a wide range of topics for schools, youth clubs etc. If our volunteers cannot cover the subject, we can probably put you in touch with someone who can.

It's not just information that's available at the centre though; we also provide various other resources to help you put the information to work.

The Sumac Centre is very much a hand-on, 'do-it-yourself' facilty. All these facilities are subject to the availability of volunteers, on whom we depend to keep thing organised — so get involved.