ISKO-UK biennial conference: Knowledge Organization – what's the story?
Classification, Indexing, Taxonomies and Ontologies - current state and direction of travel
11th – 12th September 2017, London
This will be the 5th biennial conference of the UK Chapter of ISKO (International Society for Knowledge Organization), and a celebration of the 10th birthday of the Chapter.
Call for Papers
Our ability to use narrative is one of the defining characteristics of the human race, with more than one role in Knowledge Organization (KO). Story-telling may have been superseded as the principal way of passing knowledge from one generation to the next, but can still bring to life the study of historical records. And a coherent story helps us make sense of any collection of knowledge.
This conference will explore the role of narrative both literal and metaphorical, in any context of KO, and the potential for KO to evolve towards an unfolding story of applications useful to society and economic development.
Relevant topics include:
The UK Chapter of ISKO is working hard to make this conference a showcase for inspiring, innovative work in our field, and looks forward to welcoming the worldwide KO community to London.
The full Call for Papers (brief (20-minute) and long (40-minute) presentations, as well as a display of posters) can be found on the ISKO-UK web site.
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The latest issue of the CILIP Health Libraries Group Newsletter is now available online at:
http://www.cilip.org.uk/health-libraries-group/newsletter
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The Annual Report 2015-16 has now been approved by the commitee and is available to view here
The draft minutes of the GIG AGM held on the 27th September 2016 are available to view here
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Save the date! UX Libs day Thurs Feb 16th 2017 at Reed Hall, Exeter University
In association with ARLG-SW, Andy Priestner will be running a one day UX (user experience) workshop. He will be sharing the most effective UX techniques for researching how library spaces and services are used with lots of practical examples and opportunities for interaction.
Further details on the programme for the day, along with booking instructions, to follow after Christmas.
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Ross McDonald Librarian Victoria College Belfast
The 2016 CILIP Ireland Open Day and AGM was held in the Linen Hall Library, Belfast, on the 30th November 2016 and was attended by a large number of delegates from across the library and information sector. The programme for the day was titled Evidencing Impact and this theme was reflected in presentations and workshops from each of the speakers.
The day began with a welcome and introduction to delegates by Julie Andrews, Director of the Linen Hall Library. Following this, Adrienne Adair, outgoing Chair of CILIP Ireland, outlined the programme of events before giving thanks to the CILIP Ireland committee and outlined some of the changes that have been made during her time as chair.
The first speaker of the day was Nick Poole, CILIP CEO, whose highly engaging presentation “What will winning look like (and how will we know when we get there)?” outlined the need to properly advocate using evidence and how these strategies ultimately fit in with CILIP’s objectives to 2020. Nick spoke both of the values and core ethics from staff which underpin the library and information sector but also of how this is hindered by both a lack of money in difficult economic times and a lack of understanding by those in power. Achievements will be gained when” there is a broad recognition of the value and impact which our sector delivers”and when this “recognition is translated into policy and financial support”.
Next on the programme was Helen Osborn, Director of Library Services, Libraries NI. Helen continued the theme of advocacy with “Answering the ‘so what?’ question: demonstrating the impact of library services” by presenting a mixture of statistical evidence and case studies in order to show the impact and value of the library service on users. Examples included the Rhythm and Rhyme sessions for pre-school as well as the Health in Mind project to help users with mental health issues and the libraries heritage services. Although only a small part of what Libraries NI delivers, using evidence from these programs helps to demonstrate effectiveness and get libraries onto the government agenda.You can access Helen's presentation here.
After a short break the next speaker was Dr Jessica Bates, Course Director Library & Information Management, University of Ulster. Jessica’s presentation was titled “Individuals and Impact” and the theme focused on how individual librarians can and do make a difference. This included reference to several books, awards and the award winning librarians themselves. The approach to improvement of services includes the need to step back and reflect, evidence impact, learn from other improving organisations and the methods they are using.
Following the CILIP Ireland AGM and lunch for delegates, the final session of the day was a workshop from David McMenemy, Course Director Information & Library Studies, University of Strathclyde. Titled “Advocacy through impact”, the workshop explored the practical aspects of advocacy, the design of an effective impact strategy and delivery. David's presentation can be accessed here.
The day ended with a guided tour of the Linen Hall Library by Samantha McCombe.
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The Rare Books and Special Collections Group seek a treasurer to join the committee from February 2017. There will be a handover period with the current treasurer.
See below for information on the role and how to apply.
Informal queries can be addressed to the current treasurer Karen Limper-Herz: karen.limper-herz@bl.uk
Applications can be made to the secretary Lucy Evans: lucy.grace.evans@gmail.com
The deadline is January 6th 2017.
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Further details will be available soon
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Join us for a drink to banish the January blues and meet other CILIP members.
Your first drink is on us!
All are welcome, whether you're already a member or would like to find out more about what we do.
