INCENDIUM RADICAL LIBRARY

Visit Us! OPEN DURING EVENTS.

Incendium Radical Library is a community library, reading room, and publishing press with a focus on radical politics and critical literature.

Incendium Radical Library started because we wanted to challenge the commodification of libraries, whether government, university, or council based. We see a mass production of a certain type of thinking which reproduces the structures of oppression that we live under.

We use the word radical in its original sense—to get to the root of something. We are defined by an affiliation with critical and experience-based perspectives of the world. We see intentional spaces such as this as essential meeting places to develop community. Incendium is for anyone who is interested in critical literature or a comfortable space to read.

The current collection is curated based on our own personal interests and projects, as well as the interests of previous radical libraries that have built the collection over the years, from Barricade bookshop; Loophole, HOP and Hotshots community centres; and the Incendium mobile library. We prioritise materials that center the voices of marginalised communities and individuals, and that document and support social change.

Our online catalogue can be found here! The catalogue is curated by the collective and is updated regularly. To borrow books from the Library you first need to become a member.

Conditions of borrowing

  • A full fare membership to the library is a deposit of $30*

  • A concession membership to the library is a deposit of $20*

  • Free membership for anyone First Nations or seeking asylum

  • New members can borrow one book, and return the book to keep their membership

  • A maximum of two books per person can be on loan at any time

  • Membership can be paused or cancelled at any time

    • The membership deposit will be returned when library member pauses or cancels their membership, if all books have been returned. 

    • To pause or cancel membership, the library member needs to email irlinfoshop@protonmail.com with bank details or to organise for the money to be collected from the library

  • If any books have not been returned, the cost of the unreturned book/s will be deducted from the membership money 

  • If books are returned but are very damaged the money to replace the damaged book will be deducted from the membership money 

  • Please return books to IRL at 144 Sydney Road, Coburg - we have a ‘returns box’ in the back yard of 144 attached to the fence. Enter via the Grove.

*We have a paid membership as many of our books have not been returned

The loan period is three weeks (no sticker)

High demand books can be borrowed for one week (green sticker)

We have some books that cannot be borrowed - these are of high value or out of print and we cannot replace them (red sticker), you are welcome to read these in the library during our opening hours

We can send books outside of Naarm/Melbourne if you pay for return postage, please contact us via email for this.

Book donations

IRL is a curated collection with a focus on critical literature and books that are not commonly available in bookshops and libraries.

We greatly appreciate all donations, however due to limited space and the specific focus of the library we do not accept all books donated. If you would like to donate books please contact us or alternatively you can drop books off by the library during opening times. If dropping off books please leave a contact number so we can contact you to collect any books we do not add to the collection.