The Feminist Library is a large archive collection of Women’s Liberation Movement literature, particularly second-wave materials dating from the late 1960s to the 1990s. We support research, activist and community projects in this field.
We are based at 5 Westminster Bridge Road, London, SE1 7XW. We are open every Monday and Tuesday 2-6pm and every Thursday 6.30-9.30. Additionally, we are open onthe 1st Saturday of the month 1.30-5pm for the Writers’ Space.
Please check the calendar for any changes to opening times.
We host the Writer’s Space on the first Saturday of every month – find details here.
Recent Events
From the Margins to the Page: Women Writers Give Voices to Heroines of Disrepute
On December 8th 2011 the Feminist Library and Edinburgh-based independent publishing company Linen Press joined for an evening of selected readings by authors Olukemi Amala, Hema Macherla, and Lynn Michell.
Their latest works address the figure of the heroine through multinational perspectives on cultural identity. From Scotland, to Nigeria, to India, each author investigates the role that social stigma plays in the struggle for independence and fulfillment.
Click here for more information.
Greenham Remembered
On 11 September 2011 the Feminist Library hosted an event to mark the 30th anniversary of the Greenham Common Women’s Peace Camp. Highlights of the day included a discussion led by Lynette Edwell about the camp’s history, an exhibition of the Boise quilt, a music making workshop with the Greenham Songbook, talks by Sasha Roseneil and Anna Feigenbaum, and a screening of Beeban Kidron’s Carry Greenham Home. Thanks to Emma Thatcher for organising this wonderful event, and to everyone who attended.
SlutWalk Discussion and Banner Making Session
In June 2011, the Feminist Library hosted a discussion on SlutWalk ahead of the London march to protest against victim blaming. The march in London occurred months after the first SlutWalk took place in Toronto in response to a local police officer’s claim that ‘women should avoid dressing like sluts’ if they want to minimise the chance of being raped. SlutWalk has attracted a rare degree of mainstream press coverage and provoked much debate among feminists. As a non-sectarian organisation that exists to provide space for feminist organising and research, the Feminist Library has no collective position on SlutWalk and was able to offer somewhere for feminists to meet, share ideas and organise around this issue. Thanks to Rosa Martyn for initiating and leading the event.
Celebrating 35 years of archiving and activism
It has been 35 years since the Feminist Library was founded as a humble shelf of books seeking to preserve the (often ephemeral) literature of the women’s liberation movement. We held a birthday party to celebrate this landmark anniversary on 19th February 2011 at the Round Chapel in Hackney.
We were honoured to welcome to the party Viv Albertine, Trash Kit, Berta’s Troupe, Lorraine Jordan, Julie McNamara, Women Sing East, Martha & Eve and Girl Germs. We want to thank everybody who donated their time, labour, skills and energy to help us make the event special. Here’s to another 35 years of the Feminist Library!
Librarians for Tomorrow
In 2010, the Feminist Library ran the Librarians for Tomorrow training programme in radical librar
ianship. Funded by Awards for All, the project provided training in various aspects of radical librarianship for 15 unemployed or underemployed people who were interested in librarianship and information management.
The scheme was extremely important and enriching for the Feminist Library and was very much a two-way exchange. The Feminist Library has provided the volunteers with skills, training and hands-on experience of working in a radical library, while the trainees offered the library a vital injection of energy, ideas, and skills.
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