Library Access Programme “At the Heart of Community Life”
By: HUM-FPS
Did you know that public libraries across the UK offer a remarkable range of free services?
Led by Dr John-Mark Philo in the School of Literature, Drama and Creative Writing, the Library Access Programme is enabling asylum seekers and refugees, often housed in emergency accommodation on the peripheries of Norwich, to engage with life in the city via public libraries.
At the Millennium Library in Norwich, you can access free IT support, SIM cards, warm and welcome packs, language classes, complimentary menstrual products via the library’s “Tricky Period” scheme – as well as drop-in sessions for knitting, singing, painting, and a range of activities specifically for families and children.
A Ukrainian solicitor said: “There are brilliant opportunities available at the library, but they need to be brought to the attention of those who need them. Without sharing them with people, these opportunities are dead”.
Together with project partners – Norfolk Library and Information Service, The Zainab Project, Norwich Cathedral Library, and Blickling Estate – the Library Access Programme has already delivered 20 events aimed at promoting library access, such as poetry readings, library tours, creative writing workshops, walking trips around the city, and a workshop on navigating displacement.
The poetry and creative writing workshops in particular have offered respite from the everyday stress of the asylum process. As one participant put it, “where poetry is spoken, there is a sense of peace”.
Beyond ensuring that those who are newly-arrived in Norfolk know about these services, the programme aims to instil confidence in using and accessing public spaces – transferable to galleries, museums, events, and to institutions at the heart of community life.
The Project also feeds responses, ideas, and suggestions from participants back to library and museum management, with the intention to embed new, participant-led approaches to communicating and sharing information across different cultures and different languages.
Feedback from participants on the programme has been positive, with one saying:
“I have been looking for something like this for six months. When I arrived here, I couldn’t find anything like this. I have never experienced an atmosphere as welcoming as this.”
Another participant said:
“I am in awe of all this history. Thank you for opening your doors to the treasure trove of books!”
To find out more about the programme, please contact Dr John-Mark Philo.
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