Cilip ARLG East Midlands' are pleased to invite you to attend their forthcoming one day workshop on developing skills and your career. The event is aimed particularly at professionals working at all levels in FE, HE & Research libraries, although individuals from other library sectors are also very welcome to attend.
9.15 a.m.- 9.40 a.m. Refreshments and registration
9.40 a.m.- 9.45 a.m. Welcome and introduction
9.45 a.m.-12.00 p.m. Identifying and developing your transferable skills workshop. Kaye Towlson (De Montfort University)
12.00 p.m.-12.45 p.m. Lunch
12.45 p.m.- 2.15 p.m. Crossing sectors - how can you develop your skills and experience? Learning from specific case studies:
· from Higher Education to Publishing
· from Higher Education to Further Education
· from Higher Education to a School
· from industry to Higher Education
· from F.E. & H.E. to industry
2.15 p.m.- 2.30 p.m. Refreshments
2.30 p.m. - 3.15 p.m. Developing your skills through CPD - Kath Owen (Cilip East Midlands)
3.15 p.m. - 4.00 p.m. Practical steps to developing your career Vicky Sculfor (Sue Hill Recruitment)
How to book: Please e-mail Emma Sansby at emma.sansby@bishopg.ac.uk (01522 - 583793 ) with your name, job title, details of your employer (if applicable), your CILIP membership no. (if applicable), address for invoicing and details of any special dietary or access requirements by Friday 4th March, 2016.
Please note that if you cancel your booking within three working days of the event, or book and are unable to attend on the day, and are unable to send a substitute in your place, you will be charged the full price.
Address for invoicing: ARLG East Midlands, c/o Katie Fraser George Green Library, University of Nottingham, University Park, Nottingham, NG7 2RD. Telephone 0115 95 13247, E-mail katie.fraser@nottingham.ac.uk
United Kingdom
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We've collected together some of the interesting, contentious and important library and information stories that were discussed around the world last month. There were lots of interesting discussions in January, including:
Let us know what you think or if you have any other important issues that we missed in the comments section below.
We launched the My Library By Right campaign in December to campaign to ensure the Government meet their legal responsibility to provide you with a quality library service that meets your needs.
The campaign received fantastic support throughout January. We reached 12,000 signatures on the petition and received fantastic support from authors Neil Gaiman, Joanna Trollope, Andrew Motion and Ali Smith and organisations including the Society of Authors and The Reading Agency.
There was also fantastic coverage in the press, including:
Frances Tout, winner of the CILIP Travelling Librarian Award 2015, wrote a fantastic blog on the CILIP website about some of the fantastic ways US public libraries are engaging communities. The main insight from the blog is the great emphasis put on library programmes with “many of the libraries I visited there is now a greater emphasis on programming than anything else.”
Coincidentally, the American Library Association released a report on libraries building digitally inclusive communities towards the end of last year. Also, in the US, the Aspen Institute released a guide for “re-envisioning your public library”, the key goal of which is to “help public libraries to engage more deeply with their communities and inspire action to re-envision public libraries as key partners in all aspects of community life in the digital age”.
In the UK, the Society of Chief Librarians released an interesting report looking at an approach to “building a single digital presence for libraries”.
#1Lib1Ref (One Librarian, One Reference) was a campaign run by The Wikipedia Library in January to encourage every librarian in the world to add just one reference to Wikipedia.
The rationale behind this is that librarians have the information literacy skills and knowledge to correctly reference articles and citations support verifiablity and, therefore, accuracy.
Andy Mabbett wrote a great blog post for us about how librarians can get involved. And the Wikpedia Library's Storify sums of some of the key events during the week.
Search engines cannot compete with librarians, search engines with a heart, nor are they a substitute for knowledge, as Nicky Morgan pointed out last month. However, they can, nonetheless be quite useful tools, particularly with some knowledge of basic search operators, for users and also for surveillance.
This is possibly why libraries in the UK, with their own search and digital systems, may find themselves coming under increasing pressure to store user data. Last month saw some examples from the US about how libraries can help to protect user privacy by deleting sensitive information.
Coming at the problem from a slightly different angle, Roger C. Schonfeld wrote an interesting article looking at how changing research information architecture can help deal with the perceived problem "that many licensed e-resources, including content platforms, do not meet the privacy standards that libraries have established for themselves."
January also saw the launch of a new search engine, Oscobo, that is offering a UK-specific search engine based on a fairly standard-looking paid-search advertiser model but whilst protecting privacy by not storing user data in the first place.
In January the New York Public Library uploaded nearly 200,000 images that you can use for free. As Rick Anderson, writing in the Scholarly Journal, points out, what is remarkable about this is not necessarily the scale of the release but the fact that:
"the NYPL has decided that it is going to treat these public-domain images like what they actually are: public intellectual property that can be reused by members of the public in any way they want."
They’ve also added a pretty cool Pac-Man style game that allows you to explore the floor plans of some of the cities plusher residences.
Here’s a round-up of some of the round-ups of 2015:
Icons made by Freepik from www.flaticon.com is licensed by CC BY 3.0
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Venue: The Mitchell Library, Glasgow
This event is for anyone undertaking Certification, Chartership or Fellowship. The event will look at building portfolios, the CILIP VLE, a candidate's perspective, the role of the mentor and an overview from a CILIP Assessor.