We'll hold our very brief AGM as well which is a chance to hear what we've been doing over the last year and what we have planned for 2017.
Feel free to drop in on the day, but if you know that you’ll be coming please could you sign up using the booking link to give us a rough idea of numbers.
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We are honoured to be joined by Dr Amanda French, who will be talking to us about the implications of the TEF, REF and Stern Review on library staff. Dr French is the Head of Professional Development, Research and Enterprise at the School of Education at Birmingham City University. Her talk is designed to be an open discussion session, so please come along and join in for a fascinating afternoon!
The event is free to attend and will be taking place in the new library at the Luton campus of the University of Bedfordshire. Details on how to get to the campus can be found here.
Please book your place by emailing us at arlgeastern@gmail.com and letting us know your name and your institution.
We look forward to seeing you there
13:00 - 13:30 Welcome Refreshments
ARLG Eastern will be holding their AGM during the event, which is a great way to hear about the work and events that the Committee have facilitated in the last year. Members of the Committee will talk about their roles for ARLG Eastern and there will be an opportunity to ask questions and learn more about the group’s aims, objectives and activities. ARLG Eastern are always on the lookout for enthusiastic new members to join their Committee and generally help to put on a full programme of visits, training sessions and other events. If this is something you would be interested in, please get in touch with us on the day, or by email after.
14:00 - 15:00 Tour of the University libraryConducted by Sarah Arkle, Head of Reader Services. Sarah will be giving a comprehensive tour of their stunning new Library building, following a £46 million refurbishment. The tour will highlight the innovative use of space across seven floors, alongside the services and facilities that have been incorporated into the study space which further enhance learning and development opportunities for their students. 15:00 - 16:00 Dr Amanda French presents 'TEF, REF and the Stern Review – What might they all mean for learning development/library staff?'This session will raise four fundamental questions relating to the TEF/REF and the Stern Review:
1. How does the concept of excellent teaching connect to learning development?
2. What is ‘excellent teaching’? And does this vary across disciplines?
3. Should universities be seeking to capture ‘excellent learning development’ as part of their TEF returns?
4. How should universities go about developing and supporting learning development in the new higher education landscape? And what are the challenges involved?
The talk will end with a Q&A session with Dr French.
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We explore the complex threat posed by spoof emails and some of the strategies institutions use to counter it.
Given that more than 70% of people would give their passwords away for a bar of chocolate, as the BBC revealed a few years ago, it’s perhaps not surprising that the promise of free money – unclaimed grants, tax rebates, exorbitantly well-paid work – is enough to entice students into revealing personal information, sharing passwords and bank details, and even risking jail for money laundering.
The threat to UK universities from phishing emails is more potent and complex than ever before. Student Finance England’s Counter Fraud and Security teams estimate they have prevented the theft of over £1.5m in maintenance payments through scams aimed primarily at freshers over the last three Septembers alone, but security firm McAfee still caution in their most recent quarterly report that, for every ten emails sent by fraudsters, at least one will be successful.
Indeed, the BBC and Money Saving Expert warned of a new scam just before fresher’s week this academic year, which defrauded a Queen Mary University of London (QMUL) student of £300. The email appeared genuine, even down to the logo of the university’s finance department, and invited students to click on a link to claim a government bursary. Instead, the link transferred students to an online form which asked them to enter personal and bank details before taking them to a bank verification page, by which point fraudsters had already retrieved sensitive information.
The sophistication of this latest attack highlights the rapidly evolving and elusive nature of the threat posed by phishing. Some attempts are easy to identify – they begin with a generic form of address, contain significant errors in spelling, grammar or punctuation and may come from unexpected email addresses.
Others – commonly known as ‘spear phishing’ – look as if they come from an expected or reputable source, such as university IT helpdesks or financial organisations, and apply considerable pressure on recipients, warning students that their account has been hacked, or they need to verify login details, or their loan payment has been delayed, and offering a short timeframe to respond.
Recognising these scams can require as careful an approach as hovering over an embedded link to find that a website URL has been changed from 'bankofabc.com' to 'bancofabc.com'.
Social media adds another tier of intricacy: it is far harder to spot fake links when they are disguised using bit.ly or tinyurl. Spear phishing campaigns are increasingly methodical and systematic in their approach.
"Ten years ago phishing was very basic," says Austin Chamberlain, senior information security officer at University College London (UCL). "Now big organised crime groups are doing it as an industry and making hundreds of millions of dollars a year, with professional programmers working on this. It is a huge criminal industry."
He estimates that of the two to three million emails UCL receives each day, 90% is spam. The worst phishing scam he has seen occurred recently over the August bank holiday weekend, shortly before online registration for returning students, when an email was sent to UCL students from an academic address, offering a UCL-specific grant. "Six to seven UCL students were expecting to receive grant information from UCL," he reveals, "and at least one was financially hit."
