Celebrating an Anniversary

Hello, I am Celine. As a student of Literature and Arts from Germany, I was delighted to have the chance of diving into the history of Glasgow Women’s Library. It is my pleasure to share with you in a series of twelve blog posts some of the highlights captured in past GWL Newsletters. I hope you enjoy reading about them as much as I did during my placement at this wonderful place and join in the celebration of the Library’s 30^th Anniversary.

When the scent of freshly baked cake is in the air and excitement fills the atmosphere, one cannot help but sense something special awaiting. Turning 30 years old can be daunting at times, but in the case of Glasgow Women’s Library, it equals a remarkable achievement that is truly worth celebrating. Nothing but pride and enthusiasm fill everyone involved in the celebration of 30 years of change-making. 

At Glasgow Women’s Library, this time is seen as an opportunity to take a step back, and have a moment of reflection. When thinking about the past, we are always keeping in mind a future that represents the values and ideals of the Library. A large part of GWL’s mission consists of the work they do in collaboration with women on a daily basis. All the support, both received and given, is deeply valued, and vital, for past and future accomplishments. Along the way, everyone has strived to do justice to the women who have made their contributions to our world, volunteers, staff, learners and supporters alike. That is why remembering them, and honouring their legacy feels so important to everyone who is a part of the Library. With all of that in mind, this seemed to be the perfect time to take a trip to GWL’s archive and delve into the GWL Newsletters. There will hopefully be an opportunity to do some more detailed work on this collection – including involving volunteers in a wider digitisation project later this year and next, if we gain resources to do so. At this stage, I hope to give an impression of what I have found spending time with these quarterly publications, which record much of the Library’s early history.

Over the span of twelve years, beginning in 1996 until 2008, GWL apprised readers with the latest news regarding feminism, the LGBTQI+ community, anti-racist work, and more. Each article raised awareness in its own way with the aim to make the world we live in a better, more inclusive place. Past events and projects hosted by GWL, and other organisations, were listed in every issue. Multiple educational, as well as entertaining, columns and articles, were written by GWL staff members, readers, or guest writers. Each of which, together, has fashioned this unique record of history and culture. These highlights, which were carefully selected, will be discussed in a series of twelve blog posts, one a month for the next year. Through these columns, we will explore the ways our community has shaped our discourse, both past and present, and identify milestones for our world today.

In order to properly celebrate 30 years of Glasgow Women’s Library, one cannot resist looking back to where it all began. On the path of finding out more about the Library, one inevitably stumbles across the art project Women in Profile (WIP). Established in 1987 as a multifaceted women’s arts initiative, it can be seen as the precursor to Glasgow Women’s Library. A detailed blog post from past intern, Ellen Embleton’s, on the occasion of the 25th-anniversary celebration, looks closely at the Women in Profile Project.

Today’s Director, Development, Delivery and Engagement, Adele Patrick, was the cofounder of WIP as well as part of the initiative to create Glasgow Women’s Library. Being a member from the start on, she shared joint responsibility for the beginning of the WIP and the GWL Newsletters. So, in 1991, only a few years after GWL was founded, readers could hold the very first Newsletter with the name and logo of Glasgow Women’s Library printed in black and white on the front cover. Everyone was kindly greeted in the first issue with the following words:

“This is the first mailing to members in newsletter format and from now on, we will be gradually making your mailings more interesting and more useful. From these humble beginnings we have high hopes that the Newsletter could become a really exciting networking tool and a good read!” (Issue 1, Winter 1996, P. 1).

To be able to share the wonderful experience of browsing through the ‘old times’, GWL hopes to secure funding in order to digitize the publication, and offer easy access for everyone. Maybe then, readers today can find a twenty-year-old book review of their own favourite book. For that, watch out for the recurring column ‘Book Reviews’ written by members and readers of the Library. 

Today, you might know the Library resides in the beautiful building on 23 Landressy Street, Bridgeton. However, this was not our first home. After a few years in Garnethill, GWL took up residency at 109 Trongate in Glasgow City Centre, and this was our home during most of the time in which the Newsletters were published. It is from here that the first article of the regular column, ‘Building the Future’ by Sue John, today’s Director of Operations, Resources, and Enterprise, was published in Issue 29 (2004) as we began our search for a new permanent home. In Issue 30 (2004), Sue announced, “we have secured a new building”, which would be the start of a challenging journey. The plan was to move in the space of the former Anderston Library, with a temporary stop at Parnie Street due to refurbishment of our future home. Thus, the back and forth began. With all the books neatly stacked into boxes, GWL moved them from 109 Trongate to Parnie Street, and back again, a couple of times. Refurbishment work, lack of necessary funding, and postponed deadlines stood in the way of residing in their new space. Luckily, all’s well that ends well. In 2013, GWL did move into its permanent home, here in the East End of Glasgow.

During this time of moving, it was difficult for the Library to offer their usual services to visitors. Lending out books, or even browsing through them, was limited at the time. Still, ongoing support in the form of workshops, projects, and events, could continue. As recent times have shown, GWL was again able to find a new innovative way of staying in contact with everyone. Beginning last year, and still lasting until today, a wide range of events and projects are offered for people to access online. This way, the continuing support that is GWL’s constant mission, happened in a different format.  

Now, knowing the Library, the celebration of an anniversary never comes short. For their 21st Birthday, the publication ‘21 Revolutions’ was developed in cooperation with 21 artists and 21 writers. Even before that, the Newsletters had a special issue with lots of renovations on behalf of the 10th Anniversary of the Library. Among many special features, the back cover of said edition is made up of an illustration from former GWL volunteer Cathy McNamara, and perfectly captures life at GWL in 109 Trongate.

Back at 109 Trongate, the space was equipped with a stove that created a cosy, warm atmosphere, especially on those wintery days – as is illustrated here. From time to time, there was even wood listed on GWL’s ‘Wish List’ section in the Newsletter (later becoming the ‘Please give us what we want, what we really really want’- list). When looking closely at the colourful artwork, many things illustrated here can still be observed at GWL today. Stacked bookshelves, cosy surroundings, archive boxes out on the workspace, and friendly faces all around are part of GWL’s daily life. Additionally, a coiling timetable displaying a whirlwind of GWL history captures some of the milestones leading up to the 10^th anniversary, and was featured in this special Issue as well: 

Of course, many other achievements have been made since then. Now is the time to highlight some of them in order to think about the future. It shows that the accomplished work of GWL should never be easily dismissed, as it allows everyone at the Library to continue the work they have been doing for 30 years now.

Spending time learning about GWL’s history, and experiencing life at the Library today, it is still “the most goddamn friendly place you have ever encountered.” These words are borrowed from library member Heather Middleton’s article on the occasion of their 10th anniversary in Issue 19 (2001) and seem suitable to this day. Additionally, there is another small, and more recent version of the Library full of cats in celebration of this Anniversary. So, Happy Birthday to 30 years of Glasgow Women’s Library!