This week was the AGM of the Friends of the Newsam Library and Archives. We’ve been active since 2003 but this year was probably our most lively meeting yet. As well as our Friends our new Friends Committee was also in attendance. In addition to the usual AGM business there was a presentation and discussion around the Library’s Official Publications, including our work in recent years to secure the preservation of electronic Official Publications using our Digital Education Resource Archive (DERA).
Over the last few months we’ve been working hard to broaden the work we do for our Friends so it was a good opportunity to share our future plans. We have been working across the library and archives to develop a new-look newsletter that will be bigger and better. The first issue will be out in September and will include news updates from across the library. We are also planning our next study afternoon for January 2013 which will focus on the library’s school textbooks collection. We’re still in the planning stages at the moment but we hope to have presentations on how textbooks have been used in education, including as a form of propaganda. We are also looking to provide more online content for our Friends and a range of other events and activities.
In the past the Friends have supported a number of projects that would not have taken place otherwise. They have paid for the rebinding of items from the historical collections in the library and, most recently, they helped us gain funding for the National Union of Women Teachers project by providing the start-up funds we needed.
In return our Friends receive discounted membership to the library, our newsletter, and priority attendance at our annual study afternoons. If you are interested in finding out more about the Friends or would like to join then please email me at NewsamFriends@ioe.ac.uk or pick up one of the leaflets in the library.
Newsam News 