While attacks targeting a particular subset of users are hardest to identify, comprehensive attacks on the entire student body pose their own challenges.
UCL outsources the bulk of its immediate threat management to Microsoft, and Chamberlain explains that, while UCL could manage its own content-filtering – scanning emails to filter them out if they contain nothing but a link to a domain – it is in traffic analysis that Microsoft has helped oversee what he characterises as a ‘slight improvement’.
"Microsoft are such a large organisation they get a much bigger threat picture, with a very good picture of mailflow around the world. They can assess how emails are being sent, is it in bulk, and if it looks suspicious, drop it".
For most universities, ongoing threat management relies upon education to raise awareness and prevent the phishing spam getting through in the first place: updating Twitter feeds, sending email alerts, promoting awareness training and online guidelines. But such arrangements require students to actively seek out information – and so-called digital natives are surprisingly blasé about the risks of online security.
A survey conducted by Computer Weekly in March 2016 found that while 77% of the 406 students asked recognise cyber security as a growing threat, only 35% think it is their responsibility to learn about it, and fewer than 20% say they are concerned. In particular, they found that 48% of students said they would attend university seminars on online security, but 57% then admitted that after arriving on campus they failed to find out about their university’s existing security policies.
Watch the University of Sheffield's video on the dangers of phishing.
Counterintuitively therefore, despite the increasing complexity of the phishing threat, the most effective response involves simplicity and repetition. Bob Booth, IT communication manager at the University of Sheffield who commissioned and scripted a short video on the subject three years ago, explains that phishing is "an important, but not very interesting subject" that's "also difficult to explain as there are so many variants".
Sheffield found that raising awareness about each specific threat meant that each time the message was slightly different and so there was little cumulative benefit over time. Booth explains they came to see that the "one strong defence against these kinds of attacks are clear, consistent safety advice messages that will catch people's attention and be memorable".
The video was a strategic response to a growing problem designed "so that we could use the same video to raise awareness of many different threats and keep messages consistent", and a link to it is included in every response to a phishing attempt and all general security correspondence with students.
Students, however, are not the only potential victims of phishing scams at HE institutions. At UCL, Chamberlain says, "we see staff as a bigger risk, partly because they have access to more information, including student information". Chamberlain cites an instance where a senior member of staff apparently sent an email to their PA requesting payment for a specific research purpose, only for the scam to be revealed days later when the PA requested further information.
The particular vulnerability he identifies is in HE’s collaborative ethos: "people expect to receive messages from outside the university as part of their day-to-day jobs, often unsolicited and with attachments, and this leaves many departments very exposed", particularly to system reconfiguration attacks and ransomware.
Research by Zinaida Benenson, head of the Human Factors in Security and Privacy Group at the University of Erlangen-Nuremberg, has found that "by a careful design and timing of the message, it should be possible to make virtually any person to click on a link", especially if it appeals to ‘(usually reliable) decision heuristics such as 'this message fits my current expectations' or 'I know the sender'" – staff opening emails and attachments labelled ‘Proposal’, ‘Abstract’ or ‘Invoice’, for example.
"Expecting error-free decision making from users under these circumstances seems to be highly unrealistic, even if they are provided with effective awareness training," she explains. It makes them either inefficient at their jobs, or inclined to disregard education attempts as counter-productive. Benenson concludes that it cannot constitute the only line of defence against phishing, for "more research is needed to determine the feasible level of defence that non-expert users are able to achieve through security education and training".
Frances Burton, Jisc’s lead security liaison, maintains that while ‘the specific targeting of key personnel is becoming more prevalent in these attacks’, nevertheless ‘educating users has shown to be effective in reducing an organisation’s risk from staff falling victim to a phishing email’. New staff at UCL have, for the last 18 months, attended a mandatory security training course, but existing staff members prove more recalcitrant and as Benenson’s research suggests, education alone cannot suffice.
Chamberlain says that UCL are, as a result, considering a controversial simulated phishing exercise, sending out an imitation phishing email to staff and monitoring the response. "It’s not about being aggressive or blaming people", Chamberlain stresses, simply that given "the amount of phishing we’ve experienced we think that something more drastic has to happen".
And it's not just HE - while the threat currently seems most potent for higher education institutions, further education colleges were warned in 2014 that fraudsters were beginning to target staff in the sector, pretending in that instance to be the Skills Funding Agency.
For both students and staff, the challenge is how to convey key information about new attack methodologies in a rapidly mutating threat landscape without incurring user fatigue.
"People are becoming more aware", concludes Chamberlain, but "the attackers are becoming very savvy and their tools are getting better. All we can do is tell people to think again, think twice when you get an email with an attachment, or requesting bank details, or asking that you send money somewhere - just double check, maybe make a phone call and confirm it with the purported sender."
