As getting into university becomes even harder this year, we track five students in their quest for a place
More students than ever before have applied to university this year. In a bid to beat the tuition fee rise – course costs may nearly treble from £3,290 to a maximum of £9,000 a year for those starting in 2012 – some 600,000 young people sent in a Ucas form this year. That is 5% more than the same time in 2010, when an estimated 200,000 students missed out on a place altogether.
With thousands more battling for the same number of places – around 479,000 – this year, even more students face rejection from all of their university choices. They will then have to decide whether to re-apply next year, and pay the higher fees, or give up the dream altogether.
So how does it feel to be in the thick of it? For the next few months, Education Guardian will follow five sixth-formers as they log in to Ucas, discover their offer progress, and decide how far they want to go to get a few letters after their name.
Zowie Pearce, 18, is studying A-levels in communications and culture and English literature and language at Cornwall College, St Austell. She already has A-levels in sociology, psychology and photography and has applied to read English at university.
"I found it quite difficult to sell myself to the universities, showing them that I'm hardworking and dedicated despite my illnesses," says Zowie, who has cystic fibrosis (CF) and diabetes. "And I'm a bit worried about my health, as starting university and leaving home is a big step." Zowie sent her Ucas form in early, in the first week of October, despite being in hospital the previous month. "It can be a problem as I miss so much study time," she says. "With weeks in hospital, I miss out on my education time. But when I want something I will do whatever it takes. Cystic fibrosis won't override my life."
Zowie's dad is a building site manager and her mum a medical secretary. She will be the first in her family to go to university. Her older sister opted to get a secretarial job after leaving school, so she talked to friends and teachers about her options. "I wanted to study somewhere where if I was ill it wouldn't take long to get to a hospital and with a CF centre close by," she says. "So I applied to Plymouth, Bath Spa, the University of West England and Bournemouth."
The extra hurdles Zowie has faced in her education so far means she brushes off concerns about tuition fee debt. "I'm a firm believer that if going to uni is something you are really passionate about, fees won't stand in the way – you deal with it however you can."
Christopher Howarth, 17, is studying English literature, Latin and chemistry A-levels in year 13 at Haberdashers' Aske's Boys' School, a private secondary in Hertfordshire. He has applied to read classics at university.
Chris is already worrying about A2 results day in August. "Tearing open the envelope is always terrifying, you feel that there's so much potential for something to go wrong," he says. Both of his parents – who work as a civil servant and school administrator – went to university and expected him to do the same. Chris decided early on at secondary school that he wanted to study classics. "I think it's useful to have some idea of what you want to do, as it's all getting so competitive," he says.
Chris has already been to Cambridge for an interview. "I really enjoyed it," he says. "I was asked why Chinese uses a writing system based on symbols, and had no idea at first, but they kept giving me hints until I came up with a satisfactory theory." He was "elated" about being offered a place at Trinity College late last year. "But they asked for a minimum of two As and an A*, and more than anything I'm hoping I won't fall short," he says. "I know lots of very able people have slipped up on the day and missed out on a place."
Chris has also applied to Durham, Bristol, St Andrews and UCL. He's considering a career as a barrister but isn't sure yet, saying "the beauty of humanities degrees is that you don't have to make your mind up right away".
Josh Kay, 17, is studying A-levels in history, German, sociology, and English literature and language at Stourport school in Worcestershire. He has applied to read international relations.
Josh has been thinking about university since he was 12, although his dream course has changed from architecture to pathology to law to linguistics to international relations. "After university, I would like to either become a civil servant in the foreign office, or work within an embassy. I love travel and languages," he says.
That ambition led Josh to consider venturing to Europe for higher education. "After seeing an article about how Dutch universities were offering very generous grants to English students, I looked into Maastricht and Groningen universities," he says. "In October, I went to the Netherlands to have a look at both universities. I spoke to an English student at Maastricht about her experiences and how she was finding being a foreign student." Josh is now in the process of applying to both of those universities, as well as the London School of Economics, and Birmingham, Manchester, Swansea and East Anglia universities – the last four of whom have already offered him a place.
Josh says his parents – his dad is a carpenter and his mum works for an aerospace company – didn't go to university and are encouraging him and his 15-year-old brother to do so. They agree that "studying abroad would be a great opportunity to expand knowledge and my languages," as Josh puts it. He adds: "Moving to the Netherlands would be great for its multicultural edge, as well as its extremely generous grants. The fees are £1,500 a year, plus you receive a basic £221-a-month grant. The Dutch were friendly when I visited and their standard of English is excellent, which is especially helpful for me as my only Dutch is 'dank u'."
Danielle Fox, 17, is studying a two-year BTec subsidiary diploma in art and design plus photography A-level at Plymouth Marine Academy.
"I'm the first in my family to be thinking of going to university," says Danielle. "It is a big deal – my parents are really proud of how I've done so far and they're egging me on." Yet Danielle, whose dad fits power lines and whose mum is unemployed, would start university under the new fees regime and is worried about the cost.
"Although my parents will hopefully be able to help me a bit, I'd be doing most of it myself, with loans plus a job to pay for necessities. The new fees have made me think twice about uni. Since I'd have to do so much paid work, I'd worry about the impact on my studies – and with fees so high, it wouldn't be worth going to uni unless I could focus and do it properly."
Danielle plans to start looking into the full details of university when she has finished her first year of sixth form. "Right now, I am focusing on my current workload so I don't fall behind and start worrying – but I've started thinking about it in my spare time," she says. Danielle loves Japanese manga animation and wants to work as an illustrator.
Sam Jacobs, 17, is in year 12 at JFS, a mixed comprehensive in Kenton, Harrow, studying chemistry, biology, English literature and geography AS-levels. He wants to study medicine at university.
