Matter of life and death
PROJECT PUTS SPOTLIGHT ON ATTITUDES TO DYING
PEOPLE’S attitudes towards death are to be investigated by Kirklees Council.
Kirklees Libraries is part of a research consortium which won a £50,000 grant from the Engaging Libraries Programme.
Working with libraries in Newcastle in the North East and Redbridge in London, Kirklees will investigate if people’s attitudes to death change depending on where they live, their cultural backgrounds or both.
The Tickets for the Afterlife project will engage the public through interactive installations, death cafés, panel debates and workshops in local hospices.
Almost half of all UK library services applied to the Engaging Libraries programme, which is run by The Carnegie UK Trust, Wellcome and the Wolfson Foundation.
It brings vital research projects at universities into the heart of local communities, using libraries to encourage and share learning.
Kirklees chief librarian and Libraries Connected presidentelect Carol Stump said: “Having followed the earlier incarnation of the Engaging Libraries programme with interest, we are thrilled to have successfully partnered with one of the great successes from that first phase to explore the difficult themes of death and dying through the safe and trusted space of the public library.
“The broadening of scope from the first project, both in terms of widening the geography and the activities, as well as working with our additional local partner Kirkwood Hospice, should provide some significant learning for the wider public library sector, and I’m delighted to support it both in Kirklees and across the wider Libraries Connected network.”
Sarah Davidson, CEO of the Carnegie UK Trust, said: “Engaging Libraries is all about giving people the opportunity to access, use and respond to research.
“Libraries have a unique position as trusted, safe spaces at the heart of our communities, and this programme is designed to help people explore new ideas and even play a role in influencing research,” she added.
“The process will also give university researchers a great opportunity to make connections between their ideas, research findings and the knowledge and experiences of local communities.