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<TD vAlign=top><I>++ Please circulate widely ++</I><BR><BR>Over
12,000 people have signed a petition to Save The Women’s
Library.<BR><BR>Join us as we deliver it to London Met Governors and
continue the campaign to keep The Women’s Library collections, staff and
building together.<BR><BR>Thursday 27 September<BR>4.30pm<BR>Moorgate
Building<BR>84 Moorgate London EC2M 6SQ<BR><BR>Next organising meeting of
Save the Women’s Library campaign:<BR><BR>Monday 30
September<BR>6pm<BR>Freedom Books<BR>Off Whitechapel High Street.<BR>All
supporters
welcome<BR><BR>http://savethewomenslibrary.blogspot.co.uk/<BR><BR>
<H3 class="yiv1636946076post-title
yiv1636946076entry-title"><A
href="http://savethewomenslibrary.blogspot.co.uk/2012/09/campaigners-rally-to-demand-library-of.html"
rel=nofollow target=_blank>Campaigners rally to demand "A library of our
own!" </A></H3>
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<TD style="TEXT-ALIGN: center"><A
style="MARGIN-BOTTOM: 1em; MARGIN-LEFT: auto; CLEAR: left; MARGIN-RIGHT: auto"
href="https://fbcdn-sphotos-a-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/387441_10151217092575469_753048836_n.jpg"
rel=nofollow target=_blank><IMG border=0
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Supporters rally to #SaveTWL (c) <A
href="http://martinlesanto-smith.com/" rel=nofollow
target=_blank>Martin Lesanto-Smith</A></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>
<DIV class=yiv1636946076MsoNormal><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><I>by <A
href="http://www.londonmetunison.org.uk/officers/womens-officer/"
rel=nofollow target=_blank>Megan Redmond</A></I><BR></SPAN>The campaign to
<A href="http://savethewomenslibrary.blogspot.co.uk/" rel=nofollow
target=_blank>Save The Women's Library</A> held a lively rally outside the
library in Old Castle Street on Saturday, September 22<SUP>nd</SUP>.
</SPAN></DIV>
<DIV class=yiv1636946076MsoNormal><BR></DIV>
<DIV class=yiv1636946076MsoNormal><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Supporters gathered to
hear music, singing and stories expressing why The Women's Library is such
a unique and important cultural and public resource. </SPAN></DIV>
<DIV class=yiv1636946076MsoNormal><BR></DIV>
<DIV class=yiv1636946076MsoNormal><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Protesters carried a
variety of colourful placards, reading<I> "The Women's Library is a
treasure!"</I>, <I>"Deeds AND words!"</I>, and <I>"A library of our
own!"</I> </SPAN></DIV>
<DIV class=yiv1636946076MsoNormal><BR></DIV>
<DIV class=yiv1636946076MsoNormal><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><A
href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-s0pAJCF9z1c/UF7pdPc6MpI/AAAAAAAAAE8/XUS5hTraTOg/s1600/IMG_2400.jpg"
rel=nofollow target=_blank>An imitation 'Women's Heritage' blue plaque was
also unveiled.</A> See more photos <A
href="http://savethewomenslibrary.blogspot.co.uk/2012/09/more-photos-of-rally-to-save-womens.html"
rel=nofollow target=_blank>here</A> and <A
href="http://savethewomenslibrary.blogspot.co.uk/2012/09/time-fast-running-out-to-save-womens.html"
rel=nofollow target=_blank>here</A>.</SPAN></DIV>
<DIV class=yiv1636946076MsoNormal><BR></DIV>
<DIV class=yiv1636946076MsoNormal><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">In March 2012, London
Met announced that they were seeking a new home, supporter or custodian
for The Women’s Library. Campaigners from trade unions, feminist groups,
activists and friends of the library want to keep the collection open,
accessible and fully staffed in its current location off Whitechapel High
Street.</SPAN></DIV>
<DIV class=yiv1636946076MsoNormal><BR></DIV>
<DIV class=yiv1636946076MsoNormal><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">What may happen after
Christmas is a scaling down of library opening hours to one day a week
managed by a skeleton staff until it is taken over by another bidder, most
likely to be the LSE. It would then most likely move to Central London,
away from its unique current position in the heart of the East End of
London - on the edge of the City but in a multicultural, largely working
class residential and trading neighbourhood - whose character has provided
such a rich seam of historical and literary work and is integral to the
contemporary city we love. </SPAN></DIV>
<DIV class=yiv1636946076MsoNormal><BR></DIV>
<DIV class=yiv1636946076MsoNormal><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">The Women's Library has
grown in the last ten years into much more than a library. It is a
