World Book Day - the Whittaker Library recalls the LGBT Human Library

Last year, as part of LGBT History Month and the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland's own Bridge Week, the RCS's Gender Equality Society ran a Human Library. This was to get people talking openly together about their sexual orientations, gender presentations and identifications. It also increased the visibility of LGBT students and staff within RCS.

A Human Library is one made up of people, instead of books. Visitors came along and picked a person to “loan out” i.e. chat to for 10 minutes. There were 15 “books”, who all identified as part of, or are an ally of, the LGBTQI+ community.* They all chose a title for themselves as a book for a “conversation starter”, e.g. “Binary Breaker”, and these were displayed on the wall around the library.

Both the “books” and the people who visited the library experienced meaningful conversations around gender and sexuality. This also allowed a space for those who are part of the RCS LGBTQI+ community to connect and talk about their shared experiences.

These conversations were captured in an informal setting, after the project, with all the books listening to each other. We hope the openness, frankness and complexity of each individual book comes across, as it really was an enriching process for all who took part.

You can have a look at one or all of the books by visiting the Human Library here.

* LQBTQI+ stands for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans, Queer, Questioning and Intersex

Looking for new repertoire? Lucky RCS Students!

The kind people at Music Sales Classical have given the Whittaker Library a number of absolutely new scores and performance sets by the best contemporary composers. You can find out what we've got by checking our new acquisitions - there's a link on the catalogue homepage.  Click here!

RCS staff and students - the material is nearly all catalogued, and will be labelled etc over the weekend. If you see something that you like the look of, please mention it to the staff on the desk, and they'll make sure you're notified when it's ready to borrow. 

Unrequested items will go on the new book display before going to their proper, permanent place in the library.
 

Bridge Week or no, we're still open 10-4 on Saturday and 11-3 on Sunday this weekend.  If you can't make it in, find your way to our library website to make use of our e-resources.

We're the super-helpful and friendly Whittaker Library, here to assist our staff and students with their teaching and learning needs!

While You Were Away ...

During Bridge Week, our students are so busy pushing the boundaries that they don't make it into the Whittaker Library quite as much as usual. 

Don't for a minute think we've been resting while you were away!  

• We've added new stock, we've blogged, and we've tweeted.  
• We've ordered new books to support our students in their personal lives as well as their studies - watch this space, because we'll tell you when they arrive!
• We've thought about useful online web resources for essay assignments coming up, 
• And we've talked about National Library Day.  (Send us your shelfies on Saturday!)

Mind you, we've been part of Bridge Week too, because we've hosted the Human Library every lunchtime.  The only remaining question is this forthcoming performance about a sad librarian.  We hope we didn't provide the inspiration?!

Bridge Week at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland

 Bridge Week begins on Monday 3rd February 2014 - the week when our students embark on their own ambitious projects.  (For a start, they have their own radio station - Bridge Radio - http://radio.rcs.ac.uk/)

BUSINESS AS NORMAL IN THE LIBRARY!!

The Whittaker Library remains open the normal hours:-

Monday to Thursday, 9 am - 8.30 pm
Friday, 9 am - 5 pm
Saturday, 10 am - 4 pm.

We're here to offer support in sourcing information to help you get those Bridge Week projects under way!

Library Website: http://www.rcs.ac.uk/aboutus/libraryandit/

Gun at the Temples! Music Librarian Challenged to Write a jingle "On Air"

A bit taken aback, 'Whittaker' was challenged to improvise a jingle, on air, for the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland Bridge Week.  Well, it rhymed.  Can't say more than that!  It was live on air, and pretty much about air, but we were allowed to use a computer to write the words down first ...

The students who went on the bridge

Declared that it felt like a fridge

The Cowcaddens chill

Gave them all quite a thrill

And no sign of the whine of a midge.

To be honest, 'Whittaker' writes better musical limericks than that.  No instrumentalist is safe .... check them out here!

Swan Lake in the Gorbals Pool? Making a splash!

Here at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland, it's Bridge Week, when students embark upon projects all their own ...

Here's one of them.  Yes, it does involve Swan Lake, and a swimming pool, and musicians.  IN the pool!