Chair of Trustees
The Leeds Library is seeking to recruit a new Chair of Trustees to succeed the current Chair, Martin Staniforth, when he stands down from the Board in June.
This is an exciting time for the Library as we develop and expand the Library to provide new and improved facilities for members and visitors. We are also looking to make the Library more widely known, to increase our membership, and to make our collections more accessible over the coming years. At the same time we are committed to ensuring the financial and environmental sustainability of the Library for the benefit of future generations of readers, writers and booklovers.
Applicants should have strong leadership and interpersonal skills, a good understanding of governance, and experience of chairing meetings gained in either the public, private or charitable sector. Above all the successful candidate will need to be an enthusiastic ambassador for the Library and have the necessary time and commitment to fulfil the duties of Chair and Trustee.
About The Leeds Library
Founded in 1768, The Leeds Library is the oldest cultural institution in the city and has been based in its Grade II listed purpose-built premises in Commercial Street since 1808. The Library became a charity in 2008, enabling us to open our heritage collections and building to a wider membership which has now grown to some 1,200 members.
We have over 130,000 items in our collections and archives including rare first editions and continue to purchase in the order of 1,000 items each year. Our holdings are particularly rich in travel, topography, biography, history, and literature. The majority of our collections have been, and still are, bought at the request of members so they chart the development of the interests of Yorkshire readers over more than 250 years. We have also invested in electronic resources for our members and will continue to do so.
We run a vibrant and varied events programme which helps to raise awareness of our collections and history across the communities of the city, and we work closely with a range of other cultural institutions in doing so. In particular we founded and continue to lead the award-winning Leeds Lit Fest, working in partnership with other cultural organisations to produce an annual week-long festival of events celebrating literature across Leeds.
We have recently purchased the adjoining building (15 Commercial Street) to enable a much-needed expansion of the Library and help to deliver our vision for the Library to be a thriving cultural hub for the city and beyond, providing a home for readers, writers and booklovers and a space for the production and enjoyment of all forms of creative activity. When refurbished, this will see the Library increase its footprint, provide better access for those with disabilities, and create a dedicated learning and events space which will enable us to increase our engagement with the wider community.