This annual report tells the story of a year in the life of the Scottish Poetry Library, highlighting achievements and looking forward to the opportunities and challenges ahead. Next year, 2009, marks a milestone in the life of the library: 25 years since the SPL was founded, with two members of staff and 300 books in a single room. Our silver anniversary will be a chance to celebrate our history and build towards our future, and our next annual report, for 2008/09, will be the first of two covering our anniversary year.
language in orbit
a zoo in which you keep demons and angels
not an excuse
what makes the invisible appear
the syrup before it is diluted
a packsack of invisible keepsakes
what gets lost in translation either language lit up by life or life lit up by language
deep gossip
the language in which man explores his own amazement
the art of substantiating shadows
plucking at the heartstrings, and making music with them
a brilliant vibrating interface between the human and the non-human
the rhythmical creation of beauty in words
an energy-storing and an energyreleasing device
the art of uniting pleasure with truth
language at its most nourishing
an echo, asking a shadow to dance
life distilled
when an emotion has found its thought and the thought has found words
ordinary language raised to the nth power
thoughts that breathe, and words that burn
all that is worth remembering in life
Last year I said that books were central to our institutional life; but what are books without readers? Encouraging people to read poetry is central to our work, too, and the 13 per cent increase in the number of books borrowed from the SPL has been very heartening this year – as is the fact that, for the first time, our borrowers number more than 2,000. Those who needed encouragement and those who are already hooked attended a variety of reading groups at the SPL: they read new collections and explored classic authors; they relished ‘nothing but the poem’ sessions where two poems provided sufficient material for two hours of discussion. Not everyone has the SPL on their doorstep, and we do have a national remit. So we have thought hard about ways to make the pleasures of reading available across Scotland. One way is through the website – not restricted even to Scotland, should readers abroad wish to join in the discussion. Lilias Fraser has developed www.splreadingroom.org.uk extensively, and is keen that as many readers as possible should sample the delights of the site. Another way of spreading the word is through the Poetry Reader, the revamped version of what was the SPL Newsletter, which long-time supporters will remember as SPLASH. We wanted to reach a wider constituency of potential and actual readers of poetry, as well as informing Friends and friends of what the Library was doing. We gratefully acknowledge Duncan Glen’s design and editorial management of the newsletter over many years, and his design counsel for the new look; a whole team is now involved in producing the Reader, which suggests how much work Duncan did unobtrusively. I also want to acknowledge here the contribution made to the Library’s work by two members of staff who left during the year: Eilidh Bateman, who was with us for a short time but was a most welcoming presence at the front desk, and Angela Blacklock-Brown, who was with us for ten years and whose knowledge of the Scottish poetry world and of several languages was immensely useful to the Library, as was her care for our domestic arrangements. We welcomed Peggy Hughes to the new post of Communications Officer, and have already benefited from her quick understanding and communication skills.
The SPL operates within a literary and wider cultural context that has changed a great deal over the past few years. It enjoys a close relationship with its Royal Mile neighbours, Scottish Book Trust and the Scottish Storytelling Centre (now joined by Edinburgh Unesco City of Literature in Tweeddale Court), particularly in the field of education. ‘Literature in Learning’, our pilot project, is now continued by members of the Literature Forum for Scotland. Our common concerns about the place of literature in the new schools Curriculum for Excellence, and of Scottish literature specifically, are most effectively forwarded by collaborative action. This is also true of the Literature Forum itself, comprised of representatives of 22 literary organisations. It has taken a very active role in the ongoing discussions about the formation of Creative Scotland (amalgamating the Scottish Arts Council and Scottish Screen) and the Creative Scotland Bill. These are uncertain times for organisations such as the SPL, which has ‘foundation funded’ status from the Scottish Arts Council but no guaranteed level of support under the new dispensation, whenever that is settled. Funding for poetry can be a hard case to make, but we passionately believe that it is a case worth making. The definitions of poetry offered on the opening page of this report do not exhaust the range of its meanings, and remind us of its power to enrich our lives. As you will see in the following pages, the Scottish Poetry Library continues to take poetry into schools and other settings, runs a lively programme of events, and plays its part in publishing, nurturing writers and readers alike. I am, as always, deeply grateful to the committed and imaginative SPL staff, to the Board and Friends for their support, and to all our funders and partners for helping us widen the reading circle.