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April 19th - 9.30am-4.30pm
Sandeman Room, AK Bell Library, Perth
The purpose of this course is to provide participants with a background to mentoring, a basic framework for conducting mentoring both long and short term. The focus of the event is to enable participants to develop effectively as mentors in the context of the CILIP professional development scheme.
Mentor Training is a requisite for becoming a CILIP Mentor and this course is suitable for all CILIP members who have recently registered as CILIP mentors or are thinking of registering. Do come along and find out more about the mentoring scheme.
By the end of the day participants will:
Have an awareness of the function of mentoring in the CILIP CPD process
Have had the opportunity to explore and experience mentoring
Be able to make an assessment of their capability as mentors and identify their development needs in this area
The morning session will focus on generic mentoring skills whilst the afternoon will focus on the CILIP regulations.
Members who have previously attended a course on mentoring skills may attend the afternoon only (14.00-16.30) to join in the elements relating to the CILIP scheme.
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April 18th 1.30-4pm
National Library of Scotland - George IV Bridge
Are you a Mentor for CILIP, or considering becoming a Mentor?
Would you like to meet other Mentors and potential Mentors?
An opportunity to discuss issues, problems and potential solutions arising from mentoring Certification, Chartership and Fellowship Candidates. Topics will be raised by attenders, but sample topics could include:
There will be an optional 16.00- 16.30 session on the CILIP VLE
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A number of young writers have spoken out in support of school libraries in an article published by the Sunday Times (paywall may apply).
The Scottish Parliament is currently considering a petition, backed by many national bodies such as the Scottish Book Trust and the Literature Alliance Scotland, asking for a national strategy for school libraries and some writers aged 14-17 have described how pivotal they feel school libraries are to education.
Ribh O’Neill, 14, from Cove Bay, Aberdeenshire, who specialises in travelogue and fiction writing, said: “School libraries are vital because literacy is so important in our world and especially important for the future generation. They provide free access in an educational environment, and the fact that they are free to all means that everyone has an equal shot at life as everyone has the chance to use library resources.”
Erin Morrissey Gillman, 17, an aspiring poet from Newport-on-Tay in Fife, said that for her a library was “a wonderful place to discover and broaden my tastes” and played a vital role in achieving her Advanced Higher English”.
She added: “The freedom to pick and choose the literature I borrow is a brilliant and undervalued joy. I am so grateful to have free and easy access to such a wealth of positive influence, as a former student, a reader, and as a writer. It is disheartening to think that young people across Scotland may not have a chance to reap the benefits of a library in their school.”
The writers are part of the What’s Your Story project, run by the Scottish Book Trust, that is supporting 10 youngsters selected from an application process, who over eight months are exploring Scotland’s literary and creative scene with the help of a professional mentor.
CILIP in Scotland will be campaigning on a number of library issues across all sectors in the lead up to the Scottish Parliament elections in May, full details will be announced in early February.
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The imminent changes to disabled student allowances (DSA) will shift the responsibility for provision of accessible learning resources to the individual’s institution. The key changes are the removal of funding for support and enhanced support assistants – those who might previously have provided practical support in the library or supported print impaired students in reading, scribing or notetaking. The justification is that the barriers which the majority of Non Medical Helper bands 1 and 2 provision is designed to overcome could be addressed by the Higher Education (HE) provider through reasonable adjustments.
And this makes me think of George, an ex-student. We were chatting at the end of a lesson. It was dark, wintry and raining outside. He was slow to leave - he had an hour to wait till Dad picked him up; then a 45 minute journey home.
“So what attracted you here?” I asked, knowing there were five colleges closer to him than ours.
“The subjects I wanted were well supported with resources on the intranet,” he replied. “I knew I could be more independent; my dyslexia wouldn’t be such an issue.”
It was a lightbulb moment. I realised that my passion for putting resources online had benefits I hadn’t anticipated.
That incident - from 17 years ago - is relevant to the current changes to DSA. It highlights how important digital resources are to learners with print impairments.With the changes impacting dyslexic learners more than most other disabilities, these individuals will need to rely on more inclusive mainstream provision coming from their institution, including the library, instead of using DSA allowances.This onus is on the organisation actively providing information in accessible formats so that problems needn’t exist in the first place. It’s a good aim – but will it work?
Let’s look at what is essential for achieving this purpose. Accessibility is seamless if you have:
The changes will only apply to England so already inequalities muddy the water. Universities in Wales, Scotland or Northern Ireland will have indigenous disabled students receiving DSA funding, but many disabled students from England won’t. Further, some university libraries source hundreds of textbooks a year in alternative format; others hardly any. Even within the same institution, some departments have accessible handouts on the VLE or reading lists optimising accessible formats. Others do neither.
But achieving this end goal of an environment where “reasonable adjustments” become mainstream good practice is beneficial not only for dyslexic learners,but for institutions as well. The equality challenge unit (Figure 1) outlinesa range of benefits for the institution, but often the first question is a pragmatic: “Where do we begin?”
Figure 1 ‘Managing reasonable adjustments in higher education’ Equality Challenge Unit (2010) p8. http://www.ecu.ac.uk/wp-content/uploads/external/managing-reasonable-adj...
Jisc has worked with many library services and accessibility specialists to identify issues relating to DSA changes where technology could ease the transition. This is an ongoing process (see our accessibility blog for updates) but these are the areas we’ve identified as good starting points for librarians from a strategy perspective.
