THE National Library of Scotland has announced a U-turn on its decision not to include a book written by gender-critical campaigners in the main part of a public exhibition.
The Women Who Wouldn’t Wheesht, a collection of essays by figures including JK Rowling and Joanna Cherry, was not included in the “Dear Library” exhibition – which saw 200 books out of 523 nominated by the public selected for display to mark the library’s 100th anniversary.
A Freedom of Information request revealed that the book had been nominated by four members of the public, with staff noting in papers prepared for a meeting on whether to include it: “The nominations for this book were all received within 2 days of each other which suggests that it may have been a coordinated nomination, and therefore the group may actively check to see if the book has been included once the exhibition opens.”
All the books to receive multiple nominations were included based on “popular appeal”, the document stated.
However, LGBT staff raised concerns that including The Women Who Wouldn’t Wheesht would be seen as a library endorsement of the book’s arguments, warning of “severe harm to staff” and a "detrimental" impact on relationships with marginalised communities.
Ultimately, National Library of Scotland chief executive Amina Shah said the book should not be included in the most public-facing display due to “the potential impact on key stakeholders and the reputation of the library”. Drummond Bone, the chair of the board, agreed.
Instead, it was made available in the library’s reading room along with 322 other nominated books.
On Thursday, the National Library of Scotland said that Shah and Bone had met with the book’s editors – Susan Dalgety and Lucy Hunter Blackburn – and they would now include it in the main exhibition.
A statement said: “The library has spent the past few weeks exploring options to address the matter. Part of this work involved holding a meeting between the National Librarian, the chair of the board, and the book’s editors, which took place yesterday (September 3).
“At yesterday’s meeting, the National Librarian and chair of the board heard the editors’ concerns and apologised for not consulting them in the decision making. The library also had further conversations with staff and other exhibition stakeholders.”
It went on: “The library will work with the book’s editors and other exhibition stakeholders to ensure that the book’s placement in the exhibition is constructive and inclusive.
“The library will place the book on the exhibition shelves by the end of the week.”
Shah said: “The library’s collections span centuries, and we can use these to explore some of the most pressing issues of our time.
“We aspire to bring people together, and encourage respectful and constructive conversation. We will always be inclusive, and we will always welcome everyone to the library.”
