CILIPS Autumn Gathering 2012

Carnegie Conference Centre welcomed a record 135 delegates to the #CILIPSAG12 event last week and still we had a waiting list to see and hear a varied programme of speakers!

The ‘literacies’ theme proved to be incredibly popular with our members as did each of the keynote presentations from Hannah Gore, Biddy Fisher and Dughall McCormick.

The parallel sessions were equally popular with Gordon Hunt crying out for more chairs to seat those who had turned up to hear Jennifer Jones discuss social media. The packed session meant that some of us (including me) had to be turned away.

During the course of the day delegates were encouraged to tweet their thoughts, impressions and photos and many did. Richard Hawkins of CILIP kindly created a twitter archive for us which you can view here. (just click ‘archive’ at the bottom to view. Thank you Richard!

Once again, our event was well supported by a range of exhibitors, for which we’re very grateful. There were prizes won too in an afternoon draw including champagne, chocolates and an e-reader.

CILIP CEO Annie Mauger hosted a #shoutabout table over lunch which gave school librarians an opportunity to discuss the sector landscape in Scotland in advance of the lobby taking place at the Scottish Parliament on 27th October.
Feedback is still to be analysed but it looks like most delegates enjoyed a useful and productive day where they were able to encounter and discuss new ideas, engage with suppliers and network with colleagues.

CILIP Big Day and AGM in Newcastle

Over 180 members were registered for this one day event in Newcastle and what a day it was! The event took place in the awesome surroundings of Newcastle Central Library which was abuzz all day with excited delegates enjoying a day of celebration and camaraderie. The atmosphere was described by Council Leader, John Dolan as “tremendously positive”.

I was heartened to identify so many member members who had made the journey down from Scotland to support the day and join in the celebration of achievements. It was good to hear Ann Rossiter of SCONUL speak warmly about SHEDL as an example for others to follow.

There was a controversial keynote from Ged Bell who spoke in support of volunteers and elicited a sharp intake of breath from the audience. But in a barnstorming address later the same day CILIP President spelt out exactly where the organisation stands on volunteers – no, no, no, no no! Lord John Shipley spoke passionately about the meaning and value of libraries.  Read more about the event in Isobel Hood’s blog post.

There was good news for all during the AGM when members voted to freeze subscription rates for 2012-13 before celebrating the achievements of all those who had attained MCLIP, ACLIP and Fellowship over the last year.

Why not get a flavour of the day by viewing the tweet archive?

Scottish Libraries Programme of events Autumn/Winter 2012

There is a variety of events being offered in Scotland by CILIPS, CILIP and SLIC over the coming months. The details are here for noting:

Promoting Digital Resources: This practical workshop postponed from last June will run twice to satisfy demand, once on August 22nd and then repeated on September 19th. CILIPS is very pleased to be partnering the JISC RSCScotland on delivery of this course. The event is a sell out but you can drop cilips@slainte.org.uk a line if you’d like your name to go on the reserve list.

Our parent organisation CILIP is bringing the popular LMS Supplier showcase to Scotland for the first time. It’s coming to Edinburgh on September 20th. It’s a free event being held in the King James Hotel and you can get all the information you need here.

Autumn Gathering: Back for its third year, this one day conference organised by CILIPS is again being held in Carnegie Conference Centre in Dunfermline. This year’s theme is ‘literacies’ and speakers will be presenting on cross sectoral issues. You can see the full schedule here and you can book an early bird rate delegate place here  (early bird rates are available until 31st August).

In October and November CILIPS is offering two complementary courses on branding for your service and personal branding.’ Branding libraries: What does your brand say about your service?’ is a one day workshop being offered in partnership with the Open University Business School and is designed as a marketing taster course. It will take place in Glasgow on 18th October and  introduce some of the basic concepts underlying brand theory, explore some examples of good branding in public services and prompt some thinking on how libraries can move forward in their relationships with the communities they serve. Book a place and view the course description here.

In November we follow this up with a workshop on personal branding. CILIPS is delighted to have secured Kathy Ennis of Envision Training to run a one day workshop for us on 7th November in Glasgow. Making the most of what you’ve got: Personal Branding and Marketing for Career Success  is designed for the library and information professional seeking to make an impact in their working environment. Kathy’s workshop is a practical interactive session will show you how you can market yourself and your service effectively using personal branding as a professional development tool. Places are limited for this event and there’s a special early bird rate available until 30th September. For all the details and online booking click here.