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As information professionals we know not to take content at face value and check our sources. The phenomenon of fake news now requires even more caution, if we are not to fall prey to misinformation, or, worse, help to spread it. Fake news recently dominated the US election campaign; a tweet from Donald Trump's account falsely stating that social media were burying the FBI investigation of Hillary Clinton was retweeted or liked by tens of thousands of people in a single day.
The Guardian recently explained the global impact of false news in the article Fake news: an insidious trend that's fast becoming a global problem.
Another take on the subject, from a US perspective, as well as tips on how to avoid the pitfalls of fake news, can be found at The plague of fake news is getting worse --- here's how to protect yourself.
The issue of fake news is also discussed in the previous UKeiG news item to be found at http://www.cilip.org.uk/uk-einformation-group/news/timely-ukeig-white-paper
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CILIP, the library and information association has called for urgent investment in public libraries following latest figures showing a £25m fall in expenditure across Great Britain.
Nick Poole CILIP Chief Executive said, "The Government's response to libraries being amongst our most used and trusted public services is to cut budgets and hollow out services. The Autumn Statement was a missed opportunity to invest in innovation and growth through library network. If Government want to create an economy that works for everyone we need to urgently address the skills and literacy crisis facing this country. It is now essential that libraries are given support and investment through the Spring Budget."
"While the recent £4m Opportunities for Everyone Fund for libraries to better support disadvantaged communities in England is welcome the scale of ongoing budget reductions results in fewer libraries and librarians, fewer books, a lack of investment in buildings and services, and a drop in visitor numbers."
The figures from the Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy (CIPFA) show that over the past year:
The figures also show that the Library of Birmingham is the most visited library across England, Scotland and Wales with over 1.6m visitors and the Norfolk and Norwich leant the most books, at just under 1m.
CILIP has called on HM Government, the Department for Culture, Media and Sport, the Department for Communities and Local Government, the Local Government Association and fellow members of the Leadership for Libraries Taskforce to support its key principles to provide the necessary leadership and development of public libraries.
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Press contact
Cat Cooper
Communications and Campaigns Manager, CILIP
cat.cooper@cilip.org.uk
020 7255 0653
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 cilip.org.uk
Image credit: Library of Birmingham by jcwoody via Flickr, original resized and cropped (CC BY-NC 2.0)
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Visit to Public Record Office of Northern Ireland (PRONI)
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The Government Information Group have arranged a visit to the Weiner Library for the Study of the Holocaust and Genocide. Further details regarding timings to be confirmed
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Tel: 020 7636 7247
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CILIP's Library and Information HIstory Group is delighted to announce that its 2017 conference will be held at the University of Dundee on Saturday 1 July 2017. Librarians, researchers and academics are invited to submit proposals for full papers (45 minutes) or lightning talks (10 minutes) on the following themes:
Please send abstracts of no more than 300 words accompanied by a short paragraph with biographical information to j.s.dye@stir.ac.uk by Wednesday 15 February,
Postgraduates and early career scholars are particualrly welcome to submit proposals for lightning papers, whcih will be arranged into panels of 3-4 speakers as appropriate. Speakers will also be encouraged to submit papers for inclusion in the group's journal, Library & Information History.
A full programme, including optional visits on the Friday afternoon before the conference, will be released when booking opens mid-March. A bursary to support student attendance will also be made available.
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CILIP's Library and Information HIstory Group is delighted to announce that its 2017 conference will be held at the University of Dundee on Saturday 1 July 2017. Librarians, researchers and academics are invited to submit proposals for full papers (45 minutes) or lightning talks (10 minutes) on the following themes:
Please send abstracts of no more than 300 words accompanied by a short paragraph with biographical information to j.s.dye@stir.ac.uk by Wednesday 15 February,
Postgraduates and early career scholars are particualrly welcome to submit proposals for lightning papers, whcih will be arranged into panels of 3-4 speakers as appropriate. Speakers will also be encouraged to submit papers for inclusion in the group's journal, Library & Information History.
A full programme, including optional visits on the Friday afternoon before the conference, will be released when booking opens mid-March. A bursary to support student attendance will also be made available.
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This exciting one day conference includes talks from two authors, a very useful copyright talk to answer all those niggling questions we all have about how copyright applies to schools, a talk on promoting health literacy in libraries, autism friendly libraries and international libraries. The day will also include the AGM, where the CEO Nick Poole will be speaking. This is your chance to meet him and quiz him and other members of the National Committee about what SLG and CILIP are planning for their members over the coming year. A very interesting day - hope to see you there. Booking essential.