E-book and e-journal suppliers vary in the accessibility of their platforms. Subscribing to an inaccessible platform is subscribing to unnecessary additional support costs. The government state “Specialist Transcription Services should generally be met by an HE provider... the barrier which this service is designed to overcome can, in many circumstances, be addressed through improved provision of alternative format materials” (Government response to Consultation on targeting funding for disabled students in Higher Education from 2016/17 onwards).
If you are negotiating a licence for e-resources use this e-book accessibility checklist. Not all suppliers will be able to provide an adequate level of accessibility in their products so be prepared to negotiate reduced costs to offset the additional support implications. Equally, be prepared to pay for quality - a supplier who has invested in accessibility improvements might be more expensive but they save you money and reduce your risks under the Equality Act.
Raising accessibility awareness of your library staff is a good starting point and there are lots of resources available for library staff to help develop their knowledge and use of accessible digital technologies. Staff should have enough familiarity with such tools that they can demonstrate them to students in a way that inspires confidence. Every learner who gains confidence to service their own needs is a success for the library; educationally, ethically and financially. Not all learners can ‘self serve’ the formats they need – our accessibility blog offers a workflow for creating alternative formats. It’s also important for IT teams to be on board because they have a significant influence on the technology tools available in the library. Make sure you engage them in your conversations.
Changes to copyright legislation have opened up significant new opportunities for library services,allowing ’intermediate copies’ of digital texts made for disabled learners to be stored and shared with other institutions– saving significant time and money by not having to produce new versions each time. However, many library staff lack the confidence to use their new rights. To rectify this we’ve worked on the following:
As an accessible repository Load2Learn is only part of the solution. It deals with whole books (rather than extracts) and has limited capacity to provide advice on specific systems or issues. An excellent supplement to Load2Learn is the LIS-Accessibility Jiscmail list, where requests for accessible book extracts can be shared, as well as advice on assistive technologies, technical or procedural issues. There are excellent disability focused library groups like CLAUD in the south west, the Open Rose and Northern Collaboration Enabling group in the north of England and the recently formed Library Champions for Disability Access group,which has a mail list, a blog and a ScoopIt resource, Disability Issues for UK Libraries and Librarians.
Technology alone is rarely the solution to accessibility problems;it’s also about how the tools are promoted, where (and to whom) they are available and how easily the students can become confident users. Semantics are also important… a focus on tools for productivity is more likely to engage disabled learners, who may resist being identified with the deficit model implicit in ‘assistive technologies’.
There are a range of ways to support learner independence for example:
Changes to DSA mean everyone in the organisation takes responsibility for good accessibility practices so that learners can be truly independent. Seventeen years ago George helped me understand that good mainstream practice with technology transforms opportunities for dyslexic learners. I hope he feels his teacher learned his lessons well.
How are you meeting DSA challenges? Have your students given you any insights worth sharing? Let us know in the comments below.
Image source: "Classroom Group" made by Freepik from www.flaticon.com is licensed by CC BY 3.0 / image modified and resized
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A training day looking at some examples of best practice of running book groups.
There will be information and guidance from Joy Court (Chair of the CILIP CKG Awards, and co-author of 'Read to Succeed') and ... from Norfolk SLS who will provide the latest news about the impact of Chatterbooks in schools in Norfolk. Julian Sedgwick will provide some discussion points on his books, and give us a sneaky peak at his newest title, while Carolina Rabei will talk about her own works, and how an idea or a piece of inspiration is converted to a beautiful illustrated book.
United Kingdom
Tel: 0345 0455200
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“Information will increasingly become the currency of healthcare in the future, and our ability to access, understand and interpret it at individual and population level will be a key determinant in the future success of our healthcare system.” (Knowledge for Healthcare Framework 15 p.98)
Library & Knowledge Services staff are vital to healthcare and underpin clinical and management decision making. The services you provide enable staff, patients and their carers to access the right knowledge and evidence to achieve high quality healthcare and health improvement.
Health Library and Information professionals need to stay a step ahead, and right now the need has never been greater. So what can you do to ensure your role stays vital and relevant? Attending the CILIP Health Libraries Group Conference will give you the extra skills you need at your fingertips in just two information-packed days.
The biennial CILIP HLG Conference has become the place that 350+ health librarians from across the UK convene to exchange ideas, discover the latest innovations and make long-lasting professional connections. 2014’s event sold out with months to go. Last year’s delegates will testify how important it is to be there:
“The conference was excellent, very well organised, and the information and contacts I took away from the 2 days are invaluable. Thank you for a great event.” – Librarian, Barnet Enfield and Haringey Mental Health Trust
“Informative, thought provoking, excellent for networking.” – Trust Librarian, Western Health & Social Care Trust
The conference dinner will take place on the evening of the 15th September. Enjoy breathtaking views across the sea as the sun goes down, with a sumptuous three-course meal and drinks reception. And of course, you’ll be entertained as only Scarborough knows how!
To get involved:
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Join the CILIP Yorkshire & Humberside Member Network for a tour of The Diamond at the University of Sheffield.
The Diamond opened in September 2015, and represents the University of Sheffield's largest single investment in learning and teaching facilities, at a cost of £81 million. The six-storey building houses a range of lecture theatres, seminar rooms, computer suites, specialist engineering teaching labs, a recording studio, and a café. The Diamond itself, and most of the facilities, are available to university students and staff 24/7.
