Great Northern Libraries
The Leeds Library, Leeds.
The Leeds Library is committed to making its building and collections accessible to everyone in our current capital building works project The Next Chapter Project.
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Great Northern Libraries: unsung visitor attractions
Libraries have been essential to the development of the industrial north. Subscription, and later public libraries, helped shape industry, culture and education. This legacy can still be seen in an active library culture that has preserved important buildings and institutions. Yet, they are seldom promoted as visitor attractions. Manchester, Leeds and Newcastle all have historically significant subscription, public and academic libraries that are still in operation and often have interesting exhibitions and displays. Towns such as Middlesbrough, Darlington and Keighley, important centres in the development of industry, still maintain their historic libraries. Library culture is continuing to develop with exciting new buildings such as The Word in South Shields.
This illustrated presentation will inspire you to visit and support our northern libraries.
Debbie Rolls is a freelance travel and culture writer and the author of Everyone Welcome: Remembering and Celebrating Teesside Libraries. She was Writer in Residence for the 2023 Crossing the Tees Library Festival. She is passionate about libraries and received Arts Council funding to run a library creative arts project over the summer. She will be leading a walking tour of Leeds libraries as part of the 2024 Libraries in Leeds Festival.