Press Release
Librarians on loan again between Orkney and Shetland
The "Librarians on loan" from Orkney. Left to right: Janice Forsyth, Betty Stanger and Maureen Drever.
Orkney Library staff visit Shetland this month for the return leg of a special exchange project between the two island Libraries.
The ‘Librarians on Loan’ project involves staff staging joint events in each other’s Libraries, and has been made possible by funding from the Scotland’s Islands initiative. The events staged will have a particular emphasis on culture and dialect. The project will encourage the public to use the two Libraries, while the staff exchange is an opportunity to gain experience and to share best practice.
Shetland staff visited Orkney in September and put on several events including a popular Orkney vs Shetland Open-mic Poetry Night. The poetry night idea is to be re-created in Shetland: the three visiting Orcadians will be bringing Orkney poems to read, but local Orcadians are also invited to come along and read poems to bolster their team.
Another evening event being staged is called Whassigo -– borrowed from Radio Orkney, this event is a bit like ‘Call My Bluff’ using dialect words. Staff will also jointly host a ‘Peedie Bookbug’ session of dialect stories and songs for pre-school children.
Shetland staff are very much looking forward to working with their Orkney counterparts again, and Gary Amos, Orkney’s Library and Archive Manager said:
‘So much more than a cultural exchange ‘Librarians on loan’ offers a unique experience for both participants and audiences alike. We are really pleased that both Orkney and Shetland Library services can kick start their 2012 calendar of events with such a fine initiative.’
Whassigo will take place on Tuesday 14 February at 19.30, Peedie Bookbug at 11.00 on Wednesday 15, with the Open Mic night later that evening at 19.30.
For more information on the Scotland’s Islands initiative visit: www.scotlandsislands.com