Building on the experiences of the Information Commons (which opened in 2007), The Diamond offers a unique integrated learning environment, with library and learning spaces throughout the building. This gives staff and students the opportunity to move between formal and informal learning situations in new and exciting ways.
Registering
The event is free to all, but please book tickets via Eventbrite.
So that an appropriate number of tour guides can be arranged, we kindly ask that you register by Tuesday 23rd February.
Accessibility
If you have any particular accessibility requirements, please contact cilipyh@gmail.com before the visit.
CPD
For those doing professional registration, this visit will support the following PKSB areas:
10.10 Change Management
11.4 Service Innovation, Development and Design
Wider Library, Information and Knowledge Sector context
18:00 Meet and greet - Foyer
18:10 Tour start
18:50 Refreshments - Skills Suite
19:00 Talk - Skills Suite
19:30 Finish
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UKeiG member? Want to go to the CILIP Conference but finding it too expensive? Tell us which speaker is most likely to influence you and why and you could win an award that covers the conference place and one night’s accommodation, as well as the chance to meet a UKeiG Committee Member who will host your visit to the Conference. The Bursary place is open to all members of UKeiG and includes a complimentary place on both days of the conference, as well as one nights’ accommodation at ibis Hotel on Tuesday 12 July and attendance to the drinks reception at Brighton Pier. The winner will be expected to be active at the conference (i.e. Tweet so that any members that cannot attend can follow the proceedings) and to write a summary after the event for eLucidate. The place could be awarded to someone who may not normally be able attend the conference, perhaps for financial reasons, or who may not have heard about conference before.
Full details on the UKeiG Bursary page. See CILIP Conference for event details.
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As the political parties campaign for our vote in the Northern Ireland Assembly Elections this May, we have a unique opportunity as a professional community and as individuals to raise our profile and demonstrate our value as a sector.
During the election campaign CILIP Ireland will be working to raise awareness of library and information issues. We would like to know what key areas you would like to see CILIP Ireland raise with our local politicians. Please contact the CILIP Ireland Development Officer Gerardine Blee by email Gerardine.blee@cilip.org.uk with your views before Wednesday 10th February and include electionwatch in the subject line. From responses received we will identify three key questions which we will put to each of the political parties and thereafter publish their responses.
This campaign is about engaging in dialogue with political candidates and key party spokespersons to encourage greater understanding of the relevance and opportunity our sector presents and to show them that libraries and information matter to many voters. Equally, it's about empowering CILIP Ireland members to carry out campaigning on their own, or shared, issues.
CILIP Ireland invites both members and non-members to attend a free training event entitled “How the Assembly Works”. The training will provide you with a brief overview of the Assembly, how it works and how you can engage more effectively with it.
For more information on this training event click here.
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Hallward Library is considered to be one of the UK’s finest library buildings; its four floors house the arts, humanities, law and social sciences collections.
Denis Arnold Music Library in the Lakeside Arts Centre has an extensive collection of musical scores and sound recordings covering classical, ethnic and 20th century classical music.
This visit has been organised by the East Midlands MN with the following aims in mind:
To book please e-mail Mary Bryceland by 15th February 2016
Please include your name, e-mail address, place of work & job title (if appropriate) and phone number
There is no cost to participants
Follow the link for directions to University Park
https://www.nottingham.ac.uk/a...
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CILIP Ireland invites both members and non-members to attend a free training event entitled “How the Assembly Works”. The training will provide you with a brief overview of the Assembly, how it works and how you can engage more effectively with it.
As the political parties campaign for our vote in the Northern Ireland Assembly Elections this May, we have a unique opportunity as a professional community and as individuals to raise our profile and demonstrate our value as a sector.
Electionwatch is about engaging in dialogue with political candidates and key party spokespersons to encourage greater understanding of the relevance and opportunity our sector presents and to show them that libraries and information matter to many voters. Equally, it's about empowering CILIP Ireland members to carry out campaigning on their own, or shared, issues.
How the Assembly Works
Northern Ireland Assembly, Parliament Buildings, Stormont, Belfast, BT4 3XX
Tuesday 8th March 2016, 9.15 am – 12.30 pm
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The Academic and Research Libraries Group (London&SE) have arranged a tour of the Conway Hall Library on Wednesday 16th March at 3:30 pm.
Note: Please let us know if you have any access requirements as the library is on the first floor and due to being a listed building does not have a lift.
Background to the Collection/Library – The Conway Hall Humanist Library & Archives was built in 1929, & includes a unique collection of 10,000 volumes, based on the acquisitions of the National Secular Society, & South Place Ethical Society, which were founded in 1875. It is the only UK library devoted to the collection of Humanist materials, & it is also the most celebrated resource of its kind in Europe.
The library also comprises a selection of journals of these societies, which can be accessed through the online catalogue, together with the printed books collection.
The Archives include records & manuscripts of these various societies, together with the personal papers of some of the leaders of the National Secular Society in the 19-20th centuries.
The library also includes a large number of music compositions & art works, which were acquired by the various societies, & can be consulted by students & researchers through an appointment with the Library Manager.
The visit will include: a tour of the building and library, followed by a browse of the library collection.
Please contact David Lass david@MALCOLM.MYZEN.CO.UK to book a place – deadline for booking will be Tuesday March 1st.