Robyn Marsack Director
Our collection is unique, and we want it to be available to as many readers as possible. This year, we worked hard to provide opportunities for people to discover, explore and make use of it – offering encouragement and guidance as well as access. On National Poetry Day we announced a £50,000 grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund towards the acquistion and development of material relating to Edwin Morgan. The Edwin Morgan Archive, to be launched in 2009, will offer opportunities for the public to make creative use of work by Scotland’s most distinguished living writer. Over the next year we will develop learning resources through consultation with stakeholder groups, run primary school workshops and train volunteers to work on the archive from cataloguing to conservation. In December we launched our second most northerly outreach collection in Orkney, sending 125 poetry titles to Stromness Library. We appointed Pam Beasant to the role of Poet Partner in Orkney, with a remit to organise poetry reading groups, workshops and performances.
We expanded our Poet Partners scheme to Elgin and Bearsden as well as Orkney, adding to those already in post at outreach collections in Ayr, Shetland and Dumfries and Galloway. From Brae High School in Shetland to teachers in East Dunbartonshire, readers are benefiting from the support and guidance of dedicated Poet Partners. Our reading groups offered a choice of formats: whether the groups were facilitated by a member of staff or gave readers a free rein to follow their particular passions, were focused on a single poem or an entire collection, they offered time and space for readers to consider some of the most interesting contemporary and recent poetry.
Discussion groups for poetry readers formed the interactive core of our Reading Room, www. readingroom.spl.org.uk. This virtual extension of the library made us accessible worldwide: along with opportunities to contribute reviews of poetry titles and events, the Reading Room features ideas, recommendations and resources for readers and librarians alike. Reading tips, writing guides, advice on reciting poems, facilitating a poetry discussion and getting published... Our Poetry Box brought all these elements together in one package, a distillation of the expertise and ethusiasm that visitors encounter on a visit to the SPL. Boxes were supplied to our outreach collections, enticing library users from Shetland to the Borders to explore the furthest reaches of the poetry shelves. Our programme of publications continued to support accomplished and interesting writing that deserves to be read; from our pocket-sized sampler of contemporary Gaelic poems with Scots and English responses, to the richly illustrated record and sourcebook of a poetry residency in the Glasgow Botanical Gardens, to our anthology of Catalan poems with specially commissioned translations by Scottish poets. When we asked people to tell us about their mostloved poems by Edwin Morgan, we had hundreds of enthusiastic responses: from poets, writers, politicians, musicians and those who voted through libraries, websites and by post. We published fifty favourites in From Saturn to Glasgow, and thousands of copies of the collection – the first ever poetry title to be chosen as a city-wide read –were distributed free throughout Glasgow for the Aye Write! Bank of Scotland Book Festival.
For many, the rewards of writing poetry might be nothing to do with becoming a published poet, and everything to do with learning to think creatively and exercise the imagination; with sharing stories, making connections and developing understanding of others. This year we created opportunities for people of all ages and backgrounds to experience the benefits of writing poetry. Using visual art as a springboard for poetry offers a place to start when it comes to putting words on paper. Inspired? Get Writing! – the competition organised in partnership with the National Galleries of Scotland and the English Speaking Union – encouraged aspiring writers of all ages to respond poetically to the national art collection. The best entries from 2005/06 and 2006/07 were collected in an anthology published in time for National Poetry Day. Poems can communicate more powerfully than any other written form: writing poetry can provide a way for people’s stories to be heard. With Oxfam, we invited participants from a range of backgrounds to share experiences of life in Scotland. A mix of incomers – mainly asylum seekers – and native Scots took part in workshops that aimed to change perceptions within the writers’ groups as well as developing knowledge of writing and poetry. Resulting poems were displayed on Glasgow and Edinburgh buses to mark Human Rights Day.
Translating poetry has its own particular challenges: in return, it offers a way to explore the depth and the boundaries of a language, opening doors to different cultures. We worked with Literature Across Frontiers to host a week of translation workshops, discussions and readings for poets from Egypt, Israel, Turkey, Scotland and Wales. As well as introducing poets to
Scotland and the beatiful setting of Crear, this project developed a wider audience for Scottish poets, and provided an opportunity for them to place their work in an international context. We extended the reach of poetry into the primary curriculum with our Poetry & Music sessions. Working with poet Matthew Fitt, pupils in Glasgow wrote poems in Scots, then set them to music with musicians from the Scottish Chamber Orchestra. The children produced a mini-operetta, The Maryhill Tod, which they performed for the school and parents; the project received accolades from pupils, teachers, parents and artists alike. We aim to repeat the workshops in different areas, constructing an audio map of Scotland’s dialects. Our Poets in the House workshops, developed with the National Trust for Scotland, were hugely oversubscribed, and pupil evaluations rated them as the most popular we have run. These poet-led sessions took place in the NTS Georgian House, encouraging imaginative responses to stories of Edinburgh’s Old Town. Workshops also provided professional development opportunities for teachers and National Trust Scotland guides. Schools from out of town as well as Edinburgh benefited from writing workshops that developed pupils’ reactions to a tour of Parliament. Poetry offers a fresh, focused form for consideration of large questions of national identity and civic responsibility. Traditionally poets have loved to meditate on landscapes, and these days do so with new urgency. With the able guidance of Liz Niven in West Lothian and Kenneth Steven in Argyll, hundreds of schoolchildren had their descriptive skills honed and their perceptions sharpened when writing about their locality.
