Two new virtual microscopes are giving undergraduates and anyone interested in earth or life sciences the opportunity to learn microscope skills just as they would in a laboratory, thanks to Jisc-funded resources launching within The Open University’s new science portal.
Students will now have the same opportunities whether they are learning remotely, quickly or slowly, without access to expensive laboratory equipment or simply looking to expand their knowledge. It will also allow them to develop important research skills needed for microscope work in the lab.
Paola Marchionni, Jisc programme manager, says:
“Our resources such as the virtual microscopes will help breed a new generation of scientists confident in using digital technology. These resources are example of where digitisation of important collections is not just an end in itself but can make a real impact on the quality of teaching and learning opportunities for students - and of course with all the images licensed under Creative Commons everybody will be able to access and enjoy them."
People working in the life sciences can now view more than 300 digitised microscope slides to better understand the make-up of the body from blood vessels to nerves - and what happens when diseases attack.
The slides have come from seven different UK medical schools, hospitals and universities - so users know they are looking at quality-assured material.
David Male, from The Open University, led the team who assembled and developed the life sciences resource, says:
“Students would normally only be able to access a limited range of slides depending on where they work. The virtual microscope lets them study a much greater range of normal and diseased tissues, including hospital biopsies and University collections. However the main value of the microscope is in the active legends which take users directly to the features described on the slide, just as an instructor would do.”
For geologists, those working to identify, classify and understand rocks and minerals have their own specialist microscope slides, which the developers hope will save time and resource in the lab.
Such detailed study is critical for an understanding the processes going on deep beneath the Earth’s surface, how mountains and volcanoes formed, and to understand how our planet’s surface has evolved.
Simon Kelley, also from The Open University, heads the team for the Earth Science microscope. He explains:
“There is an old saying that the best geologist is the one who has seen the most rocks and there is some truth in that. The virtual microscope for Earth science is a great resource because it allows users to study over 150 rocks from Earth, the moon, and outer space on their computer, tablet or even smart phone without the need for an expensive laboratory.”
Instead of looking like a standard web page of images, the online microscopes emulate all the functions of a light microscope, so that the user can scan across the image, change magnification, adjust the lighting, and in some cases rotate images or photograph areas of interest.
What’s more, the resources are backed up by quality information and teaching resources to help lecturers and teachers make the most of the slides.
The more basic material is suitable for teaching in schools, while the more specialised information supports undergraduates or even postgraduate researchers.
The resources now form part of The Open University’s online scientific portal OpenScience Laboratory, which includes remote access to virtual instruments like these ones, online science labs, online field investigations and opportunities for the general public to contribute to science.
The microscopes are accessible from the OpenScience lab - you'll need to sign in or register to access them.
via Jisc news
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The AGM provides an important opportunity for members to participate in important and formal CILIP business. It will be held at the new Library of Birmingham on Saturday 21 September 2013.
What is considered at the AGM?
The main business of the AGM is to give members the opportunity to hear and ask questions about CILIP's financial position in the previous year and to ask members to approve any proposals that require their agreement. Regular items are agreement of the membership subscription rates for the following year and receipt and consideration of the previous year's Trustees' Annual report and accounts. 2013 will have a particularly exciting agenda as members will be asked to vote on a proposal for a new name for the organisation and if free student membership should be introduced.
Attending
All members are welcome to attend the AGM. Only individual members can vote. Those not entitled to vote are still welcome to come as observers. Register to attend using the form.
Voting
All individual members are entitled to vote on items at the AGM. If you are entitled to vote but can't attend the meeting, you may appoint a proxy to vote on your behalf.
You may nominate the Chair of the meeting as your proxy and you can instruct him to vote exactly as you wish on each of the motions on the agenda; the options will be for, against, abstain or as the proxy thinks fit.
Details about proxy voting and the application form for proxy votes will be sent by email to all individual members we have an email address for. If we do not have an email address we will send this information by post. The application form for proxy votes will be available from this page from 26 August 2013 and completed forms must be received by 11am on Thursday 19 September 2013.
Forms can be returned by post or scanned and sent by email. forms must be signed by hand before scanning and sending by email - an ‘electronic signature’ (such as a JPG or GIF) will not be accepted.
Forms should be sent to the Secretary, CILIP, 7 Ridgmount Street, London, WC1E 7AE. A freepost address will be available to members sending their form within the UK. Email: jill.colbert@cilip.org.uk or Tel: 020 7255 0512.
