This morning, Dundee University launched a new ‘period library’ to tackle the stigma surrounding menstruation conversations.
Students and staff can now access the book collection brought by the joint effort of the Period Power project alongside staff from Library and Learning and Culture and Information.
The university-funded initiative will be open at the university’s main library and Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art & Design, Ninewells and Kirkaldy libraries.
Amy Mclaughlin, who has been working with Student Services on the project, said, “This year Scotland made history by becoming the first country in the world to offer free period products, and of course, that’s a great step in ending period poverty, but there’s still a long way to go when it comes to ending stigma.”
The institution is no stranger to addressing period-related issues. In 2017, thanks to the government fund to deal with student period poverty, it became the first to provide free sanitary products for all of its students.
They placed the environmentally friendly products in all toilets. A decision aimed at normalising boys getting sanitary products and ensuring the trans community had easy access to these commodities.
Sharon Sweeney, leader of the project said, “We take the term ‘learner’ literally at the University so that whoever is on campus engaged in any form of formal or informal learning can benefit from the collection and the provision of the single-use and reusable products.”