United Kingdom
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Top crime writer Ann Cleeves, children’s publisher Andersen Press and a host of writers and artists will join local library communities for a week of special activities to mark National Libraries Day, Saturday 6 February and the week leading up to it. Now in its fifth year, the annual celebration highlights the importance of libraries as vitally important public services which are loved by individuals and communities everywhere.
National Libraries Day ambassador for 2016, award-winning crime writer and creator of hit TV series Shetland and Vera, Ann Cleeves, said:
“Libraries matter. If we believe in equality of opportunity we must fight not just for the buildings but for the range of books inside and the skilled staff who can promote reading in all its forms. Not only do libraries encourage us to be more tolerant and better informed, they contribute enormously to the wealth of the nation.
If you're not a member join on National Libraries Day. It's easy and it's free. If you are, go along and choose a title that you might not otherwise have picked. Share the excitement of everyone who's greedy for reading. Help us to celebrate this wonderful institution.”
Special events taking place in libraries include talks by authors Erwin James, Bruce Fogle, Nicola Cornick, Tom McCarthy, Paul Gill, Simon Brett OBE; poet Roger McGough and prominent children’s author and illustrator Nick Sharratt; and a library residency by the artist Jackie Morris. Themed events covering topics from comics, art, history and local film to coding clubs, digital drop-ins and craft-making sessions are taking place up and down the country.
Celebrating four decades of working with libraries in its fortieth anniversary year, leading children’s publisher Andersen Press will open a special competition for public and school libraries on 6 February, based on David McKee’s much loved children’s book character, Elmer the patchwork elephant.
Elmer creator and National Libraries Day supporter David McKee said:
“From when she could first read until her death at 95, my mother was a passionate reader. She could never have afforded to buy even a small part of what she read. She depended on the library for advice and choice of book. There is a rich mass of literature that is our heritage. Thanks to the library, my mother was able to tap into that heritage and receive enormous pleasure and knowledge. That same possibility has to be available to everyone. Long live the libraries.”
Andersen Press founder and publisher Klaus Flugge said:
“Andersen Press has a long history of working closely with libraries and we value the important work done by our dear librarians. We want to continue to support the libraries in our 40th anniversary year and beyond!”
There are over 400 events published on the National Libraries Day map to date and last year nearly 700 events were held across the UK. Children and adults are invited to visit their local library and take part in celebratory events and to share pictures and messages on social media to illustrate the many ways that libraries are used, loved and valued in their communities.
-ends-
Notes to editors
Ann is available for media interviews.
High res photography can be supplied on request.
Press contact
Cat Cooper
Communications and Campaigns Manager, CILIP
Email: cat.cooper@cilip.org.uk
Tel: 020 7255 0653
Mobile: 07867 455070
About Ann Cleeves
As well as being Ambassador for National Libraries Day, Cleeves has written a GALAXY® Quick Reads title, Too Good To Be True, which will be published 4th February and has been selected as one of the 2016 World Book Night titles.
With over a million copies sold worldwide and 29 novels published so far, Cleeves is one of Britain’s most successful crime fiction novelists. Her bestselling books are loved in print and on screen: both the Vera Stanhope and Shetland series are now major TV adaptations on ITV and BBC One respectively.
Series six of ITV’s drama series, Vera, starring Brenda Blethyn, is due to hit screens in February 2016 and episode three is an adaptation of The Moth Catcher. The Moth Catcher features the much-loved DCI Vera Stanhope, who has proved a refreshing change from the British tradition of male detectives and, in Vera, Cleeves has created a strong, female central character that continues to rival the likes of Sherlock and Morse.
Ann Cleeves was the chair of the 2015 Theakstons Old Peculier Crime Writing Festival, during which Vera was voted the UK's favourite fictional detective.
In 2015, Thin Air, was nominated for the Scottish Crime Novel of the Year and Cleeves was shortlisted for the prestigious Crime Writers Association Dagger in the Library award. In 2006, Cleeves' novel, Raven Black, was awarded the Duncan Lawrie Dagger (CWA Gold Dagger) for Best Crime Novel, and in 2012, she was inducted into the CWA Crime Thriller Awards Hall of Fame.
About National Libraries Day
Saturday 6 February 2016 is National Libraries Day. It rounds off a week of special events and celebrations held in libraries up and down the country. Libraries in the UK are loved, valued and were visited an astonishing 265 million times last year! Show your support for libraries this National Libraries Day.
National Libraries Day is led by the Chartered Institute of Library & Information Professionals (CILIP), the Reading Agency, the Society of Chief Librarians and the School Library Association together with partners including Arts Council England, the Leadership for Libraries Taskforce and library supporters. It was originally called for by Alan Gibbons, children’s author and campaigner.
About the Andersen Press National Libraries Day competition
To celebrate National Libraries Day and the 40th anniversary of Andersen Press, the children’s publisher has teamed up with CILIP and The Reading Agency to invite libraries across the country to join in the #40years libraries competition!
Launching on National Libraries Day on 6 February, simply tweet a picture that you feel represents 40 years of loving books using the hashtags #40years and #librariesday to be in with a chance of winning one of five sets of furniture and books for your library worth over £1,500 each.
Each of the five winning libraries will win a complete set of Elmer furniture; set of stackable cushions, kinderbox, beancube, large rug, 2 x beanpods; plus the entire Andersen Press 2016 publishing list.
The competition will open on 6 February and close on 6 May and the five winners will be announced on Elmer Day, the 28 May.