Poetry comes to life when people come together, to perform and to listen. The range of events we organised this year reflects the diversity of contemporary poetry, and the different ways in which people enjoy it: from calm, close study to romantic revelry, every event was a celebration of poetry. A dreamy theme for National Poetry Day led to the dazzling Dream Poets Tour, a cross-border gathering. Patience Agbabi, Robert Crawford, Gwyneth Lewis and Gearoid Mac Lochlainn visited the four capital cities of the UK to perform poetry in contemporary and medieval Scots, Irish Gaelic, Welsh, and even Latin, as well as in English. By turns confrontational and conversational, hypnotic and hilarious, the Dream Poets Tour showcased the variety and strength of poetry across the UK, and drew a full house in Edinburgh’s Netherbow theatre. Poetry lives and thrives in the pages of pamphlets and little magazines. By Leaves We Live, our annual one-day celebration of small presses and artists books, was a chance to get inside the covers of contemporary poetry publishing. Poets, editors and publishers benefited from a rare networking opportunity, and lively panel discussions examined some of the challenges of poetry publishing. Meanwhile readers were able to talk to exhibitors and listen to presentations from poets, curators, artists, publishers and designers. Special attractions included the unveiling of ‘The Monster’, the duplicator used by Gael Turnbull to print the influential Migrant magazine, and the first book-fair opportunity to buy works from Wild Hawthorn Press, the archive of Ian Hamilton Finlay. A good poem takes time to get to know, often revealing itself over several readings. Each of our Close Readings events focused on just two poems, as leading writers Ruth Padel, Don Paterson and Annie Freud guided their attentive listeners through elements of sound, sense and image before opening up the discussion to the audience.
Like the Desert Island Discs format that inspired it, our Selected Works series offers insights into the cultural formation of well-known writers, broadcasters and poets. This year Simon Armitage talked about the particular resonance he finds in poems that sound like speech; Alexander McCall Smith paid tribute to his poetic hero W H Auden and Michael Longley hymned Louis MacNeice; U A Fanthorpe and Rosie Bailey, with Diana Hendry and Hamish Whyte, made a Valentine’s selection; and August Kleinzahler visited Dumfries with a selection that ranged from the USA to Northumbria. Glasgow’s Big City Read was launched with a ‘Morganathon’ – a 24-hour marathon reading of Morgan’s poems – much of it centred round From Saturn to Glasgow: fifty favourite poems by Edwin Morgan, published by the SPL with Carcanet Press. To ensure the city’s libraries were prepared for a month of Morgan madness, we ran special training sessions to equip librarians with the confidence and know-how to bring poetry to life through reading groups, events and promotional displays. It wasn’t just wine that sparkled at our Valentine’s Party. The effervescent John Hegley performed a romantically-themed set, delighting couples, singles and groups alike with his customary comic genius. Less fattening than dinner à deux, more fun than a night in with the cat – the perfect mix of poems, music and kir royales meant everyone went home happy.
The Scottish Poetry Library is a unique national resource and advocate for the enriching art of poetry.