"Medicine has always been my passion – I'm fascinated by science and how it relates to mental and physical health," says Sam. He has found the jump from GCSEs to A-levels "challenging" and has been disappointed by his grades this year, despite a string of A* and As at GCSE. "But with hard work I'm improving on my grades and time management," he says. "I'm hoping to achieve top marks in my ASs, since they will play a crucial role in whether I get in to medical school or not."
Sam – who enjoys drama and debating at school – hasn't yet decided which universities to apply for, but has been to a residential course for students who want to be doctors at St George's, part of the University of London. Neither of Sam's parents went to university and he is an only child. "I especially want to make my parents proud," he says. "But my biggest worry is not making the final cut. University is getting harder to get into and more people are being turned away each year. Plus, coming from a working-class background, I'm worried about how I'll afford the tuition without amassing a huge amount of debt."
We will catch up with our students once a month until August
• Lucy Tobin is author of A Guide to Uni Life (Trotman, £9.99)
I discover that crafts and skills are the new zeitgeist, and friends envy me my furniture-making course
It's the end of the first semester of my furniture-making foundation degree, and I have just handed in my first ever piece of furniture for marking. It is a small oak cabinet (with 28 dinky dovetail joints) that sits on an elegant black metal stand. It's not perfect, but I am really happy to have used hand tools to create something that looks good and has practical value.
Since last September, it has been a whirl of learning new things, many (minor) chisel injuries, frustrations, mistakes and a burn with a welding rod. There have also been "issues" with some students listening to personal stereos during lectures. Hearing that I turned 50 in December, one of my new so-called mates thought for a while, smiled and said, "you are six years older than my mum". Actually, the age gradient runs from 19 to 62, men and women from across the UK as well as France, Germany and the Philippines.
But there is anxiety about the future of the course. The furniture design foundation degree was scrapped last year, which doesn't bode well. London Metropolitan University has a calamitous history with finances. In the new world order, large wood and metal workshops with skilled technicians are expensive compared to cheaper "chalk and talk" courses. Sweep them all away and there is plenty of space to cram in £9,000-a-year business studies students and accountants.
But if the workshops go, the other courses that rely on them – jewellery, design, conservation, restoration and musical-instrument making – would suffer. The logic seems cracked. If we are not making anything, who will employ the accountants, lawyers and business graduates? They can't all be apprenticed to Lord Sugar.
On a fact-finding tour in January, the new dean met our course tutor and a small group of students, including myself. We all told him that the course is great. In fact, we said there is a moral duty to retain furniture making in an area that has been its home for over 150 years.
Since I started the course, dozens of friends have said they wish they could do the same. Crafts and old skills are the zeitgeist. Look at the recent TV programme with Monty Don taking teams of hopefuls through woodwork, stone masonry and weaving courses, or best-selling The Case for Working With Your Hands, by Matthew Crawford, the academic philosopher turned motorcycle mechanic.
And Simon Jenkins's article from the Guardian in October – "Graduates shouldn't be afraid of the chisel and oil can" – was another paean of praise for these skills.
Furniture making here can trace its roots back to 1848, when the Bishop of London's appeal to the clergy to "improve the intellectual and moral conditions of the industrial classes" saw the start of evening classes for young men. Cash from the foundation set up by local philanthropist Sir John Cass (1661 to 1718) built the first technical institute.
Our campus, where trendy Brick Lane meets the City, is a creative crucible – everyone wants to come here. The university must raise awareness of one of the few hands-on furniture-making courses in the south-east of England. We need new philanthropic partners to ensure that financially and spiritually rewarding crafts flourish. Hello Mr Conran, Mr Heal, Mr Ikea.
Despite university fees and the earnings potential of trades, raising the status of apprenticeships is a battle
Richard Sagar did well in his Scottish highers, but for him university was definitely not on the radar. "From quite an early age, I knew I wanted to learn a skill or a trade. I just couldn't see myself in a desk job in an office."
So, at 18, when his friends opted for university, Sagar started an apprenticeship in electrical installation, spending four days a week at a local electrical firm, and one day at Dumfries and Galloway College. He was paid around £150 a week. His talent and flair were spotted early on, and in 2009, he was a gold medallist in WorldSkills, the international "skills olympics" competition.
Now, at 24, Sagar has his own business that specialises in home automation (control systems that "sync" home technology, so dimming the lights or switching on the TV can be done at the touch of a button). His projected earnings for this year are around £60,000. By the time he is 30, he says, he would like to employ up to five staff. "I've got lots of friends who went to university and I can't think of a single one that can match me in terms of earnings and career progression."
Heating engineer and plumber Brian Grice, 26, who works for Pimlico Plumbers, has a similar story to tell. After leaving school at 16, he completed apprenticeships in both gas and electrical installation. By the time he was 19, he was fully qualified and earning £24,000 a year. Last year, he earned around £92,000. "My dad, who is a design engineer, and has both a degree and an apprenticeship, advised me to get out into the workplace as soon as possible. Most people I know with a degree had to start again when they left university and do some vocational training. I've got mates in their 20s who did law degrees and are earning less than I was when I was 19."
Getting into employment earlier, earning on the job and not running up student debt (and the fact that their skills are often very much in demand) mean apprentices are definitely giving graduates a run for their money.
According to a Department for Education and Skills study carried out in 2007, those with a level 2 apprenticeship (equivalent to GCSE) earn more than £73,000 more over their lifetime compared with those with those who have other level 2 qualifications or below. Those with a level 3 apprenticeship (equivalent to A-level) earn around £105,000 more than those with other level 2 qualifications.
And a recent study carried out by Zenos, a subsidiary of the education provider Pearson, found that within three years of starting their training, their IT apprentices were more than £47,000 better off than their graduate counterparts, taking into consideration the lack of graduate debt.
Fiona McBride, CEO of Pearson in Practice, the vocational training division of Pearson, says: "Apprenticeships are not only a solid choice for young people but, in many cases, a better route into their chosen career than A-levels and university. Young people and their parents are waking up to this fact, and recognising the importance of work-related learning in today's competitive economy."