Books by authors speaking at the conference will be available for sale and there will be signing sessions afterwards
9.15 - 9.45 Coffee and registration
9.45 - 9.50 Welcome and housekeeping
9.50-10.30 Supporting public health literacy through school libraries - Carol-Ann Regan and Louise Goswami, Health Education England
10.30-11.00 Copyright for School Librarians - Naomi Korn IP Consultant, Copyright Consultancy Ltd and Chair: LACA (Libraries and Archives Copyright Alliance)
11.00 Break
11.30-12.30 SLG AGM / Nick Poole, Chief Executive CILIP
12.30-1.00 Meet the Author – Patrice Lawrence
Patrice will be talking about her debut novel for YA readers, ‘Orangeboy’, which is shortlisted for the Costa Book Award and giving us a sneak preview of her new book ‘Indigo Donut’ which is published by Hodder Children’s Books in July 2017.
Sponsored by the Hachette Children’s Group
1.00-2.00 Lunch & signing
2.00-2.30 An international perspective on school librarianship: a reflection on the most recent International Association of School Librarians conference - Rebecca Jones, Librarian, Malvern St. James
2.30-3.00 Autism Friendly Libraries - Sarah Mears, Library Services Manager
Essex Libraries and Chair ASCEL (Association of Senior Children’s & Education Librarians)
3.00-3.30 Meet the Author – Sara Barnard
Sara will be exploring the duty of care in YA fiction and talking about her books ‘Beautiful Broken Things’ and ‘A Quiet Kind of Thunder’
Sponsored by Macmillan Children’s Books
3.30 Signing and tea
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Want to learn how to legally and ethically obtain information on competitors and other companies? Then this in-depth course is for you! Whether you are researching your own organisation's competitors, or helping them understand clients, this one day workshop will look at key resources for gathering and analysing information on competitors and customers.
This event is suitable for Knowledge Managers, Knowledge Officers, Information Managers, Information Officers, Researchers, Librarians and other information Professionals.
Lunch and refreshments are included.
Training will be provided by Arthur Weiss, Founder and Managing Director of AWARE. Arthur has worked and trained in the Competitive Intelligence field for over 25 years and has extensive knowledge of information sources, interview and elicitation skills, and primary and secondary research. http://marketing-intelligence....
Refunds will only be available if we can fill the space with another attendee. No refunds are available from 1 February 2017.
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The National Autistic Society is the leading UK charity for autistic people (including those with Asperger Syndrome) and their families. They provide information, support and pioneering services and campaign for a better world for autistic people.
The Society has a small reference library which contains books, journals and DVDs on autism and can be visited by appointment.
The NAS Library is reference only for outside visitors but they lend materials to NAS staff and volunteers. The visit will consist of a tour of the Library and a presentation by one of the Helpline team.
Please note that the Library is on the 4th floor of the building, with lift access.
This visit is Free.
Please note there are only 8 places available on this visit, advance booking essential.
Book now via EVENTBRITE.
Getting there: The National Autistic Society, London office is located at the Islington end of City Road, on the north side of the street.
Turn left on leaving Angel Underground station and take the first road on the left. The National Autistic Society is approximately three minutes' walk from the Underground.
See the NAS website for map and further information on how to get to the NAS London Office.
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The library's collections span the history of cinema providing comprehensive coverage of the moving image in Britain, but the collection is also international in scope.
Covers all aspects of film and television research, the library is available to all, free of charge.
It also caters for those with a professional interest in the film and television industry and hold theses, annual reports, festival files and pamphlets, and have millions of newspaper cuttings dating back to the 1930s which are available digitally on their research terminals.
Customers can browse the latest copies of film journals, including Broadcast, Cahiers du Cinema, Celebrity Studies, Empire, Film Comment, Sight & Sound, Screen International and Variety.
This event is free. Places limited, advance booking essential.
Book now via EVENTBRITE.
Getting there: The BFI Reuben library is located BFI Southbank building. See here and below for information on how to get to the library.
The nearest stations are Waterloo (South Bank exit), Embankment and Charing Cross (cross Hungerford Bridge to reach the South Bank).
Routes 1, 4*, 26, 68, 76, 77, 139*, 168, 171, 172, 176, 188, 211, 243*, 341, 381, 507*, 521*, RV1.
*There is limited service on these routes. Please visit tfl.gov.uk for up-to-date information.
Parking is available under the National Theatre (offer Upper Ground), under the Hayward Gallery or in front of the Shell Centre. The Congestion Charge applies.
A computer cab service is available from the Royal Festival Hall foyer.
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Nick Poole Chief Executive of CILIP, the library and information association looks back at 2016 and provides some highlights of what to expect next year.
This time last year hundreds of people had contributed to Shape the Future, CILIP’s open and collaborative project to set a new direction for CILIP and the sector. From Shape the Future we created our 2016 – 2020 Action Plan, Securing the Future. We are one year into the plan and it’s time to take stock, to see what progress has been made and what is still to do.
CILIP is a community. We are a network of local, regional, specialist and national groups. Everything we do relies on the expertise and commitment of members in all parts of the community. As a community the bigger we are, the stronger we become and the more powerful our voice.
