People from Ethnic Backgrounds

Islington is a multi-racial community and this is reflected by the stock in our libraries.

All libraries have a selection of materials in a wide range of community languages, including:

• Books
• Newspapers and magazines
• Spoken word cassettes
• Music
• DVDs
  
  

There are special collections at some of our libraries for particular communities:

• Polish/Russian at Archway
• Turkish at Mildmay
• Vietnamese and Bengali at West
  
  

There are also materials in other community languages (e.g. Chinese, Urdu, Gujerati, Arabic and other European languages). For a list of the languages we stock, and which libraries they are in, please click on the link under Downloadable Documents below.

Our Directory of Local Services and the Refugee Services Directory have details of local organisations and groups that are run by and for the different Islington communities. Just click on the live links or the links under Useful Websites to the right.

Information leaflets produced by council services and other local and national organisations are available in all libraries.  We can also refer you to local groups, facilities and services. 

Translations are provided for most of the leaflets, posters and forms produced by the Library and Information Service. Interpreting, if required, can be arranged for most of the community languages.

The Library Service also works closely with local community organisations. Collections of books, DVDs and music CDs are taken to homes and centres by the Home Library Service, particularly those for older and disabled people. Multicultural events are organised, some in conjunction with local groups.

If you have any comments or suggestions to make on the service we provide, please contact your local library, or:

Rosemary Doyle, Head of Islington Library and Heritage Services:
Email: hlcs@islington.gov.uk
Tel: 020 7527 6905