Asking questions
Please notify us in advance if you intend to ask a question at the AGM. This is to enable us to provide an informed response (some questions may be answered in writing if that is more appropriate).
Submitting a motion
The closing date for submission of motions was 5pm on Tuesday 23 July.
Amending a motion
Any member who wants to move an amendment to a notice of motion can do so in writing to the Chief Executive at least one week before the meeting. Any amendments must be received by 11 am on Saturday 14 September. Annie Mauger, CEO, CILIP, 7 Ridgmount St, London, WC1E 7AE or annie.mauger@cilip.org.uk.
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Worried about demonstrating a knowledge of the wider professional context in your portfolio? Want to find out more about different library and information sectors?
A network of professionals in library and information sectors across Scotland is available to help. Shadowing a fellow professional in a different sector to your own gives you the chance to:
If you are interested in shadowing another library and information professional, please contact Caroline Messer at cmesser@eastlothian.gov.uk with details of your location and sector of interest and we can check the database to find a suitable match for you.
We are always interested in expanding our database of professionals willing to offer the chance for new professionals or students to shadow them on the job. If you are interested in providing this opportunity, please email cmesser@eastlothian.gov.uk for more information.
Link to CDG Scotland
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Internet Librarian International - the innovation and technology conference for information professionals – has announced its 2013 keynote speakers and conference themes and is once again offering a generous discount for CILIP members to attend.
The conference and its popular Sponsor Showcase takes place in London on 15 & 16 October 2013, with a range of workshops preceding the event on 14 October. After the success of last year’s event, the conference will once again take place at Olympia Conference Centre, which gives plenty of space for conference sessions and excellent networking opportunities.
Under the theme “Smart Solutions to Real Challenges”, the conference programme will provide coverage for every type of information environment across six tracks. The emphasis is on case studies, with over seventy speakers - information professionals and practicing librarians - sharing their experiences and their creative projects, innovative solutions and practical implementation strategies.
This year’s opening keynote speaker at Internet Librarian International is writer, speaker and consultant Peter Morville, best known for helping to create the discipline of information architecture. His bestselling books include Information Architecture for the World Wide Web, Ambient Findability, and Search Patterns. In his keynote ‘Inspiration Architecture: The Future of Libraries’ Peter Morville connects the dots from ebooks to ecosystems, framing the library as both cultural keystone and courageous act of inspiration architecture. He tells a story that is colourful, kaleidoscopic and contrarian – and makes an argument that may just change the way delegates think.
The keynote speaker for day 2 at Internet Librarian International will be Joe Tree, founder of Blipfoto, the photo sharing website which was chosen by the British Library as one its ‘100 Websites’ judged to be essential reading for future generations. In his keynote ‘Sharing and Saving’ Joe Tree will consider themes such as creating a community, the curation of images, lifelogging, social history and research, and digitisation.
Internet Librarian International enjoys the support and endorsement of CILIP which continues as the event’s Association Sponsor, “I’m pleased to announce that CILIP members can benefit from an exclusive 25% discount on delegate fees,” said Mark Taylor, Director of External Relations at CILIP, “Internet Librarian 2013 offers a compelling programme focusing on innovation in library and information services, I hope as many member as possible are able to attend.”
This year, the conference programme is led by three Co-Chairs – Thomas Brevik, Marydee Ojala and Donna Saxby. All are well known practitioners with a wealth of experience in academic, research, school, public and corporate libraries. Together with the conference Advisory Committee they have put together a programme which reflects the key trends and current concerns and challenges facing information professionals.
Themes include:
CILIP members claim their 25% discount by entering the priority code CILIP25 when they register.
Further information is available at www.internet-librarian.com.
-ends-
Press contacts:
Jean Mulligan
T: +44 (0)1865 327813
Email: jmulligan@infotoday.com
Mark Taylor
Director of External Relations, CILIP
T: 020 7255 0654
M: 07792 635 305
Email: mark.taylor@cilip.org.uk
Notes for editors:
Internet Librarian International
15 & 16 October 2013, Pre-conference Workshops 14 October
Olympia Conference Centre, London, UK
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Times: 0930 - 1630
PTEG Members £20 (inc. VAT)
Non-PTEG Members £35 (inc. VAT)
(Membership of PTEG as an additional CILIP Group costs £10. Non-members wishing to join PTEG as part of the booking may pay £30)
Half day for CILIP update only £12.00
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.
