a rewind trip to york!

Last Monday we took a trip to York library having been invited by John Vincent whom we met at the Libaries Change Lives final (which by the way, we won!). We were asked to do a presentation to a group of students who came over from the University of Missouri.  Our job was to show the students how libraries in the UK are used as more than just a ‘house for books’, in the process getting a sneak peek at the other projects taking place around the UK. We chose to stay the whole day, rather than disappearing after our session which gave us the opportunity to get involved in the discussion taking place regarding library provision for new arrivals and on LGBT issues but most relevantly how libraries can support young people. Anyway, the presentation.. we tried to inspire the students by explaining to them how the library made our project what it is and showing them how Rewind has changed our lives. Hadley and Autumn also performed ‘the London Song’ (from the Libraries Change Lives final  in London, hence the name) to give the students an idea of the work we do. We also talked to them about gigs, the library as a space, funding and how it’s brought our community together. For me, it was interesting what Claire had to say about how she works as a facilitator and it gave me a better idea of how the club began and what went on behind the scenes to make it happen. Hopefully what we said was of interest to them, and you never know, there could be groups just like us popping up all over the USA! The other discussions regarding LGBT, new arrivals, and the library service for young people were insightful and it was interesting to see there was a big lap over between the ideas of ourselves and those of the students. Overall (despite a few disgruntled faces when they got outside and saw the glorious weather) we had a really interesting day and it helped us to recognise what else goes on in the library beyond just Rewind. A big thank you to John Vincent and Anne Harding for inviting us and having us! Also to Claire/our school teacher for the day for taking us and keeping us all in check!