Partner organisation SLIC are once again working with SCURL, MMITS, JISC and SALCTG to bring the annual eBooks conference to Scotland. The speaker line up is available to view here  and booking is already open for the event which takes place in Edinburgh on 25th October. Early bird rates are available until mid September and you can find out more and book here

Don’t forget that libraries also  feature heavily in the Festival of Politics during August and you can get details of events and speakers in an earlier posting or by visiting the Festival of Politics website.

Where politics and libraries meet #fop12

The Scottish Parliament has created its own Festival of Politics  which runs between 17-25 August in Edinburgh.  Debate and discussion are at the heart of the event, now in its eighth year. Our 2011 CILIPS President Alan Reid, last year opined that the Festival didn’t seem directly relevant to our own professional concerns.  He’s clearly a man of influence because this year’s themed programme ‘Politics. Culture. Creativity. A force for change’ includes several events featuring libraries, writers and professional practice.

So as Alan might ask, ‘What’s in  the programme for library professionals this time around?’

Well, Festival partners Carnegie UK Trust are offering the following sessions featuring some well known faces from CILIP and the library world.

Public libraries in the digital age (Committee Room 1, Friday 17 August, 1.30-2.30pm)
New technology provides new opportunities for public libraries to reimagine themselves and to provide new kinds of services; but also changes the traditional model of the public library service.  How can libraries respond to these opportunities and challenges, and ensure that the public library service remains relevant to the needs of 21st century citizens?   This session, chaired by Melvyn Ingleson of Microsoft, includes contributions from Martyn Wade, National Library of Scotland, Max Whitby from Touch Press, and Liz McGettigan, Edinburgh City Libraries.

The importance of reading to children (Main Chamber, Saturday 18th August, 11.30am – 1pm)
Reading to children and encouraging children to read, is one of the most significant ways to improve their life chances.  This session will explore how we can encourage children to read and what we can learn from practice throughout the UK.  Annie Mauger, Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals (CILIP), Marc Lambert, Scottish Book Trust, Miranda McKearney from the Reading Agency, and children’s author Theresa Breslin will debate the key issues.  The event will be chaired by John Scott MSP, Deputy Presiding Officer of the Scottish Parliament.

Aye Write! and the National Library of Scotland have joined forces to present

Preserving our Culture, Shaping our Future
Saturday 25 August 10.30-11.30am, The Scottish Parliament, Committee Room 3

Stuart Kelly will chair a discussion on the importance of archives to cultural heritage.  Speakers include Professor Richard Demarco, of the Demarco European Art Foundation, and David McClay, Curator of the John Murray Archive at the National Library of Scotland.

Aye Write! are also offering a second event:

Scotland’s Bookshelf – Politics and Society in Scottish Writing
Friday 24 August 6.30-7.30pm, The Scottish Parliament, Debating Chamber

Hear Iain Banks, James Robertson, Louise Welsh and others discuss how Scottish writing has reflected our politics and society over the last century.

You can find out more by downloading the full programme

and you can book tickets by clicking here

Many of the sessions at the Festival are free or charge only a nominal fee. The theme complements the Year of Creative Scotland which also involves several library initiatives. Where else should professionals be discussing library matters in relation to their political context this summer but at the Scottish Parliament!

CILIP in Scotland Conference 2012 – Discovery in Dundee- #CILIPS12

This year our annual CILIPS Conference was taking place as the Olympic torch relay made its way around Scotland. For the first time we held the Conference in Dundee  and so were able to welcome the Olympic torch across the Tay Bridge and into the city at the close of our two day event.

CILIPS Treasurer, Audrey Walker staffing the registration desk

CILIPS President Peter Reid opened the Conference and you can you can read his reflections here.  Over 200 delegates joined us to hear a range of speakers including Rosemary Goring of the Herald,  Klaus Tochtermann and conference favourite, Dave Pattern.  CILIPS had invited a range of keynote speakers and other presenters to generate two days of new ideas, debate, questions and discussion. In attendance too was CILIP Chief Executive Annie Mauger  alongside Director of Professional Services, Simon Edwards, who offered an insight into the revised body of professional knowledge.

Steve Wheeler (aka @timbuckteeth) in his Tuesday keynote challenged us to think about the role of libraries and learning in the digital age, a theme he  also addressed in a recent Panlibus article. Michael Charlton, a member of CILIPS Council. offered his perspective on the Conference in a blog posting.  You can enjoy a storify of the event here. Initial feedback from our delegates suggest they enjoyed the event and found the presentations relevant to their needs.  All the presentations can be found here.

We were also visited by Jennifer Jones of the #citizen relay project who was following the Olympic torch across Scotland. She interviewed some of our delegates. Check here to listen to Yvonne Manning, Principal Librarian at Falkirk Council being interviewed and here to listen to President Peter Reid.  You can learn more about the  #citizen relay project  in this blog posting from Martin Hawksey, Learning Technology Adviser at JISC CETIS. How many librarians you can spot?