As one of the few areas of education and training not to be hit by government cuts, the apprenticeship market is thriving and the government has pledged to create more than 75,000 new apprenticeship places by 2015. But despite the potential for good salaries and career progression, some say apprenticeships are still not given the status they deserve.
Khalifia Newland, who is currently working towards a level 3 apprenticeship in business and administration through New College Nottingham, says she feels there is still a stigma. "People tend to think you're not clever enough for university, which is just not right."
Knowledge about apprenticeships can also be poor. Newland, who is now 24, spent two and a half miserable years at university (where she amassed over £16,000 worth of debt) and two years doing poorly paid jobs in call centres before she discovered apprenticeships, completely by chance, when browsing the college website for jobs.
She now earns £13,500 a year and believes that once she has completed her apprenticeship, her earnings will rise substantially. "I had heard of apprenticeships but assumed they were all in areas like plumbing. At school it was just 'uni uni uni'. No one ever spoke to us about alternative options."
According to Sarah Clover, sales and marketing director at the student advice website notgoingtouni, this is a common problem. She cites the 2009 study by the education charity Edge, which found that more than half of teachers (56%) rated their knowledge of apprenticeships as poor. Just 24% of teachers said they believed apprenticeships were a good alternative to A-levels or equivalent qualifications.
A former British Gas apprentice herself, Clover feels little has changed in terms of careers advice dished out in schools since she left over 20 years ago. "I was academically bright, but didn't want to go to university and basically was told if I didn't, I'd be destined for a life of poverty and grind.
"Since the second year of my apprenticeship I have consistently earned more and also found it easier to progress in my career than friends who chose university. I have never regretted my decision and it angers me that so many teachers are still spreading the same untruths regarding options away from university."
In a bid to improve the advice on offer, the government is to launch an all-age careers service for England in September, to replace the Connexions service for young people and Next Step service for adults. Many have complained about the winding down of Connexions, but the service had been criticised for focusing on the needs of the most vulnerable children at the expense of others, such as sixth-formers making decisions about university.
Plans are also being announced this week – National Apprenticeships Week – to introduce a student card scheme for apprentices (like the NUS card) offering discounts in high street shops and other student-style benefits. This is part of wider plans to create a Royal Society of Apprentices, funded by membership subscriptions, supported by the NUS, Edge and various employer organisations.
The plan includes promoting apprenticeships in colleges and schools, lobbying on issues that affect apprentices (including the introduction of a graduation ceremony for apprentices) and helping members to join other industry-based societies.
Although the idea of a "royal society" is in the very early planning stages, Rob Halfon, MP for Harlow, who has been working on the idea, wants to create a sense of "collegiality" for apprentices. "The hope is that the society will give apprentices the voice they otherwise would not have."
While there is little doubt that apprenticeship can lead to recognised qualifications, good salaries and employment prospects, Kate Shoesmith, senior manager for policy and research at the City & Guilds Centre for Skills Development, thinks there is work to do with employers to ensure apprenticeships are easy to set up and fit for purpose. "It's important to make sure that apprenticeships are seen by employers as a way to unleash people's talents and potential, not just as a way to train someone to do a single job for life."
Children of Chinese origin, whether rich or poor, do incredibly well in school – but hardly any studies have been done to find out why
It seems a hugely under-researched phenomenon within English education. But Jessie Tang thinks she has the answer.
"It's mostly the parents. Chinese parents tend to push their children a lot, and have really high expectations. I think it's maybe because they did not have the opportunities that we have these days. They want us to take advantage of them."
Jessie, 18, an A-level student at Watford grammar school for girls, whose father arrived in England from Hong Kong, was being asked about what seems an amazing success story buried and barely commented upon within English schools' results.
The statistics relate to the achievement of pupils of Chinese ethnicity, revealed last autumn in a report by the Equality and Human Rights Commission on inequality in Britain.
This showed not only that British Chinese youngsters are the highest performing ethnic group in England at GCSE, which has been known for years. It also showed that this group seemed to be singularly successful in achieving that goal of educational policy-makers everywhere: a narrow performance gap between those from the poorest homes, and the rest.
Further evidence of the success of pupils of Chinese heritage came through the world's most well-known international testing study, Pisa. This found 15-year-olds from Shanghai, China, easily outperforming those of all other nationalities.
The domestic statistics show that, at GCSE, children of Chinese ethnicity – classed simply as "Chinese" in the data – who are eligible for free school meals (FSM) perform better than the national average for all pupils, rich and poor.
Not only that, but FSM Chinese pupils do better than those of most other ethnic backgrounds, even when compared with children from better-off homes (those not eligible for free school meals).
A detailed look at the figures makes this clearer. Some 71% of Chinese FSM pupils achieved five good GCSEs, including English and maths, in 2009. For non-FSM Chinese pupils, the figure was 72%.
Every other ethnic group had a gap of at least 10 percentage points between children who do not count as eligible for free meals, and those who do. The gap for white pupils stood at 32 percentage points.
In 2010, the picture changed slightly, with the gap between Chinese FSM pupils (68%) and their non-FSM peers (76%) increasing to eight points. But it still compared very favourably with the equivalent gulf among white pupils, which was 33 percentage points.
In primary schools, the picture is similar. Remarkably, in 2009, in English key stage 2 tests, Chinese FSM pupils outperformed not just their counterparts from other ethnic groups – easily outstripping white children – but even Chinese pupils not eligible for free meals.
Michael Gove, the education secretary, told his party conference last autumn that the performance of FSM pupils as a whole was a "reproach to our conscience". So what do Chinese pupils have going for them that other children do not?
Anyone investigating this subject will be struck by the limited research available. Only one academic team seems to have looked into British Chinese pupils' experience in detail in recent years.