PTEG Cancellation policy. Cancellations made up to 14 days before the course will face no charge. Cancellations made within 14 days of a course, and failures to attend, will be charged at the full rate of the booking fee agreed. Depending on circumstances, negotiations may be made to attend a future course without further payment.
Interested in joining PTEG - CILIP's Personnel, Training & Education Group?
Find out more on our web site at: http://www.cilip.org.uk/specialinterestgroups/bysubject/personnel/ or email Gil Young: gil.young@nhs.net
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The AGM this year included:
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The Health Libraries Group AGM will be held on 3rd September, 1.30-4.30pm at CILIP, 7 Ridgmount Street, London. WC1E 7AE. The speaker will be Annie Mauger, Chief Executive of CILIP.
The order of play willo be:Lunch will be provided 1.30-2.00pm
AGM and guest speaker 2.00-3.30pm
Wine, nibbles and networking 3.30-4.30pm
The agenda, annual report and minutes of last year's AGM are available here.
Contact nicolawalsh1@nhs.net to book your place.
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Welcome to the brand new CILIP website. With a clean design, improved structure and straightforward navigation it’s now easier than ever to find the information you need and access member benefits. We have been working hard, along with our Branches and Groups, to create the first step in a series of exciting new developments to our website. We hope you enjoy, please do send us your feedback.
Key features of the new website:
Re-registering on the website
We have taken the opportunity of moving to a new content management system as a chance to update the ‘My Profile’ area, to give you better control over your information. As a result we are asking our website users to re-register. All registered users should have received an email with instructions on how to. If you have not received this or are having any trouble, contact one of our membership team on membership@cilip.org.uk.
Continued development
As with all good websites, the work will not stop on launch day. We are committed to improving the website and more exciting features, such as the new Virtual Learning Environment are in the pipeline.
Looking for something on the old site?
We have teamed up with the British Library to archive the old CILIP website. So if are looking for something from the old website or CILIP Communities, you can still access them through the British Library UK Web Archive.
Please do have a look around, explore and enjoy. If you have any comments or questions, contact us at web@cilip.org.uk.
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CILIP SW Members Network would like to ensure that the training, events and visits being run in the region suit our members’ needs. In order to try to plan a relevant and appealing programme, we’d like to ask you to respond to a short survey to indicate what kinds of training and events you would like to attend. This should take less than 15 minutes to complete.
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Library Camp South West will run as an “unconference” where participants decide on the programme at the beginning of the event, working on the principle that the sum of the knowledge, experience and expertise of the people in the room is likely to be greater than that of those on the stage at traditional conferences.
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Millennium Seed Bank Library
The library consists of more than half a million items, including books, botanical illustrations,
photographs, letters and manuscripts, periodicals, biographies and maps. Over 90 languages are represented on plant science, research and conservation. There is material on seeds, plant physiology and taxonomy, seed storage and seed germination and systematics.
Kay Pennick, the librarian at Wakehurst, will lead a tour of the Millennium Seed Bank and the Library and talk about her role.
Wakehurst
If you have time why not explore the 465 acres of country estate with ornamental gardens, temperate woodlands and an Elizabethan Mansion, in Wakehurst, West Sussex.
Wakehurst is a wonderful mixture of botanical science and horticulture. There are three gardens, woodland walks and the Loder Valley Nature Reserve.
The visit is free but you need to book as numbers are limited.
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Meet at The Cricketers pub in Berwick at 6pm, then to walk across the
corn fields to The Smugglers in Alfriston. We'll get to the Smugglers
for about 7pm and will leave at 7.30pm to walk back to The Cricketers
for food.
Directions for The Cricketers -
http://www.cricketersberwick.co.uk/directions.php
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The aims of this course are:
• To assess progress in implementing the Six Steps programme
• To develop awareness of good practice in working with blind and partially sighted people
• To develop skills in working with visually impaired people
• To begin to plan a programme for Make A Noise In Libraries fortnight
This course is supported by: Share The Vision and RNIB, the society of Chief Librarians, CILIP Community, Diversity and Equality group.
It is being organised and delivered by the Network.
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The aims of this course are:
• To assess progress in implementing the Six Steps programme
• To develop awareness of good practice in working with blind and partially sighted people
• To develop skills in working with visually impaired people
• To begin to plan a programme for Make A Noise In Libraries fortnight
This course is supported by: Share The Vision and RNIB, the society of Chief Librarians, CILIP Community, Diversity and Equality group.
It is being organised and delivered by the Network.
