“I tweeted yesterday afternoon, and by today it had gathered momentum,” she said, claiming a “mix of bigger and smaller” authors had donated books and money to the library.
Riches explained that she had been in touch with staff at Liverpool Central Libraries, the base from which donations are processed; the team explained that donations would be sent to Spellow Hub after repairs are made.
She added that authors should contact her on Twitter/X or Liverpool Central Library if they want to donate their own books in order to save Spellow Hub “huge amounts of admin time”.
“Libraries are essential to the literary ecosystem, as they provide everyone with the opportunity to read as much as they like, regardless of financial circumstances,” she told the Big Issue.
“They’re places that foster community cohesion – so desperately needed at the moment – as well as sources of food for the mind.
“Growing up as the only child of a single parent on a rough council estate in north Manchester, my local library set me on the path to learning, reading and a love of books, which led me ultimately to Cambridge University and then a successful literary career.
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“This is my chance to give something back to a northern library.”
She added that given the “racism of the rioters” and the targeting of a library that serves a working-class community, “what better antidote to the thuggery and hate than books?”
Merseyside Police added in a statement that the library had suffered “severe damage” to the ground floor, and that rioters had attempted to block firefighters from responding to the damage.
“The Spellow Lane Library Hub, which was opened last year to provide a much-needed one-stop shop for one of the most deprived communities in the country, has suffered severe damage to the ground floor,” the police said in a statement.
“When firefighters arrived those gathered tried to stop them, without success, from getting to the fire to put it out.
“They even threw a missile at the fire engine and broke the rear window of the cab.”
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In a statement on Sunday, Liverpool Central Library wrote: “Following the violent disorder last night at Spellow Hub Library, Liverpool Council will be working hard to support residents and ensure service users have access to library services.”
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