A library without late fines and excessive paperwork is set to begin on an Oxford estate.

Volunteers in Rose Hill have formed a community library aimed at uniting the area through reading.

The project is still in its infancy, but donations of books are piling up and £5,000 has been secured from housing developers’ contributions to Oxfordshire County Council.

The facility is initially set to be open twice a week in the Norman Brown Room of the Rose Hill Community Centre in The Oval.

Stephen Richardson, the deacon of Rose Hill Methodist Church, said: “We have a mobile library and it does serve its purpose, but a lot of people are saying that it stays for such a short period of time and it doesn’t suit everyone’s times. This community library would be open at least twice a week and we hope to take it on from there.

“It will be a place for people to look at books, but we also hope to grow community links out of this. We want to serve tea and coffee and make people feel comfortable to hang around and talk to each other.

“There are lots of things we are trying to do and things we are trying to avoid. Libraries can have an officious atmosphere with lots of forms to fill in and fines.

“We don’t want any of that, we want people to engage with reading and feel comfortable.

“We’ve had a very positive response. It’s being driven by the community who are really keen. We’ve got some volunteers on board, although we could always do with more, and people want to see it happen.

“Lots of people are offering books and we are also hoping to have magazines, newspapers and talking books.”

The library is also planning to stock videos, CDs and DVDs, and is hoping to have links with Rose Hill Primary School and other groups in the area.

Mr Richardson added: “It’s a really great project driven by the community. We just want to get it off the ground and then let the community shape it.”

The next meeting of the library’s volunteers will take place in the Norman Brown Room at 10.30am on Friday, February 27. To volunteer or donate, call Mr Richardson on 01865 712880 or Ruth Wilkinson on 01865 452579.

tairs@oxfordmail.co.uk