Imagination – we present poetry to the public in many different ways, through our collections, events, education programme, publications, and our work with partners to produce innovative pairings of poetry with other arts and activities
Passion – we seek to convey our conviction that poetry can enrich people’s lives on many and varied levels, alongside our enthusiasm for the resources and the services that the SPL offers
Knowledge – we have the professional skills to open up the world of poetry to readers, researchers and writers, through librarianship, educational services, and in an advisory capacity whether on an individual or institutional basis
Openness – we are committed to maintaining the accessibility of our resources, by ensuring that they are freely and widely available, and by providing a courteous, friendly and non-discriminatory service
To enhance the appreciation of poetry in society at large and particularly in education, and to promote its value among the practised arts
To provide an information and resource centre for poetry, based on the collections, catalogue and Library website; thus to encourage increased study and awareness of Scottish poets and poetry in particular, within Scotland and abroad. To provide this as a service readily accessible to all
To promote and encourage international contacts, including translation from, as well as into, Scotland’s languages
To support contemporary poets, and poetry organisations/groups, through commissions, publications/resources, engagements and building use
To manage, sustain and develop the organisation in order to deliver these aims, encouraging investment in the SPL’s activities through partnerships, membership, and public interaction
Honorary Presidents Seamus Heaney Liz Lochhead Edwin Morgan Derick Thomson Board Members Gordon Bell (Finance Convenor) Joyce Caplan (Chairman) Christine De Luca John Glenday Andrew McDougall (Secretary) Mario Relich Cynthia Rogerson Ailsa Stratton Martyn Wade Bankers Bank of Scotland 91 Holyrood Road, Edinburgh EH8 8AW Auditors Alexander Sloan, Chartered Accountants 1 Atholl Place, Edinburgh EH3 8HP Solicitors Gillespie Macandrew 5 Atholl Crescent, Edinburgh EH11 1DQ Company Number 155684 Scottish Charity Number SCO23311 Director Robyn Marsack Librarian Julie Johnstone Library Assistants Eilidh Bateman (to October 2007) Angela Blacklock-Brown (to November 2007) Administrator Richard Meyer-Glass Education Officer Lorna Irvine Reader Development Officer Lilias Fraser Marketing Officer Jane Alexander Communications Officer Peggy Hughes (from December 2007) Finance Jane Simpson, CA Eric Wishart (Hon. Treasurer) Open Monday-Friday 11-6 and Saturday 1-5 5 Crichton’s Close, Canongate, Edinburgh EH8 8DT Tel 0131 557 2876 www.spl.org.uk
To volunteers: Dawn Baird, Sheena Black, Pauline Calder, Anne Marie Causer, Neil Christie, Sarah Conlon, Shea’la Finch, Peter France, Ann Gwilt, Alexei McDonald, Wendy Metcalfe, Piroska Nemeth, Jerry Peyton, Mairi Ritchie, Pamela Wells, Mary Woodward To donors, funders & sponsors: • Scottish Arts Council and the National Lottery through the Scottish Arts Council • The National Lottery through the Heritage Lottery Fund, the National Fund for Acquisitions, Friends of the National Libraries • City of Edinburgh Council, East Dunbartonshire Council, Glasgow City Council, West Lothian Council, the Scottish Executive, Scottish Library and Information Council • the Binks Trust, the Paul Hamlyn Foundation • Bòrd na Gàidhlig, Commun na Gàidhlig, Edinburgh City of Literature Trust, Educational Institute of Scotland • Oxfam Scotland • Creative New Zealand, the Daiwa Anglo-Japanese Foundation, the Great Britain Sasakawa Foundation • the family and friends of the late Andrew Dickson • Design Links, Leckie & Leckie To partner organisations: Arvon at Moniack, the British Council, the Ceilidh Place (Ullapool), the Collins Gallery (University of Strathclyde), Culture and Sport Glasgow, Dumfries & Galloway Arts Association, East Dumbartonshire Libraries, Edinburgh City Libraries, Edinburgh International Book Festival, Elgin Library, Falkirk Libraries, the Goethe-Institut Glasgow, Literature Across Frontiers, Moray Libraries, National Archives of Scotland, National Galleries of Scotland, National Library of Scotland, National Museum of Scotland, Orkney Library and Archive, Poetry Association of Scotland, Poetry Book Society, Poetry Society, The Reader, School of Poets, Scottish Book Trust, the Scottish Parliament, Scottish Storytelling Centre, Shetland Arts, Shetland Library, StAnza, Ullapool Book Festival, University of West of Scotland Ayr, Western Isles Libraries Book donors have become so generous and numerous that we cannot list them here, but they may be found on the website in the ‘About Us’ section.
