CILIP Cymru Wales welcomes Welsh Minister’s statement on the value of public libraries

The Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals Wales (CILIP Cymru Wales) welcomes the statement on public libraries made by Welsh Government Minister for Culture and Sport, John Griffiths which acknowledges the role libraries play in delivering government policy and the contribution they make to local communities through learning opportunities, free access to digital services and as safe public places.

The statement, made on Tuesday 3rd December 2013, also addresses the issues raised by the Executive Committee of CILIP Cymru Wales in their recent open letter to the Minister. This focused on the potentially damaging effects of local council spending cuts on Welsh public library services and urged the Minister to work with local authorities to ensure Wales continued to develop a sustainable, innovative and professionally run public library service.

CILIP President Phil Bradley said “this is an extremely encouraging response from the Minister. I welcome especially his emphasis on the statutory basis of the public library service and his commitment to ensuring that Welsh people will continue to have the benefits of a professionally run library service responsive to local need”.

The Minister’s statement also highlights the fact that Wales has the only strategic framework for the development of library services in the UK and draws attention to the important partnerships libraries have with further and higher education and the National Library of Wales. He announces too his intention to commission an expert review of current and future plans by local authorities to deliver public library services.

“The Expert Review is very timely” stated Phil Bradley, “and CILIP Cymru will be pleased to assist in any way possible. There are very challenging times ahead and it is pleasing to see those responsible for libraries working together to provide the public library service Welsh people need and deserve”.

Written statement on public libraries in Wales

CILIP Cymru Wales open letter to Minister

Inquiry into Public Libraries in Wales

Mandy Powell
CILIP Policy Officer, Wales

CILIP Cymru Wales writes to Minister over threats to library services

Concerns over threats to library services in Wales raised in open letter to Minister for Culture & Sport

The Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals, Wales (CILIP Cymru Wales) has written an open letter to the Minister for Culture and Sport, John Griffiths AM, expressing concerns over the impact local authority budget cuts could have on public library services across Wales.

In the bilingual letter the Executive Committee of CILIP Cymru Wales have outlined what a powerful and important resource public library services are in meeting the Welsh Government’s objectives.

The Welsh Local Government Association announced in October 2013 that local authorities are facing reductions in core funding of £175m in 2014/15, with a further £65m in 2015/16. CILIP Cymru Wales are deeply concerned that public library services could suffer disproportionate cuts.

Phil Bradley, CILIP President, said,
 “Libraries are an essential part of any community. Good libraries – that are well stocked and run by professional librarians – transform people’s lives through access to information, reading and learning.  They provide access to the internet to people who cannot afford their own connection. A library can help people back into work, it gives them a safe space to research and educate themselves and it's a cornerstone in children's literacy. A library is a place that people who need support and guidance can turn to, and a librarian can help them find information they need. Cutting resources to a library hits those in the community who are most in need, most in trouble, who most deserve our support.”

The open letter reads:

John Griffiths AM
Minister for Culture and Sport

Dear Minister,

The Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals Wales (CILIP Cymru Wales) wish to express our serious concern at the impact budget cuts to local authorities will have on library and information services across Wales. Although we understand that tough decisions have to be made as the funding available for all public services in Wales decreases, we are keen to ensure that public libraries are not expected to bear heavier cuts than other services.

Public libraries are a powerful resource and important in addressing a number of the priorities set out in the Welsh Government’s  “Programme for Government”, including promoting growth and tackling poverty which the First Minister describes as his top priority. They play an important role in advancing knowledge by providing access to information, supporting entrepreneurial activity, and inspiring life-long learning and reading for enjoyment. They foster social mobility and strengthen our communities, catering, as they do, for the needs of all parts of society from toddlers and their parents, to students (of all ages) and researchers, from local activists to small businesses, and from the frail and elderly and their carers to hobbyists and creators.

Welsh public libraries address poverty by tackling the digital divide, providing access to the internet with trained staff delivering advice and guidance, and helping people develop vital information literacy skills. They will also become an important community resource in helping people claim Universal Benefit and enabling them to take advantage of a broad range of statutory and voluntary support available in their local community.  These and other aspects of the service are planned, shaped and delivered by skilled and knowledgeable professional library staff.

Welsh public libraries are a national resource delivered locally and must be seen from a national perspective. The Public Libraries & Museums Act 1964 requires local councils to provide a local library service which is comprehensive and efficient and that is available to all who wish to use it. We have welcomed the support that you and previous Ministers have accorded to the public library service in the past and your recognition of its statutory status and importance to Wales. We trust that you will continue to provide this support and take a leadership role in promoting proper public library provision across Wales with your colleagues in local government.  We understand the pressures faced by all councils in Wales at this time, but would urge you to work with them to ensure that a sustainable, innovative and professionally run service is still available across Wales and, should it be necessary, that you will intervene to uphold the provision of the statutory service within a local authority.

We would be happy to assist you in this work and look forward to hearing your thoughts on this.

Yours sincerely,

The Executive Committee, CILIP Cymru Wales

-ends-

http://www.cilip.org.uk/cilip-cymru-wales/news/concerns-over-threats-library-services-wales-raised-open-letter-minister 

The letter was mentioned by BBC Cymru
http://www.bbc.co.uk/newyddion/24945095

Mandy Powell
CILIP Policy Officer, Wales

Schools Literacy and Resource Centre, Monmouthshire and Torfaen.

The SLRC van and staff member Annie

Last week (Wednesday 16th October) I had the pleasure of visiting the Schools Literacy and Resource Centre, Monmouthshire and Torfaen.
The SLRC works across the two local authorities to provide a loans and advisory service to schools and nurseries; it is funded by the education services of both authorities.


I was greeted by Angela Noble in the light and open office at the front of three units of a busy business park in Pontypool.

A view from the top of SLRC

The centre needed to move accommodation in 2012 with the closure of County Hall. Angela explained that the specialised needs of the service meant finding