In the course of my PhD I've discovered many organisations meant to help support forced migrants (refugees and people seeking asylum) when they enter the UK. These organisations run from the Scottish Refugee Council, to The Welcoming, to ReACT, and many more. However, one organisation I've discovered recently is tied directly to libraries: Libraries of Sanctuary. Libraries of Sanctuary are a stream of the broader City of Sanctuary organisation. City of Sanctuary supports a network of groups throughout the UK and Ireland that are dedicated to supporting and welcoming people seeking asylum. The organisation was founded in 2005 in Sheffield, and has multiple streams of "sanctuary" that work to cultivate a welcoming environment to people who seek sanctuary. One such stream is Libraries of Sanctuary.
The Libraries of Sanctuary stream has connections to an earlier library project called Welcome to Your Library, which sought to create library practices that helped welcome new members of the community and build connections between newcomers and established community members. City of Sanctuary awards libraries with Library of Sanctuary status, which can help widen the reach of the awarded library, strengthen partnership opportunities, and demonstrate that the library is an important community hub that serves the community well. There is an application process (resource packs and case studies of successful applications are provided to support library applicants) in which the library confirms that they plan to support the network principles of City of Sanctuary and creates a plan to incorporate these principles into their regular policies and resources (read more about the application process here). A library applying for and achieving the status of a Library of Sanctuary is significant, in my opinion. As someone who was trained to be a librarian I have heard a lot of comments about how freedom of information, how libraries provide services to everyone, how no one is turned away, etc. Those values that I was taught are meant to be part of librarianship are one reason I embarked on my area of research. However, giving lip-service to those values does not mean current practice follows those values. Attempting to become, and becoming, a Library of Sanctuary shows that a library is taking the steps to make those values a priority. To make sure that the priority is providing what is actually needed and wanted by members of the community. To be willing to adjust, or abandon, what they thought was correct in order to uplift all members of their community, including those whose voices have traditionally been ignored. I think libraries can, and should, be places of sanctuary. And I hope that my research can help library staff better understand their communities so they can more easily make their libraries places of sanctuary.
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A Second Blog Page?This is the part of the blog specifically about my PhD. It will include updates, musings, and advice. Archives
August 2022
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