The team, who interviewed 80 Chinese pupils, 30 Chinese parents and 30 teachers in 2005, identified several factors behind the success, although they stress that not all British Chinese pupils achieve. One explanation, though, shines through their findings.
Becky Francis, a visiting professor at King's College London, director of education at the Royal Society of Arts and one of the researchers, says: "Our main argument is that families of Chinese heritage see taking education seriously as a fundamental pillar of their Chinese identity, and a way of differentiating themselves not just within their own group, but from other ethnic groups as well."
Recent coverage of Amy Chua's book on "tiger parenting", Battle Hymn of The Tiger Mother, has also focused attention on parenting styles promoting achievement in children of Chinese ethnicity.
The argument that Chinese families put especial value on education is sensitive territory, of course, as most parents would profess a commitment to helping their child do well. Academics also stress that the numbers of pupils classed as "Chinese" are small – only 2,236 took GCSEs last year, from a total cohort of nearly 600,000 – and results should be interpreted cautiously.
However, there is tentative evidence, both from interviews with parents and from analyses of background values existing in Chinese culture, that family commitment to education is particularly strong.
Some 13 of the 30 British Chinese parents interviewed said their children were also being educated at Chinese "supplementary schools". These offer tuition in Chinese language and culture at the weekends.
Several of the parents also said they paid for tutoring outside school hours. Researchers found that among British Chinese families this was not related to social class: a number of working-class parents paid for this, too.
Asked to respond to the question "Is education important?", all 80 pupils agreed. High parental expectations also seem to have been a factor in many – though not all – children's experiences.
One pupil is quoted saying: "My parents expect me to get the best grades. And if I don't, then they'll continuously nag at me to do better ... Like if I get a B, they'll be like, 'Why didn't you get an A?'"
A paper presented at last year's British Educational Research Association conference, covering performance across all ethnic groups, found no link between the occupation of Chinese pupils' parents and their GCSE scores, unlike for children from all other ethnicities.
Ramesh Kapadia, a visiting professor at London University's Institute of Education, who presented the paper, says: "I think within Chinese society, there is an emphasis on practice. Children are told: 'If you want to learn something, practise, practise and practise it again and you will get better'. It may be that this helps to motivate pupils when the rewards can seem a long way away."
There is a mixed picture overall, though, as to how far this school success is being translated into employment prospects. The Equality and Human Rights Commission report found that British Chinese men and women were twice as likely to be in professional jobs as their white British counterparts. But average earnings remained around 11% lower throughout the population than for those classed as "white Christian".
Whether the Chinese experience can be replicated among other pupils is debatable. Some might see evidence that Chinese families emphasise hard work, and the results that follow, as simple proof that all can succeed, given the right attitude.
However, Francis says such a view should be treated cautiously, the team's 2005 paper arguing that "Chinese constructions of ethnic identity and education are very specific". Much research has shown links, generally, between poverty and underachievement.
Jessie, whose father works in a takeaway restaurant and whose mother, originally from Malaysia, works at Heathrow airport, has 12 GCSEs including six A*s and an offer to read music at Royal Holloway, London. She attended a Chinese supplementary school from the age of five. She says many Chinese families are keen on their children pursuing careers in medicine, so she is "rebelling a bit", but wanted to pursue a subject she enjoys.
The Department for Education was unable to point to any particular study it has commissioned to look at British Chinese pupils' success. Given the scale of that success, it seems surprising that the phenomenon has not been investigated further.
Both male and female cats display rolling behaviour, researchers report, usually in the context of mating
Domestic cats roll. Oh, they roll and roll and roll – not constantly, but often enough that the behaviour eventually caught the attention of scientists. In 1994, Hilary N Feldman of Cambridge University's Sub-Department of Animal Behaviour, did a formal study of the phenomenon. Feldman's monograph, called Domestic Cats and Passive Submission, appeared in the journal Animal Behaviour.
Other scientists had made little leaping swats at the question. Feldman commends JM Baerends-Van Roon and GP Baerends' book The Morphogenesis of the Behaviour of the Domestic Cat, and also LK Corbett's University of Aberdeen PhD thesis, Feeding ecology and social organisation of wildcats (Felis silvestris) and domestic cats (Felis catus) in Scotland. Both came out in 1979, marking that year as the previous high point in cat-rolling scholarship.
But Baerends-Van Roon, Baerends and Corbett only glanced at rolling. Feldman focused on it, and spent six months observing "two groups of semiferal cats kept in a large outdoor enclosure".
Rolling, by Feldman's definition, "involved an individual cat rolling onto its back, with forepaws held cocked, often with the legs splayed and abdomen exposed ... The exposed position was sometimes held for several minutes and was assumed repeatedly in several instances. This was performed in front of another cat in the majority of cases (79%), and often the rolling animal would approach rapidly and perform the action before any response to the approach was observed".
The big question of interest, going into this, was the extent to which "each cat was equally likely to roll to any other individual" versus the extent to which each cat was not. These were adults. The report specifies that "kitten behaviour was not examined".
Over the course of the half year, Feldman observed 175 rolls, of which 138 "had an obvious recipient".
Females rolled mostly while they were in heat. Adult females rolled almost exclusively for adult males. Younger females went mostly for old guys, too, but occasionally rolled for young males or for females.
Males rolled "throughout the year". Feldman writes that "a substantial proportion [61%] of the rolling behaviour was performed by males, and most of this male-initiated activity was directed towards other males."
Young males rolled toward adults, but the reverse almost never happened. The adults would "ignore or tolerate the younger males' presence", suggesting to Feldman "that rolling may act as passive submission and inhibits the development of overt aggression".
"Both adult and juvenile males rolled ... towards adult females. As with female rolls, it is likely that these rolls were performed in the context of mating, as they occurred when females were displaying other oestrus-related behaviour (eg lordosis [exaggerated curving of the spine], erratic running, treading)".
