IN DEPTH ‘‘ John Vincent.
Good libraries are welcoming, and we know that libraries offer a place of safety, refuge and escape for all sorts of people and have been doing so for a very long time.
Libraries of Sanctuary
John Vincent, Co-ordinator of the Network and author of Libraries and Sanctuary, looks at the Library of Sanctuary movement and the impact they have had on people’s lives.
“Libraries of Sanctuary is a network of librar-
ians, library staff, community groups and book lovers who are raising awareness of the issues facing people in the asylum system, offering support and participation opportunities, and contributing to a culture of welcome in the wider community.” (City of Sanctuary, 2026c)
NOWADAYS, public libraries offer sanctuary to all sorts of people: here, we are going to concentrate on people who have come to the UK as new arrivals (including, for example people seeking sanctuary; migrant workers; overseas students), but I will touch on some others later in the article.
Where did Libraries of Sanctuary come from? The City of Sanctuary movement in the UK started in Sheffield in 2005:
“City of Sanctuary is building a movement of wel- come for people seeking sanctuary across the UK – city by city, community by community, sector by sector. Enabling everyone to have a part to play in building a more welcoming, inclusive and compas- sionate society.” (City of Sanctuary, 2026b, p. 1)
The overriding aim of this work is that: “The UK will be a place of welcome for all – and committed to justice and solidarity for people seek- ing sanctuary” (City of Sanctuary, 2026b, p. 2) As Tiffy Allen1
wrote in her book about the devel-
opment of the Sanctuary movement in the UK: “‘Sanctuary’ is more a verb than a noun. It’s a stream of activities that help shape our society into the kind of welcoming and open place we want to live in.” (Allen, 2019)
20 INFORMATION PROFESSIONAL
In September 2007, Sheffield became the first City of Sanctuary. As well as working with and involv- ing local community groups, the City of Sanctuary network focuses on an increasing number of sectors, such as Universities and Schools… and also Libraries. The UK’s first Library of Sanctuary was Thimblemill Library in Sandwell, West Midlands, which was accredited in 2017, and there are, at the time of writing, some 32 Libraries of Sanctuary (some indi- vidual libraries, mostly library services). Although there is parallel work going on in the US, the two movements are not related.
Becoming a library of sanctuary Once an individual library (or a whole library ser- vice) decides that it would like to apply to become a Library of Sanctuary, they should make contact – and work alongside – a local Sanctuary group (or national officer if there is not a local group). A library starts by making a public commitment to becoming a Library of Sanctuary, endorsing the City of Sanctuary charter (City of Sanctuary, 2026b), and agreeing to its values and principles with a commit- ment to embed these as appropriate within their own context.
They then start working on a plan; once this has been drafted, then the library submits an applica- tion. The plan is built around three core processes which are also shaped by local needs and demands.
l Learn: find out what it means to be seeking sanc- tuary; and be actively involved in awareness-raising
l Embed: take positive action to make welcome and inclusion part of the values of the library, to support people seeking sanctuary and other new arrivals, and to include them in activities
April-May 2026
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