GLASGOW Women’s LIBRARY Annual Report 2011/2012 Annual Report 2011/2012 Glasgow Women’s Library Introduction Aims and Objectives Glasgow Women’s Library is a vibrant Glasgow Women’s Library aims to: In meeting our aims, GWL: information hub housing a lending library, º Advance the education of the general º Actively collects relevant information archive collections, contemporary and public by increasing knowledge and and materials so that they are historical artefacts relating to women’s understanding of women’s history, lives accessible to the broadest range of lives, histories and achievements. It and achievements. users. delivers an innovative Lifelong Learning º Provide information on a range of º Encourages the involvement of as many Programme, an Adult Literacy and women’s and gender equality issues. women as possible in developing the Numeracy Project, a dedicated Black and º Enable women, particularly the most Library and its related resources and Minority Ethnic Women’s Project and a vulnerable and excluded in society, to services and in contributing to the National Lifelong Learning Project. access the information, resources and documentation, collection, creation and services they need to make positive life use of materials. choices. º Provides and promotes Lifelong º Break down barriers to learning and Learning, training, education, skill- participation for women so that they sharing, volunteering, and employment become fully active citizens, develop opportunities for women. skills and knowledge, engender º Provides an accessible information self-confidence and equip themselves resource, library and archive relevant to pass on their experience to benefit to all areas of women’s lives, history, their families and broader communities. culture and achievements for use by º Take a lead role in redressing the individuals and groups from all areas of neglect of women’s historical and the community. cultural contributions to Scottish º Will relocate into self contained, society by providing a catalyst for refurbished, fully accessible premises. change. º Will create Scotland’s first Women’s º Create new ideas of and approaches Archive, building a dedicated archive to culture and heritage that bring space within GWL’s new premises and together people from the most diverse employing an Archivist for three years. backgrounds. º Seeks to achieve the Museums Libraries º Invest in women’s social, cultural and Archives (MLA) Accreditation Standard creative capital to the benefit of our and later become a ‘Recognised nation. Collection of National Significance’ as º Become more financially independent. a ‘Non-National National’ Museum in Scotland, renaming as The Women’s º Provide the highest quality service for Library and Archive of Scotland all our users, enquirers and members. (working title). º Create a sustainable and economically vibrant social enterprise, with an expanding range of Third Sector income generating activities. º Seeks to attain and uphold the appropriate accredited professional standards across the organisation’s service delivery. 2 Annual Report 2011/2012 Glasgow Women’s Library Directors’ Report Welcome to another year in the life of our ‘key to the door’ and dreams of finally Glasgow Women’s Library. In this Annual grounding our work in a permanent, Report you will find details of great fit-for-purpose home also took great commitment and achievement, inspiration strides forward in the past year. Working and delight. with a Property Agent and supported 2011 was European Year of the Volunteer by Glasgow Life, Glasgow City Council and for the first time the Library, through and Clyde Gateway, we were able to funding from the Voluntary Action Fund, thoroughly scope building options across appointed a Volunteer Co-ordinator. GWL Glasgow. This process deepened the was founded by just a few committed understanding of our needs and desires volunteers in 1991 and run by them for as an organisation, as well as the benefits the first eight years, lovingly laying its we bring to the locations we inhabit. We foundations. Since then, whilst steadily are very pleased to announce that, as a building a core of paid workers, GWL has result of a generous offer by Glasgow Life, continued to be nourished by the hard we will be moving the beautiful Bridgeton work and enthusiasm of hundreds of Library in Glasgow’s increasingly vibrant volunteers. As an organisation we achieve and regenerated East End. Timescales way beyond our financial means due to for moving are still to be determined the essential investment people freely but the entire team is thrilled by this make of their time. Volunteering brings development. benefits to all involved: skills learned and Of course, amidst this excitement, developed, new social contacts made and our core work continues to thrive and opportunities to shine and to share. Over develop, so please do pop in, sign up to the years the