Which is why on 1st January 2018 we will re-launch CILIP with an open, inclusive and affordable approach to membership. Whether you are at the start of your career, developing your specialist knowledge and leadership skills, or enjoying your retirement we want everyone to be at home in the CILIP community. Whether you want to Charter or not there so much to be gained by being part of the community – from staying up to date with the latest developments, to networking, exclusive webinars and career development tools, and supporting our campaigns and advocacy.
The UK needs a strong library and information association to develop the skills and expertise of the sector; to set and drive up standards; to champion the benefits that access to knowledge brings to individuals, businesses, society and the economy; and to show leadership with a clear and confident voice. The next four years are about ensuring that CILIP fully takes its role as the library and information association.
As well as changing our approach to membership, we will continue to grow our influence with politicians across the UK at national and local levels, we will continue campaigning to influence opinion and make change happen, and further increase our profile in the media. In the past twelve months I’ve spoken to the press on a weekly basis and CILIP has been mentioned in the media over 1,400 times.
As we meet with Ministers, Government departments, MPs, Lords and Councillors our message is clear - communities, society and the economy benefit from access to information, knowledge and skills - and this sector has the services, expertise and ethics to maximise this benefit.
We have pushed libraries and information up the agenda by briefing the Lords on the literacy and skills crisis facing the UK, lobbying the Chancellor before the Autumn Statement, launching a Wales-wide library management system with Ministers at the Assembly, working to successfully halt reductions to library services in Northern Ireland and contacting all parties and candidates standing for election in the Scottish Parliamentary elections to support our manifesto.
In the past twelve months alone, CILIP staff, Trustees and the Presidential Team have talked to and worked with local communities campaigning to save or reduce cuts to their libraries, pressured decision-makers in local authorities and contacted local MPs in places like Swindon, Berkshire, Birmingham, Lambeth and too many others. We have supported the demand from the Children’s Laureates that the Government investigate school library closures and reductions, and CILIPS have delivered an advocacy strategy for school libraries and librarians in Scotland.
In 2016 we have been championing the public’s rights to quality library services through My Library By Right. We launched the campaign because we saw the public’s rights and Government’s responsibilities to oversee and improve public libraries in England being eroded to the point where many people in Government, the media and public didn’t know they exist. Following legal advice from a celebrated human rights barrister we launched the campaign and with support from members, the public and authors gave a clear message to Government that libraries are a statutory service and should be treated as such. Over 15,000 people signed the petition and using BBC data we supported local constituents to contact their MP and voice their concerns.
Every day more than a million decisions are made in the healthcare sector that have deep and lasting impact on the lives or patients, their carers, families, business and communities. In 2017 we will campaign with Health Education England. The joint A Million Decisions campaign will work to ensure the Healthcare sector is using the skills of information, library and knowledge professionals to make the right, evidence-based decisions.
Across the UK our Special Interest Groups, Regional Member Networks and branches provide members with opportunities to connect locally and get their voices heard as well as opportunities for skills development and CPD.
In 2017 we will campaign with members in the run up to the May local elections, celebrate all libraries during Libraries Week in October, continue to advocate for the difference that a good school library makes to student attainment and campaign for the public’s rights to quality library services.
Over the last twelve months support for members to develop their skills and expertise has increased. The Professional Knowledge and Skills Base – our skills map and development tool – has become an online interactive tool. It makes Continuous Professional Development easier and more meaningful allowing members to plot their strengths and areas for development, and track progress.
We also launched a dedicated version of the Professional Knowledge and Skills Base for the health sector in partnership with Health Education England.
CILIP now accredits twenty higher education courses in ischools and for library and information courses across the UK and increasingly overseas including Hong Kong, Qatar and Oman. All courses are assessed against the expertise areas in the Professional Knowledge and Skills Base to help students make the right choice about which course will be the best foundation for future work and study.
This sector’s commitment to CPD and skills development is impressive. Every day discussions, workplace shadowing, visits, research, mentoring, courses and networking take place building knowledge and skills. To maintain and raise our status we also need to demonstrate this commitment to employers. Which is why, alongside our employer engagement programme, we also launched the Register of Practitioners – a public listing of members and details about the level of professional registration achieved and most recent revalidation.
At the moment we are developing a public library skills strategy with the Society of Chief Librarians. It will help public libraries to attract, retain and develop talent, develop digital skills and deliver value to the public. It will launch in 2017 and we will then begin work on a National Library and Information Skills strategy to cover the whole sector.
Every year hundreds of members and projects gain the recognition they deserve for their achievements through a range of awards and accolades across the CILIP community. This year over 500 members gained a level of professional registration demonstrating their commitment to CPD and professional standards. I applaud each and every one of them.
