Welcome to The Network

The Network supports libraries, museums, archives, galleries and other cultural and heritage organisations (as well as individuals) who are working to tackle social exclusion and towards social justice.

Libraries of Sanctuary resource pack

The Libraries of Sanctuary resource pack - to support public libraries interested in becoming Libraries of Sanctuary for refugees, asylum-seekers and other new arrivals - has been published, late May 2020.

The pack is available to download, and there is also further information on the City of Sanctuary website.

"A just and green cultural recovery"

We've just endorsed this pathway to recovery:

"Along with many others in the UK the creative and cultural community has been badly hit; lives have been lost, buildings are dark, festivals are empty fields, tours are stationary, and thousands of people and business suppliers dependent on culture have shut up shop. Coronavirus has exposed deep-seated social and economic inequalities.

What we decide now will create the sustainable foundations for the future; we have a once-in-a-generation opportunity to build a resilient recovery plan that is fair and tackles the climate and ecological crisis with urgency. We cannot let this opportunity pass us by."

Further info online.

Blogs you might be interested in

  • Anne Harding Training - Anne blogs on reading, literacy, working with young people, and the courses she runs across the cultural sector.
  • DCN - Disability Co-operative Network for Museums - "We are working with national charities, organisations, people with disabilities, academics, groups, disability networks in other sectors, curators and managers to promote and embed inclusive practice in the heritage and cultural sector."
  • LGBT people and the UK cultural sector - this blog builds on the content of the book, LGBT people and the UK cultural sector, and aims to add new developments and missing stories of LGBTQ people in the cultural sector.
  • Museums and Autism - "A blog about how museums can improve support for autistic spectrum visitors, with practical advice and examples from museums and autistic people"
  • Race Matters, the Runnymede Trust blog
  • Speak Out London – Diversity City the LGBTQ Oral History project based at London Metropolitan Archives
  • SpeakUP - blog "run by IFLA’s Advisory Committee on Freedom of Access to Information and Freedom of Expression, for exploring how the work of libraries is shaped by, and can promote, human rights around the world"
  • ViMLoC - Visible Minority Librarians of Canada Network
  • The Wheeled Librarian - "The chronicles of a librarian with a physical disability."

Resource categories