Due to unforeseen circumstances, the Independent Library Association’s planned in-person Annual Conference and AGM did not take place at the Linen Hall Library in Belfast. Instead, the conference took place online on Friday 2nd June 2023 and had positivity and success as its themes.
The keynote talk was by Samantha McCombe, the Librarian of the Linen Hall Library (image below) which was founded as the Belfast Reading Society in 1788. It is currently housed in a former linen warehouse from the Victorian era. Not only is it the oldest library in the city, but it is also the only remaining subscription library in Ireland. Samantha writes “Founding members established the society on radical and Enlightenment ideals. Over more than 200 years, the Library has retained its independence, maintaining the principle that its resources are owned by the community for the community.” The Linen Hall’s collection supports a public engagement programme, with exhibitions, talks, performances, and digitisation all playing a part in communicating the collections to their local and international communities.
Following the AGM, further talks took place in the afternoon with Darren Bevin from the Plymouth Proprietary Library (PPL) discussing his first year as Library Manager. The PPL moved into new premises in St Barnabas Terrace in Plymouth in 2018. No sooner has the library got settled when the COVID outbreak began, and lockdowns ensued. When Darren started work in 2022, things were beginning to return to normal and there was an opportunity to start planning ahead. The PPL needs to ensure the local community and beyond know of its existence and what it does. There is also the continual financial drive to recruit and retains members to this subscription library by providing a series of talks and events to attract new and existing users.
The final talk was by Siân Williams, Head of Special Collections & Librarian at the South Wales Miners’ Library. In 1973, the South Wales Miners’ Library was established as a research library and a centre for adult and community learning at Swansea University. As the Library prepares to move to a new location in Swansea city centre in 2024, Siân reflected on the process to create a new mission and vision for the Library fit for the next 50 years. The talk also considered some of the ways the Library is reassessing its role within the community and how the collections are used.
Although the conference allowed time for discussion and conversation, it was naturally not the same as meeting in person. It is very much hoped that the conference and AGM for 2024 that is planned to be held at the Morrab Library in Penzance on 31 May – 1 Jun will take place.
CILIP South West Member Network 