A Tale of Two Libraries – with Portico Library and WCML

Carmel Smickersgill, Tours & Activities Editor

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A Tale of Two Libraries - an exchange between the Portico and Working Class Movement Libraries

9 June 2021

Always double check opening hours with the venue before making a special visit.

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Manchester is home to the world’s oldest English language library and has a long history of valuing, inspiring and collecting texts of seminal cultural importance. As a result of this literary tradition the cities of Manchester and Salford are spoilt for choice when it comes to specialist and very special libraries. Two such institutions will be joining forces to explore each others archives in an effort to find links between their bountiful archives. Learn alongside the librarians with A Tale of Two Libraries.

The Working Class Movement Library is holding a joint event with the Portico Library as part of Manchester’s inaugural Festival of Libraries, co-ordinated by Manchester City of Literature. The online talk is part of a series (but takes place slightly earlier) of Wednesday live-streamed talks, check their website for more details.

Find out what happened when staff from these two institutions swapped places for a day and got a chance to dig around and find connections between the two very different libraries.

A Tale of Two Libraries will be presented from the Portico Library’s beautiful Georgian Reading Room by Lynette Cawthra from Salford’s WCML, with contributions by the Portico’s James Moss and Apapat Jai-in Glynn, and by WCML’s Lindsey Cole. It will also be recorded for later viewing on the WCML YouTube channel.

Join-up details will be available on 9 June.

#FestivalofLibraries

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