Income and expenditure for the year ended 31 March 2008 2007-2008 2006-200 restated Donations 5,764 1,573 Interest receivable 7,297 5,344 Membership subs & gift aid 13,777 9,591 Programme income 56,978 43,935 Self-generated income 83,816 60,443 SAC revenue 203,173 157,923 SAC other grants 43,665 78,435 Local authorities 16,233 22,912 Trust, foundation & public body grants 17,221 - Adele Stewart Fund - 2,500 Building Fund - 6,959 Edwin Morgan Archive Fund 79,500 Grants 359,792 268,729 Total incoming resources 443,608 329,172 Staff costs 147,881 157,181 Marketing costs 13,369 12,285 Governance costs 1,227 1,503 Programme costs 91,377 87,120 Adminstration costs 57,007 56,358 Restricted funds expenditure 5,985 Total expenditure 316,846 314,447 Net incoming resources 126,762 14,725 Made up of: Designated & restricted funds 110,532 9,459 General fund 16,230 5,266 Balance sheet as at 31 March 2008 2007-2008 2006-2007 restated Fixed assets (tangible) 984,295 956,421 Current assets (stock, debtors,cash) 189,637 130,497 Creditors falling due within one year (38,468) (78,216) Net current assets 151,169 52,281 1,135,464 1,008,702 Creditors falling due after one year Interest free loan (3,000) (3,000) 1,132,464 1,005,702 Financed by: Capital and reserves General Fund 67,629 51,399 Designated Funds 987,803 2,500 Restricted Funds 77,032 951,803 1,132,464 1,005,702
Income Following the appointment of new auditors, the policy on the recognition of income has been altered. All grant income is now recognised when received, unless there are specific conditions that are not met. Previously we have treated as ‘deferred income’ all the grants received up-front but only partially spent during the financial year, leaving funds for the next year that have already been committed to projects. This income has now been recognised as in ‘designated’ and ‘restricted’ funds as appropriate, with only a small amount remaining as ‘deferred’. While our revenue grant from the Scottish Arts Council increased, the ‘other grants’ from the SAC were considerably lower than last year, as various projects came to an end and new ones were funded from other sources. Local authority grants also reflect the projects undertaken for local authorities; Glasgow City Council continues to support publication projects generously. Friends subscriptions are a vital part of the programme income (nearly 20%), and the increase this year with the associated increase from Gift Aid was very welcome. The lively SPL events programme brought in improved income, as did the sale of books and other items, and venue hire. The continuing success of applications to public bodies and trusts is evident. Receiving funds up front means, of course, that our special deposit account earns more interest, nearly £2,000 more than last year. The notes on restricted and designated funds in the full accounts explain the comparatively large amounts carried forward into the new financial year. Notable among these are the Edwin Morgan Archive funds, which relate both to the new asset of the Archive itself, and to the Heritage Lottery grant for its development. The SPL is deeply grateful to the family of Andrew Dickson for requesting that donations in his memory should be made to the Library. This will be used towards two publications for schools that will offer a marvellous resource and long-lasting reading pleasure. Expenditure Expenditure in 2007-2008 was slightly above last year’s, with operating costs only marginally increased. The main areas of increased costs, quite properly, were the events programme and the education programme, which indicates the high level of activity in both these areas. The events costs include the training programme for librarians on the Poets House model, the events connected with National Poetry Day, and the SPL’s work with far-flung collections. The education programme includes series of workshops in West Lothian and Argyll, as well as the collaborations with galleries, Holyrood and the Scottish Chamber Orchestra. Although the number of SPL publications was fewer than the previous year, the publication of the Edwin Morgan anthology, distributed free throughout Glasgow, accounts for a large part of the expenditure. The costs of National Poetry Day postcards was less than the previous year as fewer were printed, given the difficulty of finding suitable sponsors (although still nearly half a million were distributed). Operational costs have been kept steady, despite fuel costs rising and a more extensive web presence requiring more hosting capacity. Staff costs are lower due to vacancies in the education and library teams. This mainly accounts for the surplus carried forward to the general reserve, which the Board is pleased to see back at the level of 2000-2001.
Board Statement These summarised financial statements have been extracted from the Scottish Poetry Library’s Annual Report and Accounts, which were approved by the Board on 2 September 2008. Copies of the full accounts will be filed with Companies House. These summarised financial statements may not contain sufficient information to allow a full understanding of the results and financial affairs of the company. For further information, the full accounts, the Auditor’s Report on these accounts and the Report of the Board should be consulted. Copies of these are available from the Scottish Poetry Library, 5 Crichton’s Close, Edinburgh EH8 8DT. Andrew McDougall Secretary to the Board on 19 September 2008 Auditor’s Statement to the Board of the Scottish Poetry Library We have examined the summarised financial statements set out on these pages. Respective Responsibilities of the Board and Auditors The company’s Board members are responsible for the preparation of the summarised financial statements. We have agreed to report to you our opinion on the summarised financial statements’ consistency with the full financial statements on which we reported to you. Basis of Opinion We have carried out the procedures we consider necessary to ascertain whether the summarised financial statements are consistent with the full financial statements from which they have been prepared. Opinion In our opinion the summarised financial statements are consistent with the full financial statements for the year ended 31 March 2008. Alexander Sloan Registered Auditors 19 September 2008
Designed by Neil Christie Printed by Cranston Print Ltd on 100% recycled paper