Photograph adapted with permission: Ann Cleeves by Micha Theiner.
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Join us for our next e-forum on Friday 12th February 2016 when the theme will be Project management. Our e-forums are a free online event open to all which provide a platform to ask questions, share experiences and advice.
Our co-moderators on the day will be Lynne Dyer (Bibliographic Services Team Manager at De Montfort University Leicester), Dunia Garcia-Ontiveros (Head of Bibliographic Services at The London Library) and Alan Hughes (Head of Access and Public Programmes at National Library of Wales).
The topics will include (but are not confined to):
Instructions on how to sign up and how our e-forums are run, can be found here: http://www.cilip.org.uk/cataloguing-indexing-group/e-forums.
We're looking forward to discussing with you!
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CIG is pleased to announce the next e-forum: We'll discuss project management on Friday 12 February 2016 on our e-forum mailing list, cig-e-forum@jiscmail.ac.uk.
The topics will include (but are not confined to):
Our co-moderators on the day will be Lynne Dyer (Bibliographic Services Team Manager at De Montfort University Leicester), Dunia Garcia-Ontiveros (Head of Bibliographic Services at The London Library) and Alan Hughes (Head of Access and Public Programmes at National Library of Wales).
This is a free online event. Instructions on how to sign up and how an e-forum is run, can be found here: http://www.cilip.org.uk/cataloguing-indexing-group/e-forums.
We're looking forward to discussing with you!
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Meet Fiona Laing, Curator of Official Publications at the National Library at 13:45-14:00 at reception. There will be an opportunity for a behind the scenes tour of the Library and hear about the challenges facing legal deposits in collecting digital publications and websites. In particular Fiona will give a presentation on the work that has been undertaken on digitising the House of Lords papers, in partnership with Proquest. She will also cover the work involved in archiving all Scottish Parliament and Scottish Government publications, now produced only in digital format, for legal deposit and unrestricted access.
The Official Publications collection contains around 2 million items from the UK and Scottish Parliaments, the Devolved Assemblies and their respective government departments. The National Library is a United Nations and OECD Depository Library as well as having a significant collection of material from India and the other commonwealth countries.
There will be an opportunity afterwards to network in the visitor centre café
Places available: 14
United Kingdom
Tel: 0131 623 3700 ext 3820
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Are you a CILIP mentor?
Would you like the opportunity to discuss issues, problems and potential solutions arising from mentoring CILIP Certification and Chartership Candidates?
If the answer is yes then why not come along to a Mentor Exchange of Experience event run on behalf of the CILIP NW Member Network?
EVENT DETAILS
Date of Event: Monday 29 February 2016
Time: 1.30 p.m. to 4.00 p.m.
Venue Location: Health Education England (North West office), Three Piccadilly Place, Manchester, M1 3BN
Directions: Manchester Piccadilly railway station is a close walk away.
Here is a location map for 3 Piccadilly Place
Facilitator: Linda Ferguson (CILIP NW Mentor Support Officer)
E-mail: linda.ferguson@nhs.net
Tea and coffee will be provided.
United Kingdom
Email: linda.ferguson@nhs.net
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Experienced information professional Kate Arnold has been confirmed as Vice President of the Chartered Institute of Library & Information Professionals in 2016, and will become President in 2017.
Kate has over twenty-five years’ experience in the media, Higher Education, charity and public sectors. In 2014 Kate was the first non-American to be elected President of the Special Libraries Association, a global organisation for information professionals, and has just completed her term.
Kate said:
“I am honoured and privileged to have been chosen as Vice President. I am excited to be taking on this role at an important time for libraries and the profession. I look forward to being an ambassador for CILIP and for the skills and competencies that we as a profession embody.”
Dawn Finch, CILIP President welcomed Kate to the CILIP Presidential Team:
“I am delighted to welcome Kate to the Presidential Team. Her work with the Special Libraries Association has been fascinating to follow, and her broad experience within the charitable campaign sector will inevitably bring a fresh dimension to our work. I am very much looking forward to working with Kate throughout her time on the team.”
Martyn Wade, Chair of CILIP Board said
“Kate is a brilliant addition to the Presidential Team. Kate’s skills and experience as an effective advocate, strong leader and outstanding communicator will significantly benefit our members, the library and information community and CILIP as we launch our new strategic plan 2016 - 2020.”
About Kate
Kate has over twenty-five years’ experience of providing and managing the delivery of specialist information and research services - both virtual and library based - to a wide variety of users. She started off in media libraries including the BBC and a national newspaper, then moved to NHS Direct to run public facing health information services both on the phone and online. She continued to work in the health information sector when she managed Cancer Research UK’s information services to people affected by cancer.
Kate has worked on a number of fixed term contracts managing information services in the voluntary sector, including the National Children’s Bureau and Macmillan Cancer Support, and academic sector, working at Royal Holloway and the University of London. Having worked across a variety of sectors Kate is keen to highlight the importance and value of library and information services and the skills that librarians bring to their communities and workplaces.
Throughout her career Kate has been committed to continuing professional development and has gained a great deal from active involvement in a number of professional associations: including CILIP, the Association of UK Media Librarians and most recently the Special Libraries Association.
The Presidential Team
Kate joins CILIP President Dawn Finch and Immediate Past President Jan Parry on the Presidential Team.
