Statement from Directors
8th May 2025
It is with regret that, after 14 years of operating as a charity, the Family Library is planning to close at the end of the day on Thursday 31st July 2025. This includes all of its services, the Children’s Library, Mobile Bus, Home Delivery Service and Bibliotherapy.
Over a number of years, the costs of running the services have been increasing and the income declining. This has reached a point that the deficit in operational funding is of the order of £100,000 each year and the Directors have decided this is no longer tenable and so have had to come to this very hard decision, particularly in the 100th year anniversary of rural library services starting in the Isle of Man, the precursor to our current mobile services.
We thank all of our users and benefactors over the years for their support and allowing us to facilitate the great experiences and services that we have maintained over the years.
Kurt Roosen, Director
The Friends of the Family Library, a dedicated group of volunteers who support events, fundraising and daily services, have launched a JustGiving campaign to help secure the future of the Isle of Man's much-loved Family Library.
The Friends-led fundraising drive aims to keep services running, initially for the remainder of 2025 and then beyond.
(Please note that the Friends cannot guarantee that the library will remain open.)
6 things you can do
to help us to prevent the closure of the Family Library and all its services:
-
Donate to the Friends of the Family Library JustGiving fundraiser. Please donate anything you can to help us reach our target!
-
Contact your MHK and let them know how valuable our services are to you (view sample letter here).
-
Spread the word: Visit FamilyLibraryIOM on Facebook, follow our page, share our pinned post, and leave a comment on our posts to let everyone know how you feel about our impending closure.
-
Put up a poster! Check out our printable posters: can you help by putting one up in your local shop/business/venue?
-
Sign up for our mailing list to receive updates from the Family Library (see form below)
-
Come and see what we do! Visit the Family Library in Douglas or the Mobile Family Library around the Island and learn more about our vital services.
Write to your MHK
Let them know how important the Family Library is to you!
Please consider contacting your MHK or Douglas City Councillor on our behalf: