Did you know that Gladstone's Library is a member of the Independent Libraries Association?
The Independent Libraries Association is an international group of independent libraries spanning from Langholm to London, which hold unique collections and are arguably some of the finest cultural spaces in the world. The Association was founded in 1989 to further the conservation, restoration and public awareness of a too little known but significant section of our cultural heritage.
Collectively, the ILA member libraries make over 2 million books available, as well as specialised archival collections and a unique personal service to their users. In some locations, Independent Libraries were the first institutions to offer public access to books at a time when no public libraries exist. The challenge now is to maintain awareness and relevance of these extraordinary places!
Gladstone's Library will be attending a joint conference at The East India Club in London with colleagues from the Membership Libraries Group of America 25th – 27th September, discussing important topics such as caring for our collections and raising awareness of our independent libraries. These types of conference are central to supporting independent libraries, and allowing us to adapt and flourish in order to improve our visitor experience. As well as learning from each other’s approaches to the many shared challenges we have, this is a great opportunity to build our networks with colleagues in similar institutions - both in the UK and in the US!
The conference will address a range of topics, from developing, sharing and caring for our collections to raising awareness and engagement, and marketing and communications. Most sessions consist of facilitated round-table discussions with a number of presentations over the three days, but delegates are welcome to come either for the entire conference or for days that interest them specifically.
Click here to view the full programme.
The cost of the conference is £20 per delegate per day.
If you would like to attend, please click here for further details.
Conference delegates are also invited for a drinks reception, including a tour of The London Library, following the session on Wednesday and to attend a speaker event (free of charge) – details on Eventbrite.