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Finishes at 7.30pm
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Finishes at 1pm
As well as Michael and Franko, a local, recently-chartered librarian will also be speaking about her Chartership experience.
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With the birth yesterday of the Prince of Cambridge, an important free resource can show you how royal births and their reception have changed throughout history.
Connected Histories brings together 22 digital resources related to early, modern and nineteenth-century Britain. The search engine allows researchers to collect and share important sources for British history in one place, revealing unexpected connections and surprising parallels, whether from nineteenth-century newspapers, the records of courts and parliaments, or drawings. It also allows sophisticated searching of names, places and dates.
The project, funded by Jisc, is a partnership between the University of Hertfordshire, the Institute of Historical Research, University of London and the University of Sheffield.
A search for terms related to ‘royal births’ highlights a wealth of information drawn from historical sources across British history, revealing changes in medical practices, celebrations and cultural behaviours. Highlights include:
Jane Winters, head of publications and IHR Digital, Institute of Historical Research, University of London, says:
“Researchers have benefited enormously from the digitisation of historical sources over the past couple of decades, by universities, archives, libraries and commercial organisations. However, varying access arrangements and methods of production have meant that many of these resources are under-exploited and the opportunities of the digital have not yet been fully realised. Connected Histories is conceived as a means of overcoming some of the barriers to access, by offering a simple route in to a huge and varied corpus of research materials. With a single search, the precedents and historical context for any major public event, such as a royal birth, can easily be discovered, in both image and text.”
Paola Marchionni, programme manager, Jisc, says:
"When Jisc funded Connected Histories to offer a unified entry point to a range of diverse historical collections, we didn't know it would become one of our ‘jewels in the crown’. Since then the site has grown from strength to strength doubling the number of collections it now cross searches and establishing itself as a key online resource for the study of British history. "
via Jisc news
This course is suitable for anyone wishing to develop or refresh their skills to mentor in any setting including CILIP mentors. It will focus on mentoring skills rather than on the details of the CILIP scheme (updates on the CILIP scheme will be provide by CILIP through other forums).
By the end of the day participants will:
Have further practised their mentoring skills Have looked at new and exciting tools which they can develop and use Identified key strengths and development areas
Facilitator: Carol Brooks
Carol is has been mentoring and has led the PTEG Mentor Support network for many years. She has delivered Mentoring courses a number of times across a range of sectors. She is the founder of Chrysalis Coaching & Development www.chrysalisdevelopment.co.uk
For further details please contact: carolbrooks2612@ntlworld.com
To book please use this link: https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/DevelopMentorSkillsLondon2013
PTEG Cancellation policy. Cancellations made up to 14 days before the course will face no charge. Cancellations made within 14 days of a course, and failures to attend, will be charged at the full rate of the booking fee agreed. Depending on circumstances, negotiations may be made to attend a future course without further payment.
Interested in joining PTEG - CILIP's Personnel, Training & Education Group?
E-mail: gil.young@nhs.net
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Join us for a visit to the newly refurbished Reuben Library at the British Film Institute. It houses a huge collection of books, journals, documents and audio recordings about the world of film and television. The library collection spans the history of cinema. Its priority is comprehensive coverage of moving image in Britain, but the collection is international in scope.
Venue: BFI Southbank, Belvedere rd, South Bank, London. SE1 8XT
Places are very limited. Please contact Clair Muller by email: clair.muller@westsussex.gov.uk to request a place. Priority will be given to CILIP members living or working in the Sussex region.
*This event is now fully booked*
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AGM and Lightning Talks - Professional Knowledge and Skills Base
16th April, 6-8pm at University of Brighton
Have you been looking for your first chance to deliver a presentation in public?
Are you a new professional wanting to showcase your skills to prospective employers?
Have you had a great idea you’d like to share with your peers?
Simply choose a segment from CILIP’s Professional Knowledge and Skills Base and deliver a 3-5 minute presentation:
Your talk can be on something you do everyday, a project you’re working on, a piece of research, an essay topic, or just an idea you’ve had for something in the future. You do not have to be a presenter to attend - audience members are also very welcome. Tea and cake will be provided and the talks will be preceded by the CILIP in Sussex AGM. The event is free but booking is required at http://cilipsussex.eventbrite.co.uk
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It was the conundrum that baffled some of the greatest and most eccentric experts of the 18th century - and captivated the British public during an era of unprecedented scientific and technical transformation.
Now, for the first time, the full story of attempts to solve the longitude problem - unravelling the lone genius myth popularised in film and literature - will be made freely available to everyone via Cambridge University’s Digital Library.
