Women’s history in Warwickshire has been documented in a new digital showcase, following an exciting and innovative collaboration between Warwickshire Libraries, Heritage and Culture Warwickshire...
Women’s history in Warwickshire has been documented in a new digital showcase, following an exciting and innovative collaboration between Warwickshire Libraries, Heritage and Culture Warwickshire and the County Record Office.
Taking inspiration from 'Unfinished Business: the fight for women's rights', an exhibition currently showing at the British Library, the project has been adapted from a physical exhibition to become a digital showcase.
Through a partnership with the Living Knowledge Network, Warwickshire Libraries are thrilled to have been involved with the project and have launched a brand new webpage (visit https://library.warwickshire.gov.uk and click on ‘Unfinished Business’) that highlights the history of women in Warwickshire who fought for recognition and for women’s rights.
Bringing together items from the Heritage and Culture Warwickshire storerooms with reading suggestions, YouTube content and stories from the Our Warwickshire website, the lives of Warwickshire women are explored.
From women who forged a path in the worlds of sport, science and literature to accounts of women imprisoned for fighting for their rights, the resources explore some fascinating stories and provide insight into the lives of women.
While names such as George Eliot may be well known, the experiences of suffragettes jailed for their protest and those who served in the Land Army during the Second World War also feature.
The website of the main British Library exhibition can also be explored, with resources, podcasts and articles revealing more stories from around the country.
There is also an archive of previously live screened accompanying events available to view at living-knowledge-network.co.uk/.
Warwickshire Libraries hope to host a panel exhibition of highlights from the British Library exhibition in the coming months and plans for a series of virtual talks in the new year are also being made. Details of these events will be posted on Warwickshire Libraries' website and social media.
Councillor Kam Kaur, Warwickshire County Council’s Portfolio Holder for Customer and Transformation, said:
“I would encourage everyone to visit the ‘Unfinished Business: the fight for women’s rights’ digital showcase that has been curated by our Warwickshire Libraries staff, in collaboration with colleagues from Heritage & Culture Warwickshire. This has been a great partnership that highlights some amazing material from the library service’s collections.”
Councillor Heather Timms, Warwickshire County Council’s Portfolio for Environment and Heritage & Culture, said:
“This is a hugely impressive project and a really exciting contribution to the prestigious national exhibition at the British Library. It is a wonderful showcase of the great women of our county.”