Doors Open Day on Saturday was great fun. Over the course of the morning we had about ninety visitors, old and young, men and women.
I had prepared a small exhibition of some of the items from our collections, including an umbrella stand that had been painted by Suffragettes whilst they were imprisoned, anti-Suffragette postcards and second-wave feminist journals, badges and fanzines.
Hannah Frank‘s distinctive black and white prints had recently been donated to the library by her niece, Fiona, and these were on display. A few books and the architectural plans for the conversion of the Anderston section of the Mitchell Library were also available to view.
Most people had never heard of the library or visited before, so it was exhilarating to talk about the purpose of the library, our work and to explain our vision for a new space. Everyone I spoke to was enthusiastic about the history of women in general and asked good questions; some people wanted to know more about voluntary work with the archive, others were interested in our lifelong learning programme, or attending a walking history tour. A couple of people were particularly interested in knitting and one woman walked in with a donation of 1930s and 40s Vogue knitting patterns!
Next year we should be in a position to put on a bigger exhibition and we will open all day – who knows maybe we’ll be welcoming people into our new space in the Mitchell!
A big thank you to all who came along – it was lovely to meet you all. Keep in touch.