Launched today, the complete archive of the Board of Longitude, held by Cambridge University Library and associated National Maritime Museum collections, will take their place alongside the works of Charles Darwin and Isaac Newton on the Cambridge Digital Library site.
Treasures of the Longitude archive, available to view in high-resolution for the first time, include accounts of bitter rivalries, wild proposals and first encounters between Europeans and Pacific peoples. This includes logbooks of Captain Cook’s voyages of discovery, the naming of Australia and even a letter from Captain Bligh of HMS Bounty, who writes to apologise for the loss of a timekeeper after his ship was ‘pirated from my command’.
The university’s Digital Library project was launched in June 2010 following a £1.5m gift from the Polonsky Foundation. University librarian Anne Jarvis said:
“With the digitisation of this incredible collection, we have taken another important step towards realising our shared ambition of creating a digital library for the world.”
The Board of Longitude collection is the largest project undertaken to date by the Cambridge Digital Library team, comprising more than 65,000 images. Funded by Jisc, a charity which provides digital services for UK education and research, the collection has been developed in partnership with a wider five-year research project by Cambridge’s department of history and philosophy of science and Greenwich’s National Maritime Museum.
In July 1714 an act of parliament established a £20,000 prize, worth about £1.5 million today, for the discovery of longitude at sea: determining a ship’s position east and west from a fixed meridian line.
Cambridge historian Professor Simon Schaffer said:
“The problem of longitude could be a lethal one. The act of parliament established the Board of Longitude – think the X Factor, only much more money and much more important – that would reward anyone who could solve the problem of longitude.
“The longitude story is a spectacular example of expert disagreement and public participation. As well as attracting the greatest scientific minds of the day, the board enticed people who belong to one of the most important traditions in British society; the extreme eccentric.”
The hugely significant archive preserves detailed minutes from the first recorded meeting in 1737 right through to the Board of Longitude’s dissolution in 1828.
Royal Museums Greenwich’s Dr Richard Dunn said the archive proves that John Harrison, while a towering figure in the story, is not the start and end point for all things longitude.
"The archive places the familiar story of Harrison in its richer context. He was a crucial figure but the story is much broader. It takes in the development of astronomy, exploration and technological innovation and creativity during the period of the Industrial Revolution, the work of the first government body devoted to scientific matters, and public reactions to a challenge many considered hopeless.”
As the schemes for longitude needed to be tested on long voyages, the archive includes much detail on Britain’s maritime interests, explorations and encounters with other cultures. It also played a major role in plans for voyages by James Cook and successors into the Pacific in the 1770s - and into the Arctic in the opening decades of the 19th century. The archive includes four eyewitness accounts of Cook’s Second Voyage and contains the first Western maps and descriptions of many Pacific places and peoples.
The Board’s work continued long after longitude was effectively solved and its many interests and long duration makes the archive a hugely important primary source on the development of science and technology in the 18th and early 19th centuries. It also provides valuable insight into the social history of the era with thousands of names featuring in its files; from Isaac Newton, to eccentric inventors who berated the Board for not following up on their ideas.
Indeed, the archive contains two volumes of ‘impractical’ schemes submitted in the hope of finding a reward. They were later bound and prefaced with title pages such as ‘wild proposals resulting from dreams’. They came via a diverse cross-section of society, from prisoners seeking release in return for their ‘solutions’ to citizens like Mr William Lester, who proposed solar experiments to find longitude that involved igniting points on a globe with a lens. The board underlined his statement that if the globe is correct and properly adjusted ‘you will set fire to London’.
Peter Findlay, programme manager, Jisc, said:
“The Longitude collection has much to tell us about the effects of scientific discovery on society and many of its themes and concerns are still relevant today. The collaboration between Cambridge University Library and the National Maritime Museum - and the close interaction with the AHRC’s research project – exemplifies the researcher-led rich data approach Jisc takes to content creation. While this digital collection supports a major current research project, it also lays a foundation for future research and teaching.”
via Jisc news
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The aims of this course are:
• To assess progress in implementing the Six Steps programme
• To develop awareness of good practice in working with blind and partially sighted people
• To develop skills in working with visually impaired people
• To begin to plan a programme for Make A Noise In Libraries fortnight
This course is supported by: Share The Vision and RNIB, the society of Chief Librarians, CILIP Community, Diversity and Equality group.
It is being organised and delivered by the Network.
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