Supporting our right to intellectual freedom and promoting human rights are central to the profession’s ethics and values. So last year in partnership with Amnesty International we launched the Amnesty CILIP Honour which uses the expertise of our Youth Libraries Group to celebrate writing and illustration for young people that celebrates our hard-won freedoms. 2017 sees the 80th anniversary of the Carnegie Medal and 60th of the Kate Greenaway, and we will be celebrating 80 years of the best children’s books chosen, of course, by expert librarians.
Information sharing and knowledge exchange takes place through the CILIP community every day. Journals, magazines, newsletters, workshops, briefings, training and conferences provide insight and understanding, as well as opportunities to connect through networking. CILIP's Special Interest Groups, Regional Member Networks and branches provide a huge range of opportunities to meet, connect, learn something new and get inspired. In 2017 we will launch a new Special Interest Group for the Knowledge and Information Management community and for one year members will be able to choose it as their third group for free.
We know from our Workforce Mapping research that careers continue to change and evolve at a rapid pace. Most of us will work in a range of roles, for a variety of employers, experience different types of employment and move between areas of professional expertise. Transferrable skills and broader expertise in leadership and communications have never been more important. Which is why we launched our Careers Hub this year, which compliments the Professional Knowledge and Skills Base. It provides members with support to make the right career choices, how to plan and develop your career, and support approaching challenge and change.
To support evidence-based decision making we will launch a new research section of the CILIP website next year. It will draw together relevant reports and studies from across the sector to support research projects, to develop quality services and make good decisions. By focusing on research we will support the sector and CILIP’s own work and decision-making, while identifying gaps and areas for future research.
CILIP’s Special Interest Groups do fantastic work supporting and communicating research. This year the Information Literacy Group announced two bursaries for fascinating research into the physical and psychological effect of mis-information on young people and the information needs of Syrian refugees in Scotland. As the UK grapples with the implications of a ‘post-truth’ society and struggles to address the global refugee crisis this research puts the library and information sector at the heart of the biggest issues.
CILIP’s publishing arm, Facet Publishing, continues to lead the way internationally with high-quality titles that explore the most relevant issues including digital heritage and curation, data analytics, the changing nature of education and research, and scholarly communications.
It’s never been more important to secure our future. We will do this by understanding the changes that affect us and the communities and users we serve; by adapting and innovating; and where necessary providing positive challenge and opposition. By delivering fantastic services, developing our skills and expertise, communicating our value, celebrating our success and working together to grow our voice we will secure our future.
I would like to sincerely thank you for your ongoing support for CILIP and the information, library and knowledge community.
Nick Poole
CILIP Chief Executive
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Our Times Higher Education Award celebrates the innovative use of digital technology to improve an institution’s teaching, learning or research activity. In this podcast, we speak to Dr Daniel Morgan from the University of Leeds about the winning project, Virtual Landscapes, and technology-enhanced learning.
Our own Martin Hamilton also discusses the shortlisted projects for the Jisc Times Higher Education award, a list of serious calibre. Read more about the winning project in our blog post.
via Jisc news
Ayub Khan MBE will be Vice President of CILIP, the library and information association in 2017 and President in 2018. Ayub was elected following a vote by CILIP members. Ayub is a Fellow of CILIP, and Head of Libraries and Face to Face Services at Warwickshire County Council. He has worked in the library sector for over twenty-five years and was awarded an MBE in 2013 for services to libraries.
Ayub said, “I am delighted and honoured to have been elected, by my peers, as Vice President of CILIP. It’s a role I relish and I’m really looking forward to taking it on. I started my library career as a Saturday assistant many years ago and would never have believed, back then, that I would one day represent the profession.
“Despite the challenges of recent austerity years I remain optimistic about the future for libraries. I believe CILIP has a pivotal role to play pressing for action as the leading voice of a vibrant and forward-thinking profession.”
Ayub and Professor Rita Marcella stood in the election to become Vice President. Over 2,600 members voted in the election, a turnout rate of 22%. The Vice President and President are honorary roles and their duties include being an ambassador and spokesperson for CILIP.
Previous CILIP Presidents have included campaigning school librarian Barbara Band and internet consultant Phil Bradley. The current President is children’s author and librarian Dawn Finch and in 2017 will be informational specialist Kate Arnold.
Professor Rita Marcella said, “I wish Ayub every success in carrying out the role of Vice President. I would like to thank all members that voted and everyone at CILIP who supported the election.”
Ayub concluded, “As CILIP Vice President I will focus on libraries’ future potential, as well as their proud traditions. Libraries offer a wider range of services - both physical and digital - than ever before, and are uniquely placed in society.
“There is growing evidence of the wider benefits of libraries - for health and well-being, literacy levels, education and job prospects, social inclusion and cohesion. As a profession, we need to grasp the opportunities of a changing world, and make sure the power and importance of libraries is never underestimated.”
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Imagine you’re busy creating a world-class research paper. Now imagine you’re doing it whilst juggling multiple passwords and usernames to access all the online resources you need, as well as the many buildings you need to enter.
