The Autumn 2019 issue of BDSLife for Libraries looks inside the German National Library in Leipzig, an institution that bears witness to a nation’s history not only through its collections but also through its many extensions and architectural styles. We also visit the The Women’s Library, part of the library at the London School of Economics, where the history of the collection reflects the turbulent history of the struggle for gender equality over the past 100 years. Our new RDA enhanced retrospective conversion service receives exposure while the ongoing sponsorship of two arts initiatives, one in Dumfries in the world of classical music, and the other as part of the London Borough of Culture’s series of events, are featured on the final pages of the magazine. Conference season reports cover IFLA returning to the cradle of democracy and ALA taking place in Washington DC, locations that span the history of Western culture and the democratisation of learning that libraries embody.
