Introduction

To celebrate the Manchester City of Literature's Festival of Libraries, Trafford Local Studies Centre brings you a brand new virtual exhibition exploring the histories of the borough’s libraries.

Using original archives and artefacts from Trafford’s collection, we will take you on a journey from Victorian literary institutions through to the modern libraries that serve the residents of Trafford today.

Find out how Sale Public Library welcomed radical speakers on the subjects of socialism and the suffrage movement, how Hale Library burnt books to stop the spread of infectious diseases, and how Stretford Library was bombed during the Second World War. The history of Trafford’s libraries is anything but quiet.