Ottery St Mary resident Josefina Gori writes for the Herald.

The story of how Ottery acquired a library has always fascinated me. To summarize, it came about as a result of a sequence of coincidences and timely decisions.

In 2016, the then Mayor of Ottery, Glyn Dobson, found himself in a situation where he had to act quickly to address a number of issues. The old library had limited access for disabled individuals, the public toilets were becoming run-down and required replacement, and the Tourist Information Centre needed to move as the contract for the previous premises had not been renewed. Around the same time, the Old NatWest Bank building on Silver Street became available. Glyn Dobson recognised the opportunity to use this building to house the library, Information Centre, and new public toilets. He worked with his then Deputy Mayor and Chairman of Planning, Ian Holmes, who placed a successful bid of £139,500 on behalf of the Council for the bank premises at an auction. This resolved the issues and additionally provided the Heritage Society with a permanent home for their Heritage Museum.

A superb history of the library, initiated and co-ordinated by Marjorie Stockley and written and researched by Martin Stockley with the help of Denise Melhuish, has been put together in their new book “Once Upon a Time – Backalong. The book launch will take place in the Library right after the AGM of the Library Friends on Monday, May 13th at 7pm.

As the AGM invitation says, the book will guide you through the history of books, starting from the fourteenth-century when books were chained to the shelves, to subscription, circulation, legislation, moral outrage about excessive novel-reading, and even the pursuit of a home around town. It covers a span of 700 years, during which books went from being primarily associated with the Church to finding a safe haven in Silver Street through charity.

I am tempted to provide additional details about the book, but I believe you deserve to have the pleasure of discovering the journey by yourself, just as I did. I assure you that you will not be disappointed. Marjorie, Martin and Denise have done an excellent job of presenting something unique, while also teaching us the history behind our current library and the development of previous libraries in our town.

Furthermore, if you purchase the book for just five pounds, you will be contributing once again to the sustainability of our precious local library and creating an account for future endeavours. The efforts made by the Friends of the Library who already in 2015 vigorously campaigned for the retention of a public library in town with the support of the Council, the Chamber of Commerce and the schools are indescribable. It is safe to say that without their assistance in funding for equipping the library when required, the library would not be the model of efficiency it is known for today.

I had the pleasure of being a part of the Friends group as the Council's representative for the then FOOL (Friends of Ottery Library). I was, as a councillor, involved in the project that brought a new library, toilets, information office and a museum to this town. I can assure you that the drive and enthusiasm of its members is outstanding. However, it's important to remember that both the Library and the Friends are always looking for volunteers to ensure that they can continue to provide the same excellent service.

Would you like to learn more about Ottery's library and its fundraising activities? Then why not attend their Annual General Meeting? During the meeting, you'll hear from Libraries Unlimited, the Committee, and Kerry - our wonderful librarian - about their recent initiatives and ideas. At the beginning of the book, a quote by Albert Einstein reminds us how fortunate we are to have a library in Ottery: "The only thing you absolutely have to know is the location of the library.”