cultural centre embedded in the local community with creative outreach
projects such as <A href="http://www.magicme.co.uk/" rel=nofollow
target=_blank>Magic Me</A>. Regular exhibitions, exciting and at times
controversial, have been held there. The upcoming exhibition opening on
the 17th October will be <A
href="http://www.londonmet.ac.uk/thewomenslibrary/whats-on/the-long-march-to-equality-treasures-of-the-womens-library/the-long-march-to-equality-treasures-of-the-womens-library_home.cfm"
rel=nofollow target=_blank>The Long March to Equality: Treasures of The
Women's Library</A>. The library has succeeded in doing what many museums
and galleries strive to do - connect meaningfully with a non-academic
audience as well as provide researchers with a personalised and welcoming
space to work. </SPAN></DIV>
<DIV class=yiv1636946076MsoNormal><BR></DIV>
<DIV class=yiv1636946076MsoNormal><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">It is of course also a
vital research hub, housing the UK's largest collection of materials on
women's history and is of global importance with many items in the
collection inscribed into UNESCO’s <A
href="http://www.unesco.org.uk/2011_uk_memory_of_the_world_register"
rel=nofollow target=_blank>Memory of the World Register</A>. </SPAN></DIV>
<DIV class=yiv1636946076MsoNormal><BR></DIV>
<DIV class=yiv1636946076MsoNormal><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Rudi's <A
href="http://www.thepetitionsite.com/925/128/986/save-the-womens-library-at-london-metropolitan-university/"
rel=nofollow target=_blank>Save The Women's Library petition</A> has
gathered over 12,000 signatures to date. Messages of support have been
sent from around the world as well as from the local
neighbourhood.</SPAN></DIV>
<DIV class=yiv1636946076MsoNormal><BR></DIV>
<DIV class=yiv1636946076MsoNormal><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">As one supporter, Prof.
Barbara Taylor, Professor of Humanities, Queen Mary, University of
London,<B> </B>commented:</SPAN></DIV>
<DIV class=yiv1636946076MsoNormal><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><BR></SPAN></DIV>
<BLOCKQUOTE class=yiv1636946076tr_bq><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">“The closure of The
Women's Library would be a real step backwards for all of us who fought
to end the invisibility of women in history. The Women's Library must be
kept open not just to academics but also to the local community and
anyone interested in finding out about our rich history of women's
struggles for equality.”</SPAN></BLOCKQUOTE>
<DIV class=yiv1636946076MsoNormal><BR></DIV>
<DIV class=yiv1636946076MsoNormal><BR></DIV>
<DIV class=yiv1636946076MsoNormal><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><SPAN lang=EN-GB>Angela
Brady</SPAN><SPAN lang=EN-GB>, </SPAN><SPAN lang=EN-GB>President, Royal
Institute of British Architects added:</SPAN></SPAN></DIV>
<DIV class=yiv1636946076MsoNormal><BR></DIV>
<BLOCKQUOTE class=yiv1636946076tr_bq>
<DIV class=yiv1636946076MsoNormal><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><SPAN lang=EN-GB>“I
hope that this magnificent purpose-designed building for The Women's
Library, designed by award-winning architects Wright and Wright finds a
future which keeps it all together, including the dedicated staff and
collection. There has got to be a solution out there. It would be most
regrettable if it all gets lost after so much effort and enjoyment of
it.”</SPAN><SPAN lang=EN-GB></SPAN></SPAN></DIV></BLOCKQUOTE>
<DIV class=yiv1636946076MsoNormal><BR></DIV>
<DIV class=yiv1636946076MsoNormal><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">There is currently an
upsurge in feminism with many younger women expressing their anger at
persistent inequality through actions such as Saturday's <A
href="http://slutmeansspeakup.org.uk/" rel=nofollow target=_blank>Slut
Walk</A>. The cuts to services, pensions, pay and erosions in working
conditions are affecting women as a group in society disproportionately,
so expect campaigning around gender issues to grow bigger, louder and more
insistent. </SPAN></DIV>
<DIV class=yiv1636946076MsoNormal><BR></DIV><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">What is being done to
The Women's Library is symbolic of the treatment of women in wider
society; as expendable during times of hardship, easily dispatched,
disposed of or swept under the carpet. We must not let this
happen.<BR><BR>http://savethewomenslibrary.blogspot.co.uk/<BR></SPAN></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>
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