Glasgow Women’s Library (GWL) is a vibrant information hub housing a lending library, archive collections, contemporary and historical artefacts relating to women’s lives, histories and achievements. The Library is a charity that celebrates the lives and achievements of women, champions their historical, cultural and political contributions to Scotland and acts as a catalyst to eradicate the prevalent gender gap that contributes to inequalities in Scotland.
GWL has been providing information, resources and services since 1991. It developed from the broad-based arts organisation Women in Profile (WiP), which was set up in 1987 with the aim of ensuring that the representation of women’s culture was evident during Glasgow’s year as the European City of Culture in 1990. WiP comprised community artists, grass-roots activists, academics, students and broad-based arts practitioners who collectively ran a year-long season of events, workshops, exhibitions, projects and other activities. The organisation gathered documentation and materials relating to its activities and, following consultation with the local community and women’s groups across the City of Glasgow, opened Glasgow Women’s Library.