| The Women's Library | |
|---|---|
 | |
| 33°53′43″S151°10′51″E / 33.895375°S 151.1807113°E | |
| Location | 8-10 Brown Street, Newtown NSW, Australia |
| Type | Library |
| Established | 1992 |
| Access and use | |
| Access requirements | Open to members |
| Other information | |
| Website | The Women's Library |
The Women's Library ("TWL") in Newtown, Sydney, Australia, is a community-based library and a hub of lesbian and feminist activity. It stocks books "by women, for women" and aims to make feminist and lesbian literature more accessible.
The Women's Library has been built on the efforts of volunteers and the donations of thousands of women since its establishment. It continues to be fully managed and staffed by volunteers and the collection of donated books and periodicals numbers approximately 20,000 items. [1] It is an example of an urban commons. [2] [3]
A diverse range of lesbian and feminist groups have called The Women's Library their home over the years, using the space as a meeting place outside of opening hours. Regular groups have included Lesbian Open House, Sydney Feminists, Gay Ladies First Sunday Book Club, Moonlight Feminists, Feminist Legal Clinic, Women's March Sydney and the Edna Ryan Awards Committee. [4] Other groups such as The Flying Bats and Lesbians Incorporated (LINC) have held their Annual General Meetings at this venue. [5]
The Women's Library has also been used as an art exhibition space [6] and hosts many cultural activities and events including book launches, [7] women's choirs, film nights, [8] [9] drumming circles, art therapy classes and the Women Write Wiki project. [10] [11]
The Women's Library is a separate entity from the Jessie Street National Women's Library which is also located in Sydney and has a greater archival and research focus.
Work on setting up The Women's Library commenced in 1991 when a group of women decided there was a need for a library focused on lesbian and feminist literature along the lines of the Women's Library in England. A long list of prominent Australian women supported its establishment including Eva Cox, Ann Deveson, Justice Elizabeth Evatt, Dorothy Hewitt, Caroline Jones, Clover Moore, Meredith Bergman, Sandra Nori, Dale Spender, Faith Bandler and Bobbie Sykes. [12]
With the coordination of Vicki Harding, it was formally established as an incorporated association in 1992 [13] to comprise a lending library, a reference library, an information exchange and community centre. Under its constitution it is stated that it should "be a safe and supportive space where women, including lesbians, can relax, read, study and exchange information".
In 1993 it was nominated for Best New Parade Entry in the annual Gay & Lesbian Mardi Gras Parade. In 1993 The Women's Library also became a registered charity, enabling it to receive tax deductible donations. [14] It opened its doors in its first home in the Alexandria Town Hall in 1994. It moved to its current home in Brown Street, Newtown in January 1998 and continues to occupy these premises, courtesy of an accommodation grant provided through the City of Sydney Council. [15]
In 2016 The Women's Library received an Edna Ryan Award for making a feminist difference through its contributions to the Arts. [16] The award was accepted by Vicki Harding who had returned as Public Officer. [17] It celebrated 20 years in Newtown in May 2018.
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Newtown, a suburb of Sydney's inner west, is located approximately four kilometres south-west of the Sydney central business district, straddling the local government areas of the City of Sydney and Inner West Council in the state of New South Wales, Australia.
The University of Technology Sydney (UTS) is a public research university located in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. The university was founded in its current form in 1988, though its origins as a technical institution can be traced back to the 1870s. UTS is a founding member of the Australian Technology Network (ATN), and is a member of Universities Australia (UA) and the Worldwide Universities Network (WUN).
Wendy Sharpe is an Australian artist who lives and works in Sydney and Paris. She has held over 70 solo exhibitions nationally and internationally, been awarded many national awards and artist residencies for her work, and was an official Australian War Artist to East Timor in 1999–2000.
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Australian feminist art timeline lists exhibitions, artists, artworks and milestones that have contributed to discussion and development of feminist art in Australia. The timeline focuses on the impact of feminism on Australian contemporary art. It was initiated by Daine Singer for The View From Here: 19 Perspectives on Feminism, an exhibition and publishing project held at West Space as part of the 2010 Next Wave Festival.
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Edna Minna Ryan, néeNelson was an Australian feminist and labour movement activist and writer, and a role model and mentor to a whole generation of women. Mary Owen wrote that she " may not have been the most outstanding woman in the women's movement but she has probably done more to improve the status of Australian women than any other person this century." For former Senator Susan Ryan : "She was the most inspiring and admirable woman I have known."
Joyce Stevens AM (1928–2014) was an Australian socialist-feminist activist, communist, and historian, one of the founders of the women's liberation movement in Sydney, prominent in the wave of feminism that began in the late 1960s in Australia.
Dorothy McRae-McMahon is a retired Australian Uniting Church minister and activist, formerly Minister at Pitt Street Uniting Church—known for its human rights work and local "street level" activism.
The Edna Ryan Awards, also referred to as simply "The EDNAS", are Australian awards established to recognise women who have "made a feminist difference". The inaugural Edna Ryan Awards were held in 1998, the year following the death of Edna Ryan. Ryan was a life-long feminist, labour movement activist, and mentor and role model for a whole generation of women. These awards were created to honour her life and work by a group of her friends, particularly Eva Cox and other members of the Women's Electoral Lobby (WEL).
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Lesbians on the Loose (LOTL) was a lesbian magazine published in Australia. It first appeared in Sydney in January 1990. It covered news, politics, social issues, and included celebrity interviews and stories on entertainment, pop culture, style and travel.
Wendy Murray, is a visual artist and arts educator, formerly known as Mini Graff. Under her former persona, Murray worked as an urban street-poster artist between 2003 and 2010, working in and around Sydney's urban fringe. Since 2014, Murray's art expanded into traditional forms of drawing and artist book design, whilst still engaging with social and political issues through poster-making. Murray's use of letraset transfers, accompanied with vibrant colours and fluorescent inks, references the work of studios from the 1960s through to the 1980s, including the community-based Earthworks Poster Collective and Redback Graphix. A 2018 collaboration with The Urban Crew, a 17-person collective of socially engaged geographers, planners, political scientists and sociologists, resulted in the Sydney – We Need to Talk! artist book, addressing issues of development, transport congestion, housing affordability and commercialisation of public space.
Jenna Price is an Australian journalist and academic. As of 2021, she is a visiting fellow at the Australian National University and The Sydney Morning Herald columnist. She is one of the founders of the online feminist movement, Destroy The Joint.
Deborah Jane Brennan is an Australian Professor in social policy research, who was awarded a Member of the Order of Australia, in the Queens Birthday Honours list, in 2022, for her significant service to social policy research, gender equity and tertiary education.
Bernice Moore is an Australian educator and former Sister of the Good Samaritan from Sydney. She is known for her significant contributions to the fields of education, feminist theology and social justice. Moore was awarded the Medal of the Order of Australia in 1997.
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