The Presidential Team works alongside the Board to support and promote the work of CILIP. Their role is to ensure good governance, provide scrutiny and to represent CILIP as ambassadors and spokespeople.
-ends-
Media contact:
Mark Taylor
Director of External Relations, CILIP
Email: mark.taylor@cilip.org.uk
T: 020 7255 0654
M: 07792 635 305
Notes for editors:
CILIP: the Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals is the leading professional body for librarians, information specialists and knowledge managers. CILIP’s vision is a fair and economically prosperous society underpinned by literacy, access to information and the transfer of knowledge. CILIP is a registered charity, no. 313014. Visit www.cilip.org.uk for more information.
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Proposals for papers are invited for the Cataloguing and Indexing Group (CIG) Biennial Conference 2016 “Innovation and discovery” to be held from 31 Aug - 2 Sept 2016 at Swansea University.
Moving from local to global, our audience's thirst for discovery is prompting a whole raft of innovations. In this era of convergence, libraries, archives and museums are all striving to improve resource discovery in order to meet user expectations. International committees are expanding and refining new bibliographic standards; libraries are adopting (and adapting) these standards, e.g. FRBRising their catalogue records; as a result, librarians are acquiring new skills in metadata creation and manipulation; and, in this ever changing environment, vendors of library management and discovery systems are under pressure to evolve their offer. Hidden from public view, library metadata policies, cataloguing workflows and practices, together with the systems we choose, ultimately determine the user experience. The 2016 conference aims to bring together the metadata community in order to debate systems and processes, shine a light on best practice and explore the unknown.
Themes:
CIG welcomes proposals that cover, but are not confined to, the following topics:
And - as always - we'd like presentations about current practice, recent research, as well as ideas for the future.
Formats:
We are eager to hear from information professionals and those engaged in metadata research and practice. We also encourage submissions from current and recently graduated LIS students who would like to take this opportunity to present their research to the cataloguing community. We welcome proposals in the following formats:
Submissions:
Proposals should be submitted to Robin Armstrong Viner (r.armstrong-viner@kent.ac.uk). Please include your preferred format, a working title and short outline (no more than 300 words) of your presentation. Proposals are due by 31st March 2016 and presenters will be notified by 30th April 2016 if their submission is successful. Speakers will be able to claim for travel and accommodation (if required) in line with the CILIP expenses policy (see http://www.cilip.org.uk/cilip/how-claim-expenses). Any presenters wishing to attend the full conference in addition to the day they are presenting, as well as those intending to travel from outside the UK are advised to contact Robin Armstrong-Viner (r.armstrong-viner@kent.ac.uk) before booking or making travel arrangements.
Presenters will have the option of publishing their paper in a future edition of "Catalogue and Index", the journal of CIG (see http://www.cilip.org.uk/cataloguing-indexing-group/catalogue-index).
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The purpose of this course is to provide participants with a background to mentoring, a basic framework for conducting mentoring both long and short term. The focus of the event is to enable participants to develop effectively as mentors in the context of the CILIP professional development scheme.
Mentor Training is a requisite for becoming a CILIP Mentor and this course is suitable for all CILIP members who have recently registered as CILIP mentors or are thinking of registering. Do come along and find out more about the mentoring scheme.
By the end of the day participants will:
•Have an awareness of the function of mentoring in the CILIP CPD
•process
•Have had the opportunity to explore and experience mentoring
•Be able to make an assessment of their capability as mentors and identify their development needs in this area
The morning session will focus on generic mentoring skills whilst the afternoon will focus on the CILIP regulations.
Members who have previously attended a course on mentoring skills may attend the afternoon only (14.00-16.30) to join in the elements relating to the CILIP scheme.
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In April last year I applied for the Travelling Librarian Award which is jointly funded by CILIP and The English Speaking Union (ESU). The award is a professional development opportunity for a UK library and information professional, to build professional relationships with their counterparts in the United States or a Commonwealth country through a study tour.
This was an excellent opportunity to research new ways to engage with communities and keep libraries relevant.
As research for my application I put together a list of libraries and community engagement initiatives I wished to encompass as part of a study tour. I focused on the United Statesas community engagement in public libraries has become very high profile there.I was keen to visit some large innovative public libraries but I also wanted to visit smaller libraries to see how they engage with their communities and make more direct comparisons to our town and village libraries.
My application was fortunate enough to be shortlisted and I started planning. I directed emails to senior members of staff who were responsible for community engagement or heads of service. I heard back from most libraries and was delighted to have enthusiastic responses as well as wishes of good luck. It was worthwhile investing this time and it enabled me to plan an itinerary and consider logistics and expenses prior to interview.
After my interview at the ESU’s Mayfair offices in London, I was delighted and amazed to hear that I had been chosen as the recipient of the 2015 award.
I spent a lot of time arranging my itinerary, finalising details with libraries and booking travel and accommodation. To minimise the amount of time spent travelling I concentrated the majority of visits along the East Coast of the United States heading from Boston to, Hartford CT, The Hudson Valley, New York City, Philadelphia and Washington D.C. and then moving inland to Chattanooga.
My trip started in mid-September 2015 and lasted three and a half weeks.
If I could only bring back only one key theme from my tour it would be programming (hosting events and activities). In the United States, much like the UK, there is a downward trend in footfall and circulation. However, in the U.S. there has been a cultural shift in public libraries; programming and experiential learning, for all ages, is a key growth area and is a way libraries can further a core activity of knowledge creation. Programming Librarians are now commonplace and in many of the libraries I visited there is now a greater emphasis on programming than anything else.
