The Scottish Poetry Library, nerve center of the poetry community in Scotland, has launched an appeal to fund expansion plans for its building, via online donations and other fundraising exercises. The expansion program has already received considerable funding support, but needs further contributions to reach its target.

“The Space for Sound Campaign is a £450,000 [$703,785] refurbishment of the Scottish Poetry Library. Creative Scotland, The Binks Trust, Robert Gavron Charitable Trust and the Wolfson Foundation have given leadership contributions to our Space for Sound campaign but there remains £150,000 [$234,600] to raise in 2014. You are invited to help us meet this goal,” reads the appeal request. “Our vision is to create a flexible, contemporary space that preserves the spirit and indeed much of the Library as it currently exists, while releasing its full potential as a place to bring people and poems together, and as the springboard for the whole range of our poetry-sharing activities.”

The planned renovation of the Library’s existing Crichton’s Close premises will result in temporary closure of the premises, but on its reopening in mid-2015, the new arrangements should deliver:

  • * More space for books – our whole collection available in one place
  • * A large sound-proof space for discussion, learning, and poetry read aloud, enabling us to hold events in the daytime for young people, library and teaching professionals, and the rest of the community, without disturbing other Library users
  • * A space where children and their carers can enjoy poetry
  • * A space to record and edit audio to add to our digital collection and share our events online with a national and international audience
  • * A listening space with comfortable seating where visitors can enjoy our recordings, audio books and other digital resources
  • * Light, airy spaces to read for pleasure, study and work, with plenty of power sockets available for laptops and other devices
  • * A new, sheltered outdoor terrace for performance, conversation or reading
  • * A new area with bar-stool seating and a reading ledge looking out to the Close, with a selection of poetry magazines to hand
  • * An improved shop area, helping us to raise more funds.

For Scots and for poetry lovers in general, I can’t think of a much better opportunity to support a worthwhile literary cause. The SPL website is open now for donations.

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