In summary: "Rolling behaviour in domestic cats appears to have two functions. Females roll primarily in the presence of adult males, demonstrating a readiness to mate". But "males roll near adult males as a form of subordinate behaviour".
This "phenomenon of passive submission", Feldman muses, "may have relevance for a similar behaviour between pet cats and their owners".
• Marc Abrahams is editor of the bimonthly Annals of Improbable Research and organiser of the Ig Nobel prize
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The statement was prepared by CILIP on Save Our Libraries Day, 5 February 2011. We say that the public library service is a popular service that is held in high public esteem. We oppose public libraries being seen as a soft option or taking a disproportionate level of cuts - they are a frontline statutory service.
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Public libraries being failed by lack of leadership from Westminster
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CILIP publishes clear set of actions for Jeremy Hunt
Save Our Libraries Day was a clear demonstration that public libraries are a well loved, respected and popular service. Read-ins, author talks, campaigning and mass-book borrowing took place across the country on Saturday the 5th February. At the same time the Chartered Institute of Library & Information Professionals (CILIP) drew up a set of actions for the Secretary of State for Culture, Jeremy Hunt, to fulfil his statutory duty to superintend and promote the public library service in England.
CILIP is calling on the Secretary of State for Culture to collect and publish information so the impact of proposed library cuts is properly understood. He has a duty to intervene where proposed cuts are disproportionate or where a local authority will fail to comply with the 1964 Public Libraries & Museums Act. He should provide guidance on best practice for community managed libraries. It must be made clear to local authorities that community managed libraries must not charge for book borrowing if they are to be regarded as part of an authority’s provision to meet its statutory obligation to provide a “comprehensive and efficient” service. He must ensure the Arts Council (England) is able to scrutinise local authorities’ library plans and advise the Minister when there are problems.
CILIP has grave concerns about the level and extent of proposed cuts to public library services across England. The front-loading of savings to local government grants mean that radical proposals have been implemented quickly and often without proper preparation and consultation. CILIP estimates that over 600 libraries in England could close, especially if communities don’t come forward to manage local libraries, with a reduction of 4,000 – 6,000 full-time equivalent staff.
It is vital that the Department of Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) keep the threat to public library services under constant review so they can assess the lawfulness of proposals and the cumulative impact of proposals on public library services across England.
The winding down of the Museums, Libraries and Archives Council (MLA) and the abolition of the Advisory Council on Libraries (ACL) means that DCMS Ministers may not receive the expert advice about public library services that is so badly needed.
Brian Hall, President of CILIP, said:
“Public libraries are part of England’s national heritage, bequeathed to us by the Victorians and ours must not be the generation that destroys this heritage. The vision of the Victorians has enriched subsequent generations and, refocused and energised, public libraries will continue to be a dynamic and vibrant part of society.
We must all work to ensure that we develop an exciting and innovative public library service which not only serves the information and cultural needs of current people but is equipped to help future generations in their discovery and use of knowledge.”
For its part CILIP will continue to monitor local authorities’ proposals for cuts, and when disproportionate make representations to the authority or refer to the DCMS. CILIP will engage in the public debate about the value of libraries and work to increase levels of awareness amongst national and local politicians about the threats to public library services. CILIP will continue to work with influential people and organisations - such as authors, publishers, campaigners, celebrities and unions - to make the case for public libraries.
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CILIP works to promote the value of public libraries and the importance of providing a quality library service to local communities.
There will a National Libraries day 0n 4 February 2012. Find out more
The Department of Communities and Local Government (DCLG) launched a review of statutory duties placed on local government, three of these apply to public library services.
Find out more about the Public Libraries and Museums Act 1964 and what's happening with the review
We have written an open letter to Ed Vaizey, Minister responsible for libraries, urging him to make clear to the DCLG that there is a continuing need for public libraries' legal protection.
Ed Vaizey confirmed at an MPs debate on 28 February 2011 that while volunteers contribute to the public library service, they do not replace professional library staff. He also confirmed that there are no plans to repeal the Public Libraries and Museums Act 1964. Mr Vaizey did not address the issue of community managed libraries.
Brian Hall, President of CILIP, commented: "We hope the message gets through to all politicians and journalists loud and clear: public libraries are a statutory service."
On 21 February 2011, CILIP sent an open letter to the Mayor of London, Boris Johnson, correcting his wrongly held belief that councils are not obliged to have libraries. Annie Mauger replied:
"Sorry Boris, but this is just plain wrong. Under the Public Libraries and Museums Act (1964) local authorities are required by statute to provide a public library service which is comprehensive and efficient, and available to all who wish to use it."
CILIP isssued a statement on 5 February 2011 on the position of the public library service in England. The statement considers the current situation, examines community managed libraries and other proposals and puts forward actiion required by the Secretary of State for Culture. Read the full statement
Save our Libraries Day
A day of action on 5 February 2011
CILIP supports Save our libraries day, a day of action to bring greater attention to the cuts and closures facing many public libraries. Everyone who cares about libraries should use their library on the 5th February and encourage as many others as possible to get involved.
CILIP writes to all England MPs about proposed cuts to public library servicesVoices for the Library is a place on the web for everyone who loves libraries to share their stories and experiences of the value of public libraries. It includes information about why public librarians are important and lists details of local campaigns against public library closures.
Voices for the Library has been endorsed by CILIP.
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The independent review chaired by Professor Sir Alan Wilson and carried out over a four month period concludes that, ‘JISC is an invaluable national resource which has evolved in response to increasing demands over 20 years’. It recommends that due to the breadth and complexity of JISC’s activity its structure, processes, projects, programmes and governance need to be simplified and reshaped, ensuring that it continues to deliver world-class leadership in the innovative use of technology for education and research, for which it is renowned.
