Rhian Isaac

The British Library has long collaborated with Leeds Libraries through programmes such as the Business and IP Centre (BIPC) and the Living Knowledge Network. With our growing culture and learning programme in the region, Rhian Isaac, Collections Manager at Leeds Libraries, details our latest Leeds Libraries partnership for our latest exhibition Unfinished Business: The Fight for Women’s Rights.

After the success of our previous Leeds Libraries and British Library exhibition partnerships (Harry Potter: A History of Magic and Making Your Mark: 5,000 Years of Written History) we were excited about working together again on Unfinished Business. Leeds has a strong history of female activism from the fight for suffrage, Reclaim the Night marches, union strikes for fairer working conditions to the current campaign to make Leeds the first women-friendly city. This was a great opportunity to share these stories.

To develop our programme, I met with lots of different groups, from a book club with 11 year-old girls through to older people’s groups to chat about how far things had changed for women and whether there was anything left to achieve. In every group there were examples of women who pushed back against restrictions and stereotypes.

One woman told us about being asked if she had her husband’s permission when she went to the family clinic in 1965 for the pill. She hadn’t told her husband, but already had two boys and couldn’t afford more children. Another woman remembered the girls being made to sit at the back of the classroom knitting whilst the boys studied. After complaining, she was allowed to join the boys and ended up excelling in algebra and foreign languages.

The Ripper Murders are still very much in living memory in the Leeds area. They had a profound impact on women’s lives and led to the first Reclaim the Night march in 1977. Victim-blaming and violence against women remains a concern amongst the women we spoke to.

At workshops with high school students, worries about social media and body image made me think that there were new challenges for girls to face, but overall I felt optimistic watching them paint feminist slogans to take home. 

Inspired by Unfinished Business, Leeds Libraries and Studio12 have curated an online exhibition highlighting Leeds’ unique contribution to the campaign for gender equality and featuring important books connected to the wider history of women’s rights. The exhibition spans over 300 years from the poetry of Katherine Philips in 1669, through to the activism of the 70s and 80s and culminating in the work of contemporary local spoken word artists.

In addition, we are thrilled to be hosting an incredible weekender of online events developed with the British Library. These events celebrate the achievements of women past and present but also encourage us to reflect on the work that still needs to be done. Now, more than ever, it is so important to recognise women still experience inequality because of their sexuality, gender identity, class or race and libraries have a role in ensuring the fight for all women’s rights continues.

Unfinished Business: Leeds Weekender events

Spoken Word Showcase
Thursday 19 November 2020, 19.00 – 21.00

Hosted by the renowned literary activist, writer and playwright Khadijah Ibrahiim, this special event features poets and artists from Yorkshire. We’ll begin with a panel discussion exploring women’s voices, activism and the fight for a fairer world featuring guest poet Suhaiymah Manzoor-Khan followed by performances from emerging and established artists. Book now

Writers in Conversation
Friday 20 November 2020, 19.00 – 20.30

For this in conversation event, novelists Tracy Chevalier, Nikita Lalwani and Stephanie Scott will read extracts from their latest works and take part in a panel discussion led by journalist Yvette Huddleston. Book now

A Mixed Reality Portrait
Saturday 21 November 2020, 17.00 – 18.00

Watch live as artist Rosie Summers brings art to life, creating a portrait of the inspirational primatologist Alison Jolly, who features in our major exhibition, Unfinished Business: The Fight for Women’s Rights. Book now

 Wikithon: Women in Leeds
Sunday 22 November 2020, 13.00 – 15.00

Celebrate some of the amazing women of Leeds past and present, by learning how to edit pages on Wikipedia and address its gender imbalance in this informal workshop. Book now

How can the UK’s national collections enhance fashion education and business? The Library’s continuing partnership with the British Fashion Council is highlighting just that.

In a recent collaboration for this year’s digital London Fashion Week, designer Nabil Nayal and fashion journalist Sarah Mower MBE filmed The British Library Conversation, and reflected on change in the fashion industry and education and the need for a deeper and more authentic research process underpinning fashion ideas and businesses. Filmed at the Library, they discussed the importance of sustainability and diversity in fashion practice and the importance of using national collections like those of the British Library to underpin creative and change processes.

