Saturday 8th February 2014 is National Libraries Day – the culmination of a week of events and activities celebrating the vital role played by libraries at community level and beyond. Across the UK, schools, colleges, public libraries and other organisations have been hosting events to promote libraries, and I spent some time at Glasgow Women’s Library during the week, exploring what’s on offer and ‘talking books’ with staff, fellow volunteers and members.
National Libraries Day Book Browse and Swap
On Wednesday, GWL invited readers to drop in for tea, biscuits and discussion about the wide variety of books and materials on its shelves. Books by writers including Harper Lee, Alice Munro, Shappi Khorsandi and Jackie Kay were showcased, and we enjoyed a relaxed chat about some of our own favourite books and writers, and what libraries have meant to us throughout our lives. We were also encouraged to bring along our own pre-loved books to swap for others, which was the perfect opportunity for this inveterate book-hoarder to take along a couple of neglected copies to share with fellow readers. This was a really laid-back way to talk about books and reading, and I’ve come away with some interesting ideas for new reads, offered up a few ideas of my own, and given some of my old books a new lease of life.
Read, Relax, Recharge
‘Read, Relax, Recharge’ was another opportunity to enjoy reading and exploring new writers and genres in an informal and relaxed environment. On Thursday, a group of GWL members came along to the session to hear author and GWL Reader in Residence Magi Gibson read from a selection of texts. This week, Magi was reading from The Joys of Motherhood by Buchi Emecheta (the story of a Nigerian wife whose life and sense of security are turned upside down by the consequences of her brother-in-law’s death), and she also read Beauty and Holding My Beads, two short but wonderfully evocative poems by Grace Nichols. We also heard Magi read her own very powerful poem, The Stolen Smile.
The conversations which followed each reading took in a variety of issues relevant to women in the UK and around the world, including our perceptions of polygamy, inherited familial responsibility and motherhood. As this was also the UN’s International Day of Zero Tolerance against Female Genital Mutilation (FGM), our discussions on the subjects of female identity and physical autonomy felt particularly poignant and significant.
‘Read, Relax, Recharge’ will run on Thursdays at 12.30pm-2.30pm or 5.30pm-7pm from 6th February to 20th March and from 10th April to 29th May, and new members are always welcome. If you would like to find out more about this group, call GWL on 0141 550 2267.
Celebrating Commonwealth Women’s Writing
As Glasgow prepares to host the 2014 Commonwealth Games, we are presented with the perfect opportunity to consider how women writers from across the Commonwealth have contributed to our understanding of a variety of issues, and enhanced our enjoyment of reading within all genres.
On Friday, I attended the first meeting of GWL’s new ‘Celebrating Commonwealth Women’s Writing’ project, hosted and facilitated by Reader in Residence Magi Gibson, to find out more about its proposed activities and objectives. The project aims to build a ‘Commonwealth collection’ of books of all genres by encouraging staff, volunteers and members to research and bring along examples of writing by women from within the Commonwealth which they find enlightening and powerful. As the project develops over the coming months, participants will be invited to help shape the direction it takes and, by the end of 2014, a dedicated shelf of books and materials by Commonwealth women writers will be launched so that all visitors and members can explore and appreciate the diversity of women’s literature from around the Commonwealth more easily.
The ‘Celebrating Commonwealth Women’s Writing’ project meetings are run on a ‘come when you can’ basis. Meetings will run on Fridays at 2pm-3.30pm from 7th February to 21st March and from 11th April to 30th May – call GWL on 0141 550 2267 to get involved.
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I’ve had a really inspiring week, sharing and collecting ideas about books, reading and libraries with women from a range of backgrounds and disciplines. I’ve met librarians, readers and writers who are passionate about the written word, and who understand the key role that libraries play not only in the promotion of books and reading, but in providing support for literacy and numeracy, computing skills, equality of access and opportunity for women and development within the community. National Libraries Day invites us all to reflect on what our libraries do for us, what we can do for them, and why it is vitally important that we preserve them as an essential service.
Glasgow Women’s Library offers opportunities for reading, writing and discussion in relaxed and non-judgemental settings throughout the year. Find out about upcoming events and workshops here.
Rebecca Jones
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