Dr Malcolm Read, JISC executive secretary says, “Given the changes in the economic climate and the current reshaping of the UK education system, the time was right for HEFCE to conduct a review of JISC to make sure that we are in the best position to carry on delivering excellent services to the higher education and research communities.
“Since JISC was set up technology has become an essential part of the business of every university and college. We have worked hard over the years to develop our capabilities, frequently embracing new challenges and have a reputation as a quality partner that is capable of making a real difference. This review gives us a chance to look at how we operate in a very different environment to that which existed when JISC was formed, we can take stock of where we are and what we have achieved, and use this information to drive the organisation forward.”
The review gives areas and recommendations for JISC to consider how it rises to this challenge, all of which will need thorough investigation and consultation before deciding which will be implemented. These include:
Dr Read added, “We have a lot of work to do in consultation with the education and research community to help us build upon our successes and make JISC even stronger for the future. JISC will be more agile, focus on delivering best practice to colleges and universities at grassroots level and continue to look to the future digital technology needs of the UK education and research community.
“We will need to explore the recommendations, consult with partners and institutions to develop a programme to make the recommendations reality. This will be done through a range of consultation routes from direct discussions with sector representative bodies, to online for individuals and organisations to make their preferences and suggestions.
“Implementing the recommendations after this work will ensure that JISC can continue to be responsive to the ever changing needs of further and higher education by helping them exploit technology and by funding a world class infrastructure.”
via Jisc news
Universities and colleges in England stand to benefit from a new programme of services and investment to deliver efficiencies through shared services in cloud computing infrastructure and applications.
The £12.5 million programme is part of a suite of activities under the University Modernisation Fund (UMF), a HEFCE fund that aims to help universities and colleges deliver better efficiency and value for money through the development of shared services.
This new programme, which will be managed by JISC, supports colleges and universities in the innovative use of digital technologies. The programme has two core elements:
David Sweeney, HEFCE Director – Research, Innovation and Skills, said: "At a time of pressure on university resources, it is critical that technology is used in a collaborative and cost-effective way, to deliver services that will benefit the sector. Cloud computing has the potential to do this in ways which will serve the academic community leading to improvements in research, teaching and administration."
Shared IT infrastructure
A broker will be established for institutions’ procurement of shared virtual servers and data centre capacity. It will act both within the higher education (HE) sector and between the HE sector and commercial suppliers. This will be set up under the auspices of JANET(UK).
A core virtual server infrastructure (a ‘cloud’) will be set up to offer discounted data management and storage services to HE institutions. It will be deployed in data centres starting with a pilot at Eduserv, which will work in collaboration with the Digital Curation Centre.
Up to £5.1 million will be invested in this aspect of the shared IT infrastructure programme, including funding to develop a sustainable financial model for the brokerage beyond the life of the UMF.
Up to a further £4.9 million will be invested in developing HE research data management applications to be deployed in the shared services environment.
Shared services for administration
HEFCE will invest up to a further £2.5 million to develop shared services in administrative systems that support the delivery of learning and teaching and of research. They will help universities and colleges achieve efficiency savings in terms of cost, time and quality improvement. Such shared services will allow them to benefit from aggregated purchasing and reduced implementation and hosting costs, and streamlined processes.
The key components of this shared services programme will include creating:
The whole programme has been developed with strategic input from a HEFCE advisory group including members with wide IT experience from within the HE sector. The group considered the case for investment in each component of the programme, taking account of evidence of demand from institutions and the likely benefits and savings.
The programme will start in March 2011 and finish in March 2012.
via Jisc news
Children who use public libraries twice as likely to be above average readers
On Save Our Libraries Day new research has been published by the National Literacy Trust confirming that children who use their public library are twice as likely to be above average readers compared to their peers who do not use the library.
Annie Mauger, Chief Executive of the Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals, commented:
“This research confirms the huge contribution that public library services make to improving the literacy skills of children and young people. The message is clear, if we are serious about investing in the next generation, we need to invest in our public and school library services. At a time when the government is focusing on improving reading, writing and arithmetic in schools it is almost beyond belief that so many library services are under threat.”
Saturday 5th February is Save Our Libraries Day, a day on action in support of UK public library services. The day will bring greater attention to the cuts and closures many are facing. The Chartered Institute of Library & Information Professionals is encouraging everyone who cares about reading, literacy and libraries to use their library on Saturday and tell as many people as possible to do the same.
Support for libraries can also be shown on Twitter by tweeting why you love libraries using the hashtag #savelibraries. Save Our Libraries Day was originally proposed by library campaigner and author Alan Gibbons. The day is not centrally organised, but provides national focus for local campaigning.
The National Literacy Trust’s new study of 17,089 pupils aged 8 to 16 finds that young people who use their public library are nearly twice as likely to be above average readers than peers who don’t visit their library (18% compared with 9.5%). The research also reveals:
Jonathan Douglas, Director of the National Literacy Trust said:
“Our research shows just how important a role libraries play in supporting literacy. In the UK today one in six people struggles to read, write and communicate, which can affect their health, confidence and employability.
“The National Literacy Trust campaigns to improve public understanding of the vital importance of literacy. We are supporting Save Our Libraries Day and encouraging everyone to get involved and show how passionately they feel about the importance of literacy and libraries.”
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Press contacts:
Mark Taylor, Head of Corporate Marketing and Media Relations, CILIP
Tel: 020 7255 0654
Mobile: 07792 635 305
Email: mark.taylor@cilip.org.uk
For more information about the National Literacy Trust or to interview Director Jonathan Douglas, please contact:
Anna Lindsay, Public Relations Officer, National Literacy Trust
Tel: 020 7820 6256
Mobile: 07889 473603
Email: anna.lindsay@literacytrust.org.uk
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Key media coverage from the last three months
15 April
The Independent on Sunday
Big Society in Action? Alternative community libraries as a response to closures
5 April
The Guardian
Comment is free: Community-run libraries are part of the degradation of the service
4 April
The Bookseller
Libraries: care in the community?