Library has been delighted be a borrower or a learner and marvel in to support many volunteers in their the world of knowledge and friendship progression to further learning, training contained in Glasgow Women’s Library. and employment. Members of our Board of Directors are Susan Garde Pettie also volunteers. We were sad to see Sue Chair Rawcliffe and Shona Craven leave the Board this year. Their knowledge and enthusiasm have contributed greatly to The team plan the stunning new Glasgow Women’s Library with our Architects, Collective Architecture our work and we wish them health and happiness in their future endeavours. We ran another successful recruitment round and are pleased to welcome Maud Bracke, Angela Gray and Karen Birch to the team. All arrive with ideas, skills and experience relevant to current developments going forward in the Library. 2011 marked our 20th anniversary year and saw the launch of a year-long project due to culminate in our 21st birthday celebrations in September 2012. New works of art and writing inspired by items in GWL’s library, archive and museum collections have recently been commissioned from 21 visual artists and 21 writers in an innovative and ambitious project funded by Creative Scotland and Museums Galleries Scotland. Watch this space! Our 21st birthday year will perhaps be the most appropriate in which to secure 3 Annual Report 2011/2012 Glasgow Women’s Library Strategic Development Sue John, Enterprise Development Manager As we were able to fully orientate towards We now sell our own published books, Manager to focus on key Strategic relocation this year, having secured a bags, prints, downloadable Heritage Walk Priorities. permanent home in Bridgeton, we were Audio Tours, GWL events tickets and Speaking of such priorities, with our delighted to be successful in a funding other merchandise online. In addition, 2009-2012 Strategic Plan in need of bid to the Glasgow Social Economy we are pleased to offer ‘Inspired!’ a new revision, the Board and Staff Teams came Development Fund that enabled GWL to palette of carefully designed and bespoke together for a series of Strategic Planning resource a dedicated post of Enterprise workshops, learning modules, activities ‘away days’ to reflect on the last three Development Manager. and events that GWL, with our specialist years and to focus on a new, dynamic, The remit of this post, funded until the expertise and unique resources, can offer 2013-2016 Plan to underpin our work and end of September 2012, is to support the to groups and organisations. provide the framework for our next three organisation towards achieving our four The year saw a sea change in the way years’ development. Strategic Aims - the major refurbishment GWL deals with financial recording and To get fully into the zone, we held of and relocation to permanent premises; reporting. Previously Excel spreadsheets the sessions at Bridgeton Library and accreditation and name change as a were used, which were functional but led they were intense, lively, fun and hugely Scotland-wide national resource; the to some duplication of effort on the part productive. With a lot of follow-up actions consolidation, development and expansion of the Finance Worker and Enterprise and tasks undertaken, we are now well on of collections, services and projects; and Development Manager. We invested in the way to finalising the vision of GWL’s independent income generation through the SAGE 50 Accounts package and next three years - it may only be on paper the development of Social Enterprise training from Accountant, Andy Luke. so far, but it’s already looking good! activities. Three members of staff were trained in Ultimately we aim to secure the long- the basics of SAGE 50 with Alison, the term sustainability, full accessibility and Finance Worker, receiving more detailed further growth of GWL for the next 20 training from Andy over the course of years and beyond, so this is a challenging the year, which was then ‘cascaded’ to role. other staff members and volunteers. We are pleased to have made progress With a turnover of just under £400,000, in our income-generating and Social numerous projects large and small and a Enterprise activities with new initiatives, burgeoning Social Enterprise strategy, the including a re-design of the GWL website SAGE package has made it much easier and new online shop, resulting in a five- to keep an eye on our finances, as well fold increase in self-generated income this as reducing our Audit costs and freeing year. up time for the Enterprise Development Welcome to our world – GWL’s future looks exciting! 4 Annual Report 2011/2012 Glasgow Women’s Library Library Projects The Lifelong Learning place in Glasgow alone with over 3,500 the launch of a new booking system on Programme people participating, while over 10,000 the GWL website, allowing people to people visited GWL for a myriad of book on to events online.