Earlier this year Senior Library Assistant Louise Scollay from Shetland Library attended the Next Library Conference in Aarhus, Denmark. There, she presented a session entitled ‘Playful, Powerful, Poignant – Reminiscing Session with Shetland Library.’ The session focused on the Memories Shetland reminiscence groups which meet in the library. Louise received a Bursary from the Scottish Library and Information Council to attend the Conference. Here she talks about her experience.
‘I decided to apply for the Next Conference Bursary after seeing the email from SLIC encouraging people to take part. I had already been to the ‘If Libraries Ran Europe Amsterdam Summit’ in September 2024 and that encouraged me to apply. And I thought it would be great to represent Shetland Library and let more people know about what we do.”
The Next Library Conference took place in May 2025 in Aarhus, Denmark. Louise’s 60-minute session focused on explaining the management and planning processes behind the Memories Shetland groups as well as taking the opportunity to show delegates first-hand the positive effects of participation.
Louise said: “We have been running Memories Shetland for about two years now and the groups are fantastic. It’s a great service for older people – we create a bespoke experience for them that has such a positive impact on their wellbeing. We received fantastic training from Memories Scotland and information on best practice for sessions and since then some amazing memories have been shared.”
“Many of the people who attend the groups weren’t using the library before. But it’s opened up more possibilities, with lots of them now accessing things like our mobile library service.”
At the conference Louise created three groups of around 20 people. She then gave them each a blank sheet of paper and a few physical resources to create their own memories session. Each group had their own theme – Books & Reading, Food & Drink and Nature. They could then discuss the objects and how they would use it in a memories group session. After about 15 minutes the groups swapped plans and carried out the prepared sessions.
Louise said: “It was an enormously powerful experience and many people in the group were really moved. I had emotional check-ins at the beginning and end of the session to make sure that everyone was ok. The check-ins were to reflect on how they felt – to see if they experienced some of the positive impacts to our wellbeing which reminiscing can bring.
“In each group I had a mix of frontline staff, people in management and people involved in library and archives. And at least one person from each group said they would take the idea back to their organisation and try something similar – It really made an impact.”
The Memories Shetland group was set up with the help of Memories Scotland – a Scotland-wide project connecting heritage resources with reminiscence activity. The project is supported by the Public Library Improvement Fund and has provided continual training and support. Last year, Shetland Library decided to create a second Memories Shetland group to help cope with demand. Now, they have two monthly sessions – one on the last Friday of the month and one on the first Monday of the month.
Louise said: “The Memories Shetland group really gives them agency – we ask the group for themes they would like to cover in the next session – whether that’ s shopping, local places, or school days. We will then plan the session and think about the types of things we could discuss.
“It’s a positive experience for all involved. Like many library services our frontline staff wear many hats, but the group has given them the capacity to develop sessions and really run with the concept. It’s given us all an incredible boost.
“Memories Scotland have a host on online training videos which cover things like how to plan a session, how to communicate with empathy and best practice. But we also do a lot ourselves. We have a great resource in the Shetland Museum and Archive which has digitalised a lot of photos. They also have handling boxes covering different subjects like ‘the kitchen’ or ‘school’ which is ideal for the groups.
“But we have learned that ‘less is more’ – at one point we did a session on school days, and the box had things like a bell and an old leather strap in it. Everyone wanted to hold the items and so we now focus on one item at a time before bringing out another.”
The Shetland team have also thought about timings for the group and how many people take part. As a Dementia-friendly library and a designated warm space, they plan sessions for early in the afternoon and have found that having around 10-12 people in each group is the ideal amount to encourage participation.
She said: “We decided to do it not too late in the day so that people had something to look forward to. Lots of people turn up about an hour beforehand for a cup of tea and a chat. For many that’s the only bit of socialising they will have that day and it’s helping to tackling social isolation. You can though have too many people – we have realised that the sweet spot is between 10-12 people. That’s why we started the second session which has been going for over a year now.
“As library professionals we reminisce anyway as part of everyday conversations with our customers – whether it’s about the weather or local buildings – we do it all the time. We are so well placed as local hubs in the community. It’s been a great way to promote our library services too. Ten or 15 years ago I don’t think this would have been happening. Libraries are now so many things to so many people and the group is having such a positive impact. We are more of a third space than ever.”
Affirming and Inspiring
The Next Library Conference was established in 2009 and is usually held every two years. It explores the ever-evolving nature of the public library in the 21st century. SLIC regularly offers a bursary for Scottish delegates to attend.
Louise said: “The whole conference experience was empowering, being able to see and hear from the people – the frontline staff – who deliver the services and talk about them.
“I would really encourage more people to put in a bursary application as you get so much out of it. The Ignite Talks were especially mind-blowing – five-minute talks on some fantastic projects from all over the world from places as far away as Korea. It’s been really inspiring.”
She added “I think we should have more opportunities here for library professionals and communities to come together to plan, daydream and chat – one of the biggest messages from the keynote speakers at Next. It gives us the chance to see the wider profession in context and feel part of the community.”
