Festival of Libraries, Wednesday, 12 – Sunday, 16 June

26 Jun 2024

The University of Manchester Libray hosted two events at the recent Festival of Libraries

The University of Manchester Library took centre stage in the city of Manchester last week, as Manchester City of Literature’s Festival of Libraries welcomed audiences for an exciting and varied programme of events. 

The Exhibitions and Public Engagement with Research Team at the John Rylands Research Institute and Library welcomed around 470 attendees to two events held at the Rylands.  

On Friday, 14 June, visitors explored histories related to Deaf education, culture and activism in a collections encounter led by Steven Hartshorne, linked to the exhibition ‘We Have Always Been Here’. The items, such as Joseph Watson’s 1809 Instruction of the deaf and dumb, and a selection of newsletters from the National Union of the Deaf, sparked numerous conversations, with attendees sharing their own personal and familial experiences of Deafness and activism with us and among each other.  This event was presented in English and British Sign Language; the interpreter, Shelley, from the Interpreter Initiative engaged attendees in the contemporary use of sign language. 

On Saturday, 15 June the Rylands hosted an open day with the Reader Services Team. It was a chance for visitors to learn how a Special Collections library operates from using visualisers for virtual appointments, to how to handle some of our most precious collections.