I’m Katie, Production Coordinator covering maternity leave for one of my fantastic colleagues Laura Dolan. I first started work here in 2015 as Admin Assistant for Lifelong Learning. I support the events programme at the library. On any day we could have anything from our Herland showstopper accessible salon events, to workshops, film screenings, talks by writers, exhibitions that explore women’s history and creativity, book launches, and more.
I can easily remember the excitement of my first day working at the library and being given a beautiful GWL button badge with my name Katie (not my official name ‘Katharine’). Immediately I was welcomed into this place as me. That is true for staff, volunteers, and visitors. The power that comes from GWL’s effervescent ethos in valuing all women supports me and others to feel ready to try things outside our comfort zone, to explore new ideas, and to learn each and every day.
For me, this means challenging myself as we are more ambitious with our events and uses of the spaces in our gorgeous home in Bridgeton, getting more confident with tech, and uncovering a love and respect for writers and artists I hadn’t heard of before.
I first read Ajay Close’s ‘A Petrol Scented Spring’ when our librarian Wendy Kirk programmed a Story Café Special and later an incredible In Conversation with our own Donna Moore here at the library last Spring. I was captivated, shocked and moved by the detail that Ajay incorporated into her novel that centred around a woman reflecting on her own past and her husband’s relationship with a patient – that patient was a hunger-striking suffragette in Perth Prison. I won’t tell you more because you might not have had a chance to borrow the book from the library yet (it’s been read by so many since last year).
I absolutely love the way that events, learning opportunities, and the library collections all interact. It gives a chance to make connections between different subjects and interests and keeps the items and the voices of all the incredible women they represent echoing around the library every day.
