Shettleston Library Centenary Celebrations
Written by Spela Dolinsek, Glasgow Life Assistant
On Friday 20th of February 1925 Shettleston community received a gift of a new library from Glasgow City Council. In the last 100 years the library has changed a lot, but the community continues to keep it alive and going strong.
In the lead up to this anniversary, we collected many memories from people who visited the library. Some have been coming for years and still remember the library as it was before the refurbishment in 1997. From these, we have learned what the library meant to them as children, how they found solace and developed their imagination with the help of books.
An archival image of Shettleston Library in use!
They have seen many changes to their beloved library over the years such as shelving, furniture, introduction of technology like photocopiers, PCs and scanners. They have also seen the withdrawal of audio and video in order to “move with the times”. The one constant that was mentioned was the valuable help and knowledge received from the staff.
On Thursday 20th of February 2025, we will celebrate 100 years of Shettleston Library. Celebrations were carefully prepared by the Shettleston History Project who collected memories, photos and information about the library and Shettleston area. In a week beginning on 17th, you will be able to read, learn and chat about the events and people who lived and shaped Shettleston and Tollcross. We will host presentations and talks by historians and history lovers who collected local information: Donald Forbes – custodian of Tollcross Park, Tom Laird a local author who grew up in the area and wrote about it in his books, Harry Driver who will talk about Shettleston Heritage Trail and Peter Douglas who will present a memory box from the 1925 era.
Events to mark our celebration include an author visit by Jenny Colgan, quiz night for adults, storytelling session, gams session and a Bookbug visit for children to enjoy.
Everyone is always welcome in Shettleston Library so please come and join when we celebrate 100 years of knowledge, books and community.