We couldn’t  end this post without a special thanks to Central Branch who  lent their help during Day Two of the Conference and also to the exhibitors (over 20 of them!) who sponsored the event.

Counting down to #CILIPS12

With only a few days to go until #CILIPS12 Conference in Dundee the pace of preparation in the office is speeding up. The Conference is taking place at the Apex City Quay Hotel, overlooking the Tay on 11th and 12th June.

There’s an excellent programme in store for over 250 delegates registered for  ‘Enriching Society’  CILIPS President Peter Reid has worked hard with officers to put together an exciting and varied programme for the two day event.

Following a series of short pre-conference speed surgeries featuring some of the best library projects across the sectors  from the North and East of the country, Peter Reid will formally open the Conference and launch the Scottish Information Literacy Framework and Community of Practice.

We have three keynote speakers at Conference.  Klaus Tochtermann, Director of the German National Library of Economics will speak at the Monday  session and on day two we welcome Steve Wheeler, Associate Professor in Information and Computer Technology at Plymouth University.  Steve has offered his thoughts on libraries via his very popular blog http://steve-wheeler.blogspot.co.uk/  He’s followed by Norma McDermott, formerly of the Library Council in Ireland.

The Herald Literary Editor, Rosemary Goring will be joining us on the afternoon of 11^th June to discuss the right to read and Simon Edwards, CILIP Director of Professional Services will be introducing a session on the revised CILIP Body of Professional Knowledge.  Simon delivered this session a few weeks ago to the Welsh Conference where it attracted a lot of debate and twitter comment with delegates there pleased to have the opportunity to engage with the development of new ideas  from the professional association.

There’s lot going on and reports and photos will be published here as well as on twitter.  If you can’t attend (and booking closes today) follow the hashtag #cilips12 for all the latest discussion.

Last week I went to Wales #CILIPW12

Recently I represented CILIP in Scotland at the CILIP CYMRU Library and Information Conference.  The event was held in Cardiff for the first time after many years of being held in Llandrindod Wells. The Radisson Blu hotel was a very central venue in a fabulous city centre location close to the new library, shopping areas and restaurant quarters.

The theme of the conference was ‘leadership’ and delegates were presented with a very balanced programme addressing national (UK) issues and themes and Wales specific initiatives. There was also a good balance of the ‘personal’ and ‘professional’ including practical sessions from CILIP President Phil Bradley on personal learning networks, and a fun session with a serious message featuring Phil and CILIP CEO Annie Mauger.

Conference opened with an impressive address from Huw Lewis, Minister for Housing, Regeneration and Heritage who voiced strong support for the continuance of statutory library services in Wales. A motivational presentation from Liz Jolly was extremely well received as were workshops from some of the newer members of the profession. Simon Edwards, CILIP Director of Professional Services attracted a lot of positive comment on Twitter for his presentation on the revised body of professional knowledge. I’m pleased to say that Simon will be repeating that presentation for our Scottish audience in a few weeks time at the CILIP in Scotland Conference in Dundee .

The event including the Tir na n-OG Awards with the Welsh Books Council at Cardiff Central Library which was photographed by Sarah Barker  who also did a grand job of photographing the Conference itself. The presentations from both days of the Conference are on line and well worth a look

Dave Pattern has created a wordle of the conference  and others such as CYMAL’s Alison Tyler and Sarah Barker have blogged about the event too.

Finally for a real flavour of the Conference why not view some of the 1200 tweets from the event?

Lovely libraries

I’ve been out and about this week and I thought I’d share a few of my photos with you. The first come from Westhill in Aberdeenshire. It’s a new build from capital money and located within a primary school. I loved the atmosphere, design and layout. There was a great deal of thought given to space, movement and people. The buggy park, clearly labelled on the way in was the first sign. The second sign of ‘goodness’ was the two girls playing on iPads – which were on security locked fixed stands, with a swivel. They kindly showed me their games.

Next, one of the lovely young mums told me how nice it was to bring the little ones into a bright safe space, with activities and the storytunnel got a big thumbs-up from her little girl. Finally professional staffing had been secured for the first year to give the new branch a boost and to build the audience.

The second set of visits was at Inverclyde Libraries. The Watt Memorial Library was built in memory of James Watt, the inventor. I felt a bit foolish having assumed Greenock was a bit ‘in decline’ because, of course that means it had a glorious past (at one time). I was down to look at a Scottish Government Public Library Quality Improvement project which bought a scanner and computers for the library, which is the local studies/archive part of a larger museum/gallery and lending library complex. It has to be said, there’s room for BIG investment but the people who showed me how they were capturing their memories for Greenock were large on imagination and energy. One was trapping local tales, another using her family connection to early photography in the area to promote images from the 1850s onwards, another on James Watt and so on.

