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Changing lives
ZUBEIDA MUSTAFA PUBLISHED ABOUT 5 HOURS AGO

WOULD you expect to see Qurratulain

Hyders Aag ka Darya on the shelf of a
public library in Glasgow? Probably not.
But I actually found Annie Apa, as she
www.zubeidamustafa.co
was fondly called, in the Glasgow
m
Womens Library (GWL). The discovery
was made more exciting by the fact that

the library was a distinguished one as only a feminist library

can be.
Set up in 1991, the GWL has grown and never looked back. In
2015, it celebrated the 25th year of its existence. Containing
30,000 books on women or by women (about 20,000 writers),
the GWL is distinct from other libraries by the feminist
ownership shown by those who manage it and those who use
it.

When Donna Moore, the adult literacy and numeracy

development worker, and Wendy Kirk, the librarian, met me to
talk about the GWL, I was overwhelmed by their enthusiasm,
pride and passion. They reminded me of one of our leading
feminist intellectuals, Nighat Saeed Khan. In 2011, Nighat had
taken me round the Institute of Womens Studies, Lahore,
speaking with the same passion about the wealth of hidden
material she had carefully stored. She was looking for a donor
to help her catalogue and archive her collection.

A library in Scotland is a reminder of womens

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A library in Scotland is a reminder of womens

power.

The feminist spirit that Wendy and Donna displayed vis--vis

the treasure trove of knowledge under their care is what bonds
the global sisterhood of women. They use books for their
feminist activism; as a speaker said in the film March, a GWL-
RCS (Royal Conservatoire Scotland) production, Freedom is
born from wisdom. And one may add, wisdom is born from
knowledge. Without awareness, conscientisation and the
involvement of a critical mass of women, a feminist movement
cannot change the lives of women in any country.

And it is the love of books and the commitment to womens

rights that combine in the making of a successful womens
library. The basic goal of such a library is always the
empowerment of women by using knowledge as the catalyst.
The librarian must be a committed activist and teacher to
inspire those she interacts with.

The GWL with its paid staff of 20, and 80-100 volunteers, is
doing just that. It runs a lifelong learning and adult literacy
programme to empower women. The library has a collection of
books, archives, historical and contemporary artefacts that are
related to women and commemorate their lives and
achievements. Additional activities the GWL organises are not
exactly book-related but their focus is on women. Thus its
programme lists a number of events organised by the library
such as talks and discussions on women, writing competitions
and workshops, art exhibitions, film screenings, meetings of
reading groups and heritage walks to create awareness of
womens histories in the city.

The womens library strives for self-sufficiency by raising

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donations from the public and through activities. All the books
have been donated. Innovative ideas have been introduced
such as getting people to sponsor a book, a shelf or even a
library section for as little as 10 to 1,000 as a tribute to a living
woman.

Having emerged as the hub of information in Scotland on

women and a focal point for activities designed to empower
and gel them into a vibrant integrated community, the GWL is
a permanent reminder of womens hidden power that deserves
to be celebrated. It has a membership of 3,800 that can borrow
books, and an estimated 15,000 guests visit it every year.

The GWLs pronounced interest in the political dimension of

womens lives is remarkable. Suffragettes receive a lot of

attention. Donna Moore was most vocal when showing me the
suffragette memorabilia displayed with great pride in the
library. Although the suffrage movement began in England, it
received a boost from the Scottish suffragettes zeal. Even
today when women have won the vote there are concerns about
the political status of women, and the GWL extends its support
to movements such as the Women 50:50 campaign that was
launched to improve the representation of women in
parliament, there being only 35 pc in the Scottish legislature at
present.

That is what one expects libraries to be institutions that

empower people. A womens library empowers women.
Unfortunately, there are not enough of them around. Probably
300 or so all over the world but this is just a guess because
there is no international organisation linking them together.
Wendy attended a conference of librarians from womens
libraries in Mexico many years ago which was a chance event
and no other meeting has taken place since.

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The womens library has been an agent of social change in

many ways, as confirmed by Donna Moore from her experience
of interacting with women she has taught. They gain
confidence. That empowers them, she tells me. And we know
what a lot of difference that makes.

www.zubeidamustafa.com

Published in Dawn, October 14th, 2016

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