Liverpool University is home to the only major collection of SF&F literature in the UK. The material came mainly from the Science Fiction Foundation, but a number of authors and fans have also donated material. Andy Sawyer, the librarian, gave me a tour of the stacks, and I got to hold the Hugo trophy that John Brunner won for Stand on Zanzibar.

This really is a very special resource, and I note that Andy and his colleagues are dependent on donations. They can’t just go out and buy things. Unfortunately keeping eBooks is complicated because of DRM nonsense (library policies tend to be driven by what the big publishers want them to do), but I’ll make sure that Andy gets a copy of every paper book that Wizard’s Tower produces. I think I also have copies of every BristolCon program book. And I’m going to take a look at my audio archives because there’s no guarantee I’ll be able to keep all of that stuff online forever.

Libraries. They are good things. Please support them.