This was a problem in education before the UK’s cybersecurity strategy reiterated the importance of password safety. The UK Access Management Federation solved this problem some ten years ago, by giving access to multiple sites, through single sign on to trusted academic resources.
The UK Access Management Federation was born in 2006; currently the largest of its kind in the world and amongst commercial service providers too. Now, ten years on, with over 1000 organisations to its name, the federation is celebrating a decade of success.
In time with this anniversary, Jisc will be piloting the option of a self-service portal, for all service providers, schools, further, and higher education, which will also be free to use. The portal will allow system administrators to make changes behind the scenes without needing to contact the helpdesk. The helpdesk will remain a firm feature of the service however, for customers wanting a bit of extra assistance.
Tim Kidd, executive director of Jisc technologies said:
‘We’re really proud of this service, it’s gone from strength to strength since its inception. A cooperative, collegiate effort; across the sector and internationally, the UK federation is interoperable with eduGAIN, creating access worldwide with 38 partners globally”
Dr Rhys Smith, Jisc chief technical architect for trust and identity said:
“The self-service portal will allow knowledgeable administrators to make changes more immediately than at present - though the helpdesk will always be available to make changes for customers who want assistance in doing so”
Operated by Jisc, the sector’s support organisation for digital solutions, the federation enables staff, students, researchers and school children to access online resources and services using their institutions' credentials. When users request access a service or resource, their home institution authenticates them and in doing so confirms their identity so that they can access the resource.
Mark Toole, one-time chair of the UK Federation board said:
“This upgrade to the federation will allow us to have a slicker system to support the growing needs of students and researchers in accessing services online, and navigating ever-changing digital learning environments.
Open access and the Research Excellence Framework mean greater sharing of digital information, so it’s great to have a tried and tested service we can trust, particularly important as global collaboration grows.”
86% of colleges, 99% of higher education institutes as well as research bodies, publishers and schools have access to the Access Management Federation, saving money and allowing for collaboration through ease of access. Alongside the portal, service developments are taking place that focus on the methods of distributing metadata to reduce system requirements for education providers running their own systems.
Mark Williams, federation service manager at Jisc said:
“We’re thrilled to be celebrating the 10th anniversary of the Access Management Federation, and to have seen it grown over the years to support so much of the UK education sector. It saves federated members huge costs in having multiple sign-ons, widens participation to all learners, and helps institutions to deliver a 21st century experience to learners and staff alike.”
Alongside supporting administrators to make changes to the system themselves, Jisc is also rolling out the service beyond academia, with a pilot in English public libraries, giving seamless access to top quality learning resources fit for a digital generation.
via Jisc news
The Leadership for Libraries Taskforce has today published Libraries Deliver: Ambition for Public Libraries in England 2016-2021. It aims to provide a 'direction of travel' for the next five years and to convince Councilors, government department and partners about the ways in which public libraries can deliver a broad range of priorities.
Nick Poole CILIP Chief Executive said, “We face a stark choice. We can either continue with severe cuts and closures or secure a positive future for people, communities and businesses that benefit from England’s network of public libraries. Ambition goes part way to securing a positive future. We now need a properly funded national strategy for developing and improving libraries and a more robust approach from Government when local authorities fail to provide ‘comprehensive and efficient’ library services.”
The Taskforce was established to put a landmark report by William Sieghart to reinvigorate England’s public libraries into action. The report, published in 2014, called for clear local decision making and national strategy to secure the future of our libraries.
CILIP, the library and information association has published key principles to provide the necessary leadership and development of public libraries – and has called on HM Government, the Department for Culture, Media and Sport, the Department for Communities and Local Government, the Local Government Association and fellow members of the Leadership for Libraries Taskforce to support them.
Some of these principles are in the Ambition, including recognition that England’s public libraries are part of a successful network which delivers key outcomes including learning, health and wellbeing, digital inclusion, civic participation and stronger local economies; that libraries should work with local community organisations to increase their reach and impact; and the need for a national skills strategy.
Other key principles are not in Ambition. CILIP will continue working with Taskforce partners to secure a clear and funded national strategy that support local decision-making and delivery. CILIP will work secure a fully-funded and evidence-based National Public Library Plan; the commitment library service points should not be transitioned out of statutory provision unless all alternative options for their maintenance have been explored; and more robust strategies from Government where local authorities fail to deliver a ‘comprehensive and efficient’ library service including sanction and the removal of library services into a national or regional Library Service.
Provide your views
We want to hear from the library sector with your views about the Ambition. Whether you are working in public libraries or in another sector, in England or another country, are studying, working or retired. We will cover reactions to the Ambition in February edition of Update magazine and publish the article as a blog.
You can:
Image credit: Arrows by Dean Hochman via Flickr, original resized and cropped (CC BY-NC 2.0)
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