The library visit led to the museum and the Francis Frith images and then the Scottish colourists in the Gallery. My thanks to George for his knowledgeable guide, which made me realise how much I’d missed in the past. Greenock is, of course, the gateway to the workd for Scots and many of the wealthy shipping connections brought home their collections and gifted them to the town.

There’s a lot going on down here with the Central Library about to relocate to an interim home, until it moves back to the original library (vacated in 1967) and a new library at Inverkip and refurbishment at the South West Branch. One the way home i treated myself to a stop at Kilmacolm to see the new library. It’s gorgeous and I love all the glass, stone and wood. The community were determined to have a new library and to support it and it was good to see it all worked out so well.

Titanic Tales

CILIP in Scotland President 2012, Professor Peter Reid of the Robert Gordon University and I were lucky enough to be invited to the Library Association of Ireland and CILIP NI’s Joint Conference in Belfast last week. Belfast was looking at her best, having just celebrated the centenary of the magnificent launch of Titanic, Harland and Wolff’s fated ship #402. On our arrival, we nipped out into the evening air to see the new memorial gardens at City Hall. Staying in the luxurious splendour of the Merchant Hotel, which had been transformed by its Titanic theme, we were very well looked after.

CILIP President Phil Bradley opened the conference by challenging the profession to get onto social media platforms. It was timely to reflect on how involved the profession is. Sarah Godowski made us all think about our branding and our spaces in her presentation and I enjoyed looking at us through Sarah’s eyes. Some of you will be aware that the Irish Library Council has just been axed and a small team of five (actually that’s more than SLIC and CILIPS put together) moved into another Local Government body. Obviously change and meeting the needs of libraries and people during the Great Recession was acting Director Annette Kelly’s theme. I went along to hear Dr Patricia Canning talking about her work with The Reader Organisation with groups, particularly the women in Hydebank Prison. It was very touching and brought the power of literacy and reading back sharply into focus. I was delighted to be in Peter Reid’s own session ‘What on earth are they teaching them in library schools these days?’ I sometimes am guilty of using this phrase (it might have been a direct quote, usually accompanied by a slap of the forehead) but I was really pleased to hear about the planning, scrutiny and thoughtfulness with which our professional educators prepare the future workforce. And, I do understand, it’s education not training! I ended up chairing Phil Bradley’s second session of the day on netvibes, which I still haven’t got around to using, but I will.

There was a formal reception at Stormont and the launch of the Universal Membership card, followed by dinner. Day two was a very rich programme, starting with Margaret Hayes, Dublin’s City Librarian talking about the 4th UNESCO City of Literature and I shall be reading Dubliners the One City One Book Read (and catching up on last year’s Ghost Light) as well. Debby Shorley of Imperial College, University of London (and my dinner companion from the previous evening) gave a most interesting view of the academic sector, in particular mentioning RLUK. The final paper before going to the airport was Nicky Parker on Manchester’s transformation both as a city and a library capital! What a huge amount of faith, investment, imagination and planning has gone in to the library service and that will definitely be on my visit list now.

You can read my tweets in storify.
Rhona Arthur, Assistant Director

Goldentwits at MmITSCotland AGM!

This week I attended a full house event at Glasgow University library. The occasion was the MmITScotland AGM which featured Stewart Bain of Orkney Library as the guest speaker. It was heartening to see so many younger members of the profession turning out to support the CILIP Special Interest Group.

MmITScotland works with SLIC and SCURL to deliver the annual Scottish e-books conference and each year sponsors two delegate places at that event. So it was good to note that newly elected members of the Committee, Leigh Bunton, Louise Morrison, Shayna Conn and Claire Bell are all interested and active participants in digital developments. You can follow the Group on Twitter at @MmITScotland.  They also have a blog .

Stewart Bain is the voice of @OrkneyLibrary, the recipient of two Golden Twit Awards at the recent International Social Media Awards for their work with Twitter. Stewart explained that Orkney library and Archive have been using Twitter since 2009 to engage with and inform the public. @anabelmarsh has produced a storify of Stewart’s presentation. She has also blogged about the event.

The afternoon fairly flew by with lots of questions and discussion generated by Stewart’s talk. It was a real pleasure to meet the voice behind the tweets and to learn more about how the service is making social media work for them. You can join 5000 other followers  on Twitter @OrkneyLibrary.