Glasgow Women's Library is a public library

Public library

A public library is a library that is accessible by the public and is generally funded from public sources and operated by civil servants. There are five fundamental characteristics shared by public libraries...

, registered company and charity based at 15 Berkeley Street, Glasgow

Glasgow

Glasgow is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the United Kingdom. The city is situated on the River Clyde in the country's west central lowlands...

, Scotland

Scotland

Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...

. Glasgow Women's Library is a provider of information by and about women.

Its key aims are:

• To provide an information resource, run on feminist principles, relevant to all areas of women's lives, history, culture and achievements for use by women and groups from all areas of the community.
• To provide and promote lifelong learning, training, education, skill-sharing, volunteering, and employment opportunities for women.

As well as providing adult learning opportunities, Glasgow Women's Library is a resource for research, which is being improved with the 'Putting Women on the Map' Project, which aims to scope the breadth and depth of information/collections relating to women's lives, history and culture across Scotland. The result of this will be a virtual map of information and materials on women: in academic collections, libraries, museums, archives, community resources and those held by individual women

History

The Women's Library was established in 1991. It evolved from the 'Women in Profile' project, whose aim was to ensure the visibility of women in the programming of Glasgow, European City of Culture year. The library now employs five members of staff, including Adele Patrick (one of the founders), the Lifelong Learning Coordinator, and Sue John, Strategic Development Manager. Glasgow Women's Library also works with sessional workers for the classes it runs, as well as more than twenty volunteers.
After 16 years of gathering materials and delivering services to women, Glasgow Women's Library is now working towards its 2009 relocation to the Mitchell Library in Glasgow's West End. When funding is secured, work will begin on the purpose built space which will include archive and exhibition spaces. In 2009, Glasgow Women's Library will re-open its doors to the public, ready to embrace its new community and continue to provide services for its existing users.

Timeline

Some significant landmarks in the Library's history include:

• 1991 - Library's first base on Hill Street, Garnethill, Glasgow opens. No paid staff.
• 1993 - Library launches its first publication, Women, HIV/AIDS: a bibliography, edited by Rosie Ilett (shortlisted for a Library Association award in 1994).
• 1994 - Due to increase in collection and users, the Library relocatesd to large, city-centre premises at 109 Trongate (4th and 5th floors).Incorporates as a Company.Begins volunteer training programme.
• 1995 - First funding for a Library wage (a part-time salary shared by three workers!). The London-based Lesbian Archive and Information Centre (LAIC) relocates to the GWL's 5th floor. The Library celebrates its 500th member.
• 1996 - Monthly free lawyer's surgeries begin. First GWL banner and first monthly GWL Newsletter.
• 1997 - GWL honoured at a Glasgow City Council Civic Reception for GWL's the Women at Work database.
• 1998 - 1000th GWL member.
• 1999 - Comic Relief
  Comic Relief
  Comic Relief is an operating British charity, founded in 1985 by the comedy scriptwriter Richard Curtis and comedian Lenny Henry in response to famine in Ethiopia. The highlight of Comic Relief's appeal is Red Nose Day, a biennial telethon held in March, alternating with sister project Sport Relief...
  
   fund the GWL LIPS project, two workers employed. GWL embarks on research and publishes a report for Glasgow City Council on 'Poverty and Social Exclusion of Lesbians and Gay Men.'
• 2000 - GWL awarded charitable status.
• 2001 - A motion in the new Scottish Parliament congratulates GWL on its work.
• 2002 - Glasgow City Council funds a Lifelong Learning Co-ordinator post at GWL.
• 2003 - Glasgow Community Learning Strategy Partnership funsd an Adult Literacy and Numeracy Development Worker post at GWL. GWL acquires a third floor (1st floor at 109 Trongate). A cohort of sessional tutors are trained and employed and two staff join the team to provide outreach support to lesbians over 25. GWL establishes a Women's Community Garden.
• 2004 - Scottish Arts Council
  Scottish Arts Council
  The Scottish Arts Council is a Scottish public body that distributes funding from the Scottish Government, and is the leading national organisation for the funding, development and promotion of the arts in Scotland...
  
   fund GWL's first Writer in Residence.
• 2005 - Learning Connections funding allows ALN Learners to publish a book of their writing, launched in May 2005. Offer of new location within the Mitchell Library
  Mitchell Library
  The Mitchell Library is a large public library and centre of the public library system of Glasgow, Scotland.-History:The library was established with a bequest from Stephen Mitchell, a wealthy tobacco manufacturer, whose company, Stephen Mitchell & Son, would become one of the constituent members...
  
  . Website re-launched. The Library's first Librarian, Wendy Kirk, is appointed. First large scale documentation project launched supported by Scottish Community Fund and Awards for All
• 2006 - GWL moves to temporary premises at 81 Parnie Street and continues to provide its essential services and projects, although its vast collection is in storage awaiting the Mitchell Library relocation
• 2009 - the library's first Archivist, Hannah Little (funded by HLF) is appointed
• 2010 - GWL moves to Mitchell Library at 15 Berkeley Street

Services

Glasgow Women's Library provides many clubs and services and dedicated projects for its users, including:

• A Lifelong Learning Programme, with a range of events, courses and workshops.
• An Adult Literacy and Numeracy Project - support with reading, writing and numbers.
• A Black and Minority Ethnic Women’s Project, providing learning opportunities in a safe environment.
• A large collection of materials comprising a lending library, archives, historical and contemporary artefacts relating to women’s lives, history and achievements.

Glasgow Women's Library provides guided walks around Glasgow through the Women Make History project; a full lifelong learning programme, with courses, events, book group, and more; an adult literacy and numeracy project, help with reading writing and numbers; a Black and Minority Ethnic project, working with BME women in Glasgow; and a public art fund project.

The library is involved in Scotland's Virtual reference

Virtual reference

Virtual reference is the remote, computer-mediated delivery of reference information provided by library professionals to users who cannot access or do not want face-to-face communication. Virtual reference service is most often an extension of a library's existing reference service program...

 scheme, Ask Scotland

Ask Scotland

Ask Scotland is a Virtual reference service run by Scottish libraries which allows users to contact a librarian directly using one of several online methods of communication regarding a query...

, where users can 'Ask an Expert' online. Reference questions posed via the Ask Scotland website can be referred to a member of staff at the Glasgow Women's Library. This service has been available since 2011.

External links

• Glasgow Women's Library Glasgow Womens Library Homepage
• http://askscotland.org.uk/about.html Ask Scotland website