Spinning the Web (STW) is a New Opportunities Fund project being led by Manchester Library and Information Service, and aims to tell the story of the cotton industry from its medieval beginnings, rapid development during the Industrial Revolution through to its peak in the early 20th Century - when "Britain's bread hung by Lancashire's thread" - to its decline in the post-war era.

Its purpose is to draw attention to the importance of the cotton industry in the development of North West England and its people, and also to showcase some of the extensive collections held throughout the North West's museums, archives and libraries.