3 April
The Telegraph
Judge rules against plan to staff libraries with volunteers
3 April
The Independent
Big Society libraries under threat
30 March
The Independent
Cultural organisations call for ratification of the 1954 Hague Convention on the Protection of Cultural Property in the Event of Armed Conflict
22 March
The Guardian Higher Education Network
Professional development advice for academic librarians
16 March
The Telegraph
Scale of cut backs revealed
13 March
The Bookseller
Campaigners welcome Vaizey's reach-out to CILIP
13 March
Evening Standard
Libraries facing a bleak future
12 March
The Guardian
Library protest to target Houses of Parliament
21 February
BBC Radio 4, Today in Parliament
Annie Mauger, CILIP CEO, giving evidence at Culture, Media and Sport inquiry into public library closures in England
21 February
Huffington Post
Ministers don't understand libraries
4 February
BBC News
Children's laureate writes poem in protest at library closures
3 February
The Guardian
National Libraries Day
3 February
Yorkshire Post
Local authorities must take library duties seriously in difficult times
2 February
John Dolan, Chair of CILIP Council, on Channel 4 News
Public libraries - face of the future
27 January
BBC News - Beds, Herts and Bucks
Herts County Council asked for School Library Service reprieve
27 January
Borehamwood and Elstree Times
Hertfordshire Council urged to re-think Schools Library Service closure plans
27 January
The Bookseller
Jarvis presses Vaizey on library closures
13 January
The Bookseller
Library supporters to uite for 13 March rally
9 January
Information World Review
MPs join libraries campaign
9 January
Worcester Standard
Boost for school from MP
6 January
South Wales Argus
Local MP joins All Party Parliamentary Group on Libraries
3 January
Yorkshire Post
Article by former CILIP President, Biddy Fisher
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Further and higher education institutions need to make increasingly tough choices about how they operate and it is often difficult for institutional managers to justify and measure the impact of new initiatives.
JISC’s Impact Calculator is designed to provide a robust, transparent and consistent means of predicting and measuring the impact of a new process or system on an organisation.
Steve Bailey from JISC infoNet explains: “The calculator is a great tool to aid you in the decision making process, particularly when it comes to considering which initiatives to fund. It provides both a solid evidence base for assessing proposed initiatives and also contributes to the financial/impact transparency of those projects which are then funded. “
Produced in Microsoft Excel the Impact Calculator can be used to define and measure the benefit achieved through any process improvement. The tool comprises four main sections which provide the user with the opportunity to document the business process they are seeking to improve; to define the nature of the benefits they are trying to achieve and how they intend to measure them; to capture detailed performance data for each of the benefits defined both prior to and at intervals after the completion of the change initiative and to record the costs associated with realising that change. Once the relevant data has been entered into the Calculator it will then chart the level of improvement realised and determine if and when a ‘return on investment’ (ROI) will be - or was - realised.
Six JISC-funded pilot projects have just tested the Impact Calculator within a records management context – the Universities of Nottingham, Cardiff, Aberdeen, Huddersfield, Oxford and King’s College London - ranging from improvements to email management and enhancements to the retrospective appraisal of HR records.Download the Impact Calculator
Read the outputs from the six pilot projects
via Jisc news
A day of action on the 5th February 2011
CILIP supported Save Our Libraries Day, a day of action to bring greater attention to the cuts and closures facing many public libraries.
Read-ins, author talks, storytelling sessions, campaigning and mass book borrowing took place across the country on Saturday 5 February 2011. And CILIP met to draw up a set of actions for the Secretary of State for Culture, Jeremy Hunt.
Read the full statement on the position of public libraries in EnglandFollowing on from the success of Save our Libraries Day 2011, National Libraries Day has been launched.
A group of leading literacy, reading, library and education organisations met at CILIP on 26 May 2011 and agreed to support the day, which will be in early February 2012.
"We are delighted to launch National Libraries Day, a week of events in early February leading to a day of celebration of reading, libraries and librarians around the United Kingdom. We want people to go to their local school or public library and use their School Library Service. Use it. Join it. Love it." Alan Gibbons, library campaigner.
Public libraries being failed by lack of leadership from Westminster
6 February 2011
A selection of the varied media coverage Save Our Libraries Day received:
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What does internationalisation mean for universities now and how should they respond? Ahead of the Leadership Foundation summit on 11 February 2011, JISC spoke to their chief executive Ewart Wooldridge to find out why the global perspective is so important for institutions and where their senior managers can look for inspiration and guidance.
Internationalisation - where JISC can help
JISC EMBEDDED OBJECT
(Duration: 2.24)
Alternative YouTube Version
via Jisc news
Protestors, staff and youths guard Egyptian library
The Director of Alexandria Library, Ismail Serageldin, has declared the library safe, “thanks to Egypt’s youth, whether they be the staff of the Library or the representatives of the demonstrators, who are joining us in guarding the building from potential vandals and looters.”
The library remains closed to the public until the curfew has been lifted and the situation in Egypt stabilises.
There are photographs and a video of the library being guarded on the Alexandria Library website.
Full statement from Ismail Serageldin:
“The world has witnessed an unprecedented popular action in the streets of Egypt. Led by Egypt’s youth, with their justified demands for more freedom, more democracy, lower prices for necessities and more employment opportunities. These youths demanded immediate and far-reaching changes. This was met by violent conflicts with the police, who were routed. The army was called in and was welcomed by the demonstrators, but initially their presence was more symbolic than active. Events deteriorated as lawless bands of thugs, and maybe agents provocateurs, appeared and looting began. The young people organized themselves into groups that directed traffic, protected neighborhoods and guarded public buildings of value such as the Egyptian Museum and the Library of Alexandria. They are collaborating with the army. This makeshift arrangement is in place until full public order returns.
