Death Positive Libraries
Death positive libraries aimed to remove the barriers to talking about death and dying through a range of innovative activities that appeal to diverse communities.
Thanks to funding from Wellcome Trust, The Wolfson Foundation and Carnegie Trust UK, Redbridge, Kirklees and Newcastle library services, and a team of academics from the University of Northumbria including Dr Claire Nally & Dr Stacey Pitsilides, have been developing events and activities that focus on engaging residents in conversations around death, dying and planning for end of life since 2018.
Redbridge Library Service coined the phrase ‘death positive library’ to reflect its contribution to the growing social and philosophical movement that encourages people to speak openly about death and dying.
Working with colleagues across the sector, including the Universal Library Offer groups, our plan was to create a national framework to enable all libraries to be death positive, so they can provide effective support focused on death-related issues for their communities.
Our approach included identifying regional champions to act as advocates and developing toolkits and training to increase confidence and understanding. We also planned to develop partnerships with relevant organisations and services, as well as support the development of pilot projects at local, regional and national levels.
https://www.facebook.com/DeathPositiveLibrary