Book Collection & Loans

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FUN FACTS!

The UK’s public library movement began with the Public Libraries Act 1850, and one of the first rate‑supported public libraries to open under this reform was Manchester’s Campfield Library in 1852
UK heritage institutions hold significant Windrush‑related materials—including letters, newspapers, oral histories, and community keepsakes—across multiple collections. Examples include the British Library’s extensive archives and catalogues, the Ahmed Iqbal Ullah RACE Centre lists and collections, and education packs at The National Archives.
Author Malorie Blackman served as UK Children’s Laureate from 2013 to 2015; her Noughts & Crosses series is widely taught at the secondary level and remains highly influential in UK young adult literature.
Founded in 1966, New Beacon Books is recognised as the UK’s first Black publisher and specialist Black bookshop, a community knowledge hub that has long served as a cultural and educational hub. In Brixton, the Black Cultural Archives is the UK’s national heritage centre dedicated to collecting, preserving, and sharing the histories of people of African and Caribbean descent, with exhibitions, a reading room, and community programmes.

BOOK COLLECTION (Launches Summer 2026)

Explore Our Growing Library

The Benjamin Zephaniah Library specialises in Black British art, poetry, and African diaspora heritage. Our carefully curated collection includes contemporary works, historical texts, and hard-to-find grassroots publications.

Browse by Category:

Visual arts books on Black British painters, sculptors, photographers, mixed-media artists, and art movements.

Poetry & Literature Collections by Black British poets, from Benjamin Zephaniah to many more contemporary voices.

Cultural Heritage: African, Caribbean, and Afro-Latino history, traditions, and contemporary culture.

Art History & Theory Academic texts exploring Black artistic practice, aesthetics, and representation.

Exhibition Catalogues: Documentation of important exhibitions featuring Black British and diaspora artists.

Grassroots Publications Self-published works, zines, and small press books celebrating Black creativity.

Children's Books: Books for young people that centre Black British experiences and celebrate diversity.

Request a Book: Looking for something specific? Let us know what you'd like to see in our collection.

Borrow Books: Schools, community groups, and members can borrow from our collection.