The library is safe thanks to Egypt’s youth, whether they be the staff of the Library or the representatives of the demonstrators, who are joining us in guarding the building from potential vandals and looters. I am there daily within the bounds of the curfew hours. However, the Library will be closed to the public for the next few days until the curfew is lifted and events unfold towards an end to the lawlessness and a move towards the resolution of the political issues that triggered the demonstrations.”
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As part of an ongoing discussion with readers on how research is changing and their expectations of the future role of libraries, the British Library has released initial findings from the first interim evaluation report of its exhibition Growing Knowledge, the Evolution of Research.
Part of a broader evaluation study funded by JISC, initial findings developed by UCL’s Ciber Research Group show that visitors to Growing Knowledge are not only interested in the initiative but also impressed that the library is attempting to learn from and meet the needs of its researchers.
Charles Hutchings, market research manager at JISC, said: “As we’re discovering in our Researchers of Tomorrow study, younger researchers only use new tools and applications in their work once they see their immediate utility. So what’s really interesting is how the Growing Knowledge exhibition is encouraging researchers of all ages to try out new technologies. It’s important that JISC and the BL continue to demonstrate the potential value of these technologies for researchers.”
Specifically, visitors to the exhibition are impressed by the resources and tools on show and their usefulness to the research process. Findings show that visitors are rating the applications on show as ‘very useful’ or ‘possibly useful’. For example, 68% of visitors surveyed found the UK Web Archive very or possibly useful, whilst 50% found one of the most popular tools, Mendeley very or possibly useful.
Mendeley caught the attention of many visitors to the interactive research pod content of the exhibition and was highly rated. Mendeley was praised for meeting the many and complex requirements of researchers such as: organising disparate papers; providing an Amazon-style facility whereby users can see what others with similar research interests are doing; synchronising itself with other reference management software; including a web archive system and generating bibliographies and indexes from papers being written.
The research also shows that the exhibition has shifted perceptions and provided researchers with food for thought in terms of tools and applications they might not previously have considered. Examining some of the key applications such as visualisation tools and audio search, 58% and 63% of visitors surveyed stated that they are not using these features currently but may do so in the future.
Aleks Krotoski, Growing Knowledge researcher in residence, commented on these findings: “What’s interesting is that Growing Knowledge has already started to seed interest amongst non-Library users. The aim all along was to test the water with the research community and these early findings show that perceptions of digital research tools are slowly starting to change, both within the sector and beyond.”
Growing Knowledge has also attracted a diverse audience. Interestingly, over half of the visitors to the exhibition have been over 40, suggesting that digital technology and research is not only the province of the young. Further, the exhibition has reached a large percentage of visitors who are not registered library readers. 69.4% of all visitors do not hold a library readers pass therefore demonstrating the appeal of the exhibition to a broad range of visitors.
Richard Boulderstone, the British Library’s director of e-Strategy and Information Systems said: “Growing Knowledge was developed to allow visitors to interrogate, both physically and online some of the tools that are making waves today and will capture the researcher’s imagination in the future. Whilst these results are tentative, the Library is using this interim report to examine the findings, positive and negative, so that we start to determine some of the patterns that exist in understanding how researchers will use these tools and spaces in the future.”
Interact with the exhibition online
via Jisc news
Onsite training opportunities
CILIP specialises in onsite training courses that provide expert training from acknowledged leaders in the field - delivered directly to your organisation.
Courses can either be 'Off the peg' or 'bespoke' and are run for small and large groups of staff attending from the same organisation.
'Off the peg' courses are those that require only minor modifications to current programmes available from our trainers.
If you choose a bespoke course our trainers will work with you to tailor the content and emphasis of a course to reflect the nature of your business and address your specific requirements.
Can't find training on the topic that you are interested in? Get in touch to find out how CILIP trainers can design and deliver a course to suit your exact needs. Further details are available here.
Other CILIP events in 2011
CILIP will present two major conferences and five Executive Briefings in the second half of 2011. Full details are available here.
CILIP Special Interest Group training courses
A number of CILIP’s Special Interest Groups present training courses. Details are available on CILIP’s online Calendar.
Contacts
Onsite courses: For further information about onsite courses onsite@cilip.org.uk
Conferences and Executive Briefings: Jason Russell, Head of Events and Marketing, email: jason.russell@cilip.org.uk, tel: 020 7255 0544
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CILIP: the Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals is the leading professional body for librarians, information specialists and knowledge managers.
Media contact
Contact us for comment or to arrange an interview with a spokesperson.
Mark Taylor
Director of External Relations
Email: mark.taylor@cilip.org.uk
Tel: +44 (0) 20 7255 0654
Mobile: +44 (0) 779 263 5305
About us
CILIP’s vision is a fair and economically prosperous society underpinned by literacy, access to information and the transfer of knowledge.
CILIP speaks out on behalf of the profession to the media, government and decision makers.
CILIP provides practical support for members throughout their entire careers, helping them with their academic education, professional qualifications, job hunting and continuing professional development.
CILIP is a registered charity, no. 313014
More about CILIP
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CILIP Events organise events for library and information professionals that have cutting-edge programmes, expert speakers, and unrivalled networking opportunities. They also provide sponsors and exhibitors with opportunities to present their products, services, systems and software.
Sign up to CILIP Events' e-bulletin to receive the latest event information.
We are currently planning our 2012 events calendar. These pages will be updated as soon as we have dates and topic confirmed.
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Conferences |
Executive Briefings |
Showcases |
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New Professionals Day RFID in Libraries |
eCopyright Executive Briefing The Social Media Revolution RDA: Resource Description and Access Information Literacy Mobile Technology |
LMS Suppliers Regional Showcase LMS Suppliers Showcase - Autumn
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For more information email events@cilip.org.uk or phone 020 7255 0540
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