There’s a toilet roll, in Glasgow Women’s Library, which is remarkable for two reasons.

Firstly, it is one of only 100 produced and secondly, it tells an almost unbelievable story of discrimination against women.

In the past, many law firms and chambers simply did not have female toilet facilities - and this was used as a reason to prevent women from advancing in the profession.

“It’s a bizarre story,” smiles GWL’s Enterprise Development Manager Sue John.

Read more: Glasgow Women's Library celebrates 25 years

“So it had to be told in a bizarre way. The toilet roll is part of the First 100 Years Project, which is dedicated to preserving and celebrating the history of women in law. It was donated to us, and it’s one of only 100 in existence so it’s fantastic to have it here.”

The toilet roll is just one of many fascinating artefacts which have found their way into Recognition and Reflection, an exhibition celebrating 25 years of Glasgow Women’s Library.

Sue explains: “This is our story, from our infant days, through the growth spurts and mini-crises of our teenage years, to early adulthood and where we are today.

“It has been an amazing story.”

As well as documents and photographs, the exhibition – which runs until October 8 – contains an array of intriguing objects retrieved from the library’s nationally recognised archive and museum collections.

“One of my favourites is Paula McGuire’s fantastic Moonwalk bra, donated in 2014 as part of our Commonwealth Games Legacy project,” smiles Sue.

“From a standing start, and overcoming her own fears and chronic shyness, she took on the challenge of trying out all 17 sports featured at the games.”

There are stories like Paula’s behind many of the objects donated to the library and of course, there are too many objects to include them all in the current exhibition.

The archives – state of the art, temperature controlled and fire resistant – contain all manner of interesting items, such as the Panko playing cards, from 1910 and Carrie Nation’s little hatchet pin from around the same time.

Panko, or Votes for women is billed as “the great card game: suffragists v anti-suffragists” and was distributed by the Women's Social and Political Union to raise funds during the suffrage campaign.

Read more: Glasgow Women's Library celebrates 25 years

Carrie Nation was a fierce American Temperance campaigner famous for attacking alcohol-serving establishments with an axe. She adopted the name Carry A. Nation in later years, and it is this which is engraved on the tiny pin sold to raise money for her campaign.

Visitors to the exhibition will be able to see documents relating to some of the library’s biggest and most successful projects of the last quarter-century, such as GWL’s Women at Work skills, services and business index ‘Jobs for the Girls’; the Lesbians in Peer Support (LiPS) Project postcards, a Comic Relief funded project and the Adult Literacy and Numeracy project.

There are items relating to 21 Revolutions, a project commemorating the library’s 21st anniversary, which involved 21 writers and 21 artists each creating new work inspired by items in the archive, library or museum collection. An exhibition, series of podcasts and a publication resulted in 21 Revolutions becoming an award winning, enterprising initiative.

There are lots of badges - from an international conference of women’s libraries held in Mexico City and, closer to home, from the Women’s History Detectives programme where volunteers researched local heritage walks, and even badges supporting the ‘Freedom of the City of Glasgow’ campaign for Burmese politician Aung San Suu Kyi.

But it is bound to be the random, fascinating objects, from the library’s past and present, which will create the biggest stir of interest – objects as diverse as a coin commemorating the foundation in 1903 of the Women’s Social and Political Union and the Commonwealth Games lanyard donated by broadcaster, journalist and author Muriel Gray; and as poignant as a sash honouring Glasgow activist Mary Barbour and a cruet set possibly painted by Glasgow Girl May Wilson.

Read more: Glasgow Women's Library celebrates 25 years

Sue sums it up: “Without the pioneering work of the library, much of this material – and the stories it allows us to share – may not have survived.”

The exhibition is part of Glasgow Women's Library's 25th anniversary celebrations - discover more at www.womenslibrary.org