Like many other industries fashion has been severely disrupted by COVID-19 whilst also facing an urgent need to address issues highlighted by Black Lives Matter and the increasing speed of climate change. It was in this spirit of change that we approached this year’s Fashion Week, working again with Nabil, who showcased his Spring/Summer 2019 collection at the British Library in September 2018.

Having forged his links with the British Library while working on his PhD focusing on Elizabethan fashion, Nabil discussed the changes he is now making as a Course Leader for MA Fashion Design Technology: Womenswear at the London College of Fashion. He also reflected on his personal and creative journey and in particular how the British Library’s Syrian collections and his conversations with Daniel Lowe, Curator of Arabic Collections, helped him to embrace his own heritage in his fashion practice.

The Library’s participation in London Fashion Week was also an opportunity to announce that we will continue to hold the BL x BFC Student Fashion Competition, this time around to be held fully online. The competition will be launched later this autumn and will be supported by a series of online masterclasses featuring a UK fashion designers and experts, Library staff, students, journalists and influencers addressing key topics affecting the fashion industry.

You can catch up on The British Library Conversation: Fashion Disrupted with Nabil Nayal and Sarah Mower MBE on the LFW catch up channel or on YouTube.

You can find out more about the BL x BFC Student Fashion Competition at bl.uk/fashion.

Article by Maja Maricevic

Stephen Fry talking to Shappi Khorsandi

When we closed our doors in March it wasn’t just our Reading Rooms and galleries that fell silent. Our events and courses were put on pause too. But now we’re back, reimagined for the world we live in at the moment.

Our first season of digital events has kicked off with inspiring speakers and world-class talent streamed straight to your living room. And a brand new programme of online courses starts in October, with a vibrant range of subjects and new formats so you can study wherever suits you.

But how do you make a busy season of events and courses work online?

“By watching, listening and learning from the online events happening every day.” says Adult Courses Manager Katy Jackson, “We wanted to take a moment to reflect on the courses programme and develop something new. We’re really excited to be able to beam expert tutors into homes all around the world with our autumn programme.”

We have two types of online courses. Learn Live courses are 90 minute sessions with expert tutors and just 35 participants, and they’ve been designed to work well together, so you can take as many Learn Live courses as you like. There are also study mornings (or afternoons!) where you can kick back and soak up the knowledge with three expert speakers. All the sessions have opportunity for Q&As with the tutors, so you can delve even deeper.

“I’m working with tutors I’ve known for a long time and welcoming some brand new ones to the Library, who have all been dynamic and adaptable with the new programme.” says Katy. “We’re also working with StageText so all the sessions will be captioned. We’re keeping the cost down too – our Study sessions will be £10 and you can Learn Live for £20.”

And our events programme is also making the most of being virtual this season by streaming from exciting new locations around the country. Last month we were in Dorset to join Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall at River Cottage, we visited the beautiful Union Chapel in North London for Stephen Fry in conversation and we’ll close the Food Season with another cakescapade to Tom Kerridge’s pub The Hand and Flowers.

“It’s been a real treat to take the cultural events season on the road, as well as being able to discuss these essential, timely food topics with a wider audience online. We’ve had people join our events from all over the world, which wouldn’t have been possible before. We may not have the bright lights of the theatre or the buzz of a crowd but it’s felt fantastic to tell the stories of the Library to audiences again. Especially as we all need a bit of escapism right now.” Jon Fawcett, Head of Events.

What’s more, if you book a ticket to one of our online events, you can also watch it back for 48 hours after it’s happened. So you’ve got more flexibility to tune in when it works for you.

So grab a front row seat for upcoming online events or pick up your pencil and book for an online course.

As part of the gradual reopening of our spaces we’re also able to welcome you back for a beginners or intermediate bookbinding course on site. We’ve made some changes to keep everyone safe, like small class sizes, enhanced classroom and equipment cleans, and everyone wears a face covering. Find out more and book your place.

We’re really looking forward to seeing you soon, wherever you are.