Hello Europe. This is Durham Calling.

A post by Collections Coordinator Tim Buckle

It can’t have escaped your attention that it is Eurovision again, and this year the UK are hosting the event on behalf of Ukraine. The contest is taking place in Liverpool.

I know Eurovision divides opinion, but whatever your views are about the music, one thing that is clear is the message of inclusion and equality that it sends out. Having just got back from Liverpool from the event, this sense of inclusion was everywhere to see and as a gay man it means a lot to be yourself and feel safe at the same time.

Whoever you are and whatever your background, Eurovision allows you to be yourself without any judgement. This is something that we encourage here at Durham University, especially in Library and Collections. Whether it is having a safe space for you to be yourself while studying, or seeing yourself represented in our collections we will continue to improve services and listen your feedback about collections and study spaces.

To celebrate Eurovision we have looked through our library collections and picked out some titles from countries that have previously won the contest. The titles we have picked have been published in the year the Country selected last won the Contest.

Continue reading “Hello Europe. This is Durham Calling.”

The Importance of the Rainbow in Library Collections

As part of LGBT History Month we wanted to highlight the importance of representation of the LGBT+ Community within our library collections.

When we read a book or watch a film, if we see ourselves or our community represented we have a sense of identity and belonging. It also helps challenge and fight prejudice and encourages education.

In the last year many LGBT+ events, such as Pride, have been cancelled and safe spaces and representation of the LGBT+ Community has been challenging for people to access. This means representation in books, media and objects have been even more important for people to turn to.

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A review of ‘Liberate My Library’. Diversifying collections in a challenging year.

As we approach the end of the year we thought it would be a good time to look back at a new service we launched back in February. Wow talking about February seems like a lifetime ago now doesn’t it? So much has happened in 10 months and although not everything has been what we would have liked there have been things to celebrate. Our ‘Liberate My Library’ scheme we think is one of them.

Continue reading “A review of ‘Liberate My Library’. Diversifying collections in a challenging year.”

Using Art To Create A Conversation For World AIDS Day

If you have visited the Bill Bryson Library in the last few days you may have seen the neon sculpture 36point7 on display at the Help and Information Desk.

The artwork is part of the University’s Art Collection and is on display until 13th December to mark World AIDS Day. Founded in 1988, World AIDS Day was the first ever global health day and takes place on 1st December every year. It is an opportunity for people worldwide to unite in the fight against HIV, to show support for people living with HIV, and to commemorate those who have died from an AIDS-related illness. Continue reading “Using Art To Create A Conversation For World AIDS Day”

Early Career Librarians: CILIP* Conference 2019

Earlier this summer, two of our colleagues attended this year’s CILIP conference in Manchester, and we asked them if they would be willing to share their experiences and thoughts. If you’d like to know some of the hot-topics in librarianship, get a feel for the personal and professional approaches of our colleagues behind the desk, or just want that reassurance that you’re not alone in experiencing first (or 101st) conference nerves, read on…

*CILIP: Chartered Institute for Information and Library Professionals (https://www.cilip.org.uk/

Continue reading “Early Career Librarians: CILIP* Conference 2019”

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