As CILIP Scotland's latest advocacy campaign hits the halfway point, join us to discover why #LibrariesAreEssential to Scotland’s Stories now more than ever, with examples of impactful research that evidences the myriad of ways in which our nation’s libraries contribute to education, lifelong learning, tackling social isolation, health & wellbeing and so much more.

As well as showcasing some of the many highlights from our campaign evidence banks, we’re delighted to be joined by Professor Ian Ruthven, Dr Holly Porteous and Dr Juliette Wilson from the University of Strathclyde.

Professor Ruthven will be sharing insights from Downloading a New Normal, an extensive recent research project into digital library service use during the pandemic (with Dr David McMenemy and Dr Elaine Robinson) that has powerfully reaffirmed the essential importance of physical library spaces.

Dr Porteous and Dr Wilson will introduce us to Transformations, the result of their 2-year research project exploring the role of Glasgow Women’s Library in people’s lives through interviews, archive work, media analysis, and participant observation, which is now the basis of an art and audio-visual exhibition at GWL. 

With plenty of time for questions, discussion and sharing your own stories of why #LibrariesAreEssential to you, this online event is free and open to all. Let’s engage with the evidence of why #LibrariesAreEssential in Scotland and beyond, now and forever.

Book tickets here