Common programmes included:
While on the tour I attended a one-day workshop run by the Mid-Hudson Library System on ‘The Future of Programming’. The workshop focused onthe role of libraries in helping build communities by continually looking for new ways and ideas to meet changing community needs.
Key thoughts from the day included:
Hartford and Red Hook Public Libraries are two of 10 libraries across the USA chosen as part of the American Library Association’s (ALA) ‘Libraries Transforming Communities’ (LTC) Programme. The initiative seeks to strengthen librarians’ roles as core community leaders and change agents and help them engage with communities in new ways.
These libraries are thriving on partnership working.
Hartford Public Library has a number of partners working from their space including the Passport Office; a local non-profit café; a careerscentre and the University of Connecticut. These partnerships offer the library some income generation while providing excellent additional facilities and resources. At their branch libraries Hartford has embraced co-location of services with community centres, senior centres and schools.
The much smaller Red Hook Public Library in the Hudson Valley, serves a community of 4.000. The library is nationally recognised for it’s community engagement work. Impressively they manage to deliver 15-20 programmes per week, much of this is achieved through partnerships,including working with the nearby University and High School. The library facilitates monthly meetings with village organisations and businesses sharing what they are doing, offering further partnership opportunities. Red Hook’s limited space means programming is often held in community venues, allowing for extensive outreach work and increasing the visibility of the library’s work.
The Free Library of Philadelphia’s President, Siobhan Reardon and her team are leading the way on innovation; their projects include:
In Washington D.C. the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library have invested in new innovative spaces in their labs. These include:
New for 2016 will be the ‘Memory Lab’, a project funded by the Library of Congress raising awareness of personal archiving and digitising. The Memory Lab will be a free DIY space where the public can transfer obsolete formats such as VHS and audio cassettes to digital files.
In Chattanooga Director Corinne Hill has introduced a patron request system. The library purchasesstock that patrons ask for and the patron is the first person to borrow the book or DVD. Since 2012 there have been 11,000 items added by patron requests. Chattanooga Public Library are finding they are now purchasing a broader range of materials that are popular with patrons.
I was particularly interested to see how many libraries are engaging with teens. Boston and Hartford Public Libraries have introduced HOMAGO spaces (Hang Out, Mess Around, Geek Out). These teen spaces have a relaxed urban feel, technology labs, gaming rooms and recording areas. Peer-to-peer mentoring is a key theme, both these libraries employ young people, for a few hours a week, to support peers with technology and digital skills.
There is also a teen voice in many libraries. The Bronx Library Center has a teen council and Chattanooga has a teen focus group. In Boston teens were widely consulted on the design and content of their new Teen Central space and teenscontribute ideas on programming.
Chattanooga’s teen area has an interesting range of STEM based walk up program stations, the stations are not individually staffed as the focus is on self-directed learning.Chattanooga also provides extensive teen programming with multiple daily activities.
Staffing at the libraries I visited was minimal; there were very few staff on library floors, often only one per floor, two at peak times even in the largest libraries. I was told that patrons were fairly self-sufficient at using library spaces.
Libraries often employ ‘pages’, entry level shelvers (usually young people),for a few hours a day. Additional shelving may be supplemented by volunteers rather than library assistants.
Generally, a greater amount of librarians’ and assistants’ time is spent on developing and delivering programmes, rather than working on the library floor.Staffing is stretched with shifts across the day and into the evenings, allowing for later opening hours, with evening and weekend adult programming at times more suited to customer needs.
The use of volunteers varies from state to state, depending on state laws and unions. The most common role is shelving. In some states volunteers are sent from courts for community service hours. Many libraries have High School volunteers;students are required to undertake 20 hours of community work to graduate. Historic libraries often have volunteer guides. Other volunteer roles include skills sharing workshops and courses.
At Chattanooga, the teen area’s work is supported by a small army of 180 teen volunteers. Chattanooga’s teen volunteer programme has no fixed roles or set times, it is entirely flexible for teens to turn up and help out with programme development, craft/art projects and engaging with patrons. Over 800 teen volunteer hours were donated last August alone.
I would like to thank the ESU and CILIP for giving me this fantastic development opportunity and funding my library adventure. I had an amazing time, visited some fabulous libraries and places and met some awesome librarians. I hope to plan some international co-working in the future and have made some great contacts to share best practices with.
I have enjoyed sharing our own projects and developments with colleagues overseas. I hope that what I have discovered and learnt will help inform future developments both at North Somerset and in the wider library sector. I know that colleagues in the States will be looking at some of our processes and projects to adapt for their libraries.
For anyone who is thinking of applying for the Travelling Librarian Award, I would say seize the opportunity and go for it!
The Travelling Librarian Award is an opportunity for a CILIP member to build professional relationships between library and information professionals in the UK and their counterparts on a study tour in the United States or a Commonwealth country.
The closing date for 2016 applications is Monday 25 April 2016. To be eligible to apply, candidates must be:
a) UK library and information professionals and;
b) a personal member of CILIP at time of application.
All photographs© Frances Tout
International Library and Information Group (ILG)
This article will be published in the March 2016 edition of CILIP ILIG Focus.
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The Spring 2016 issue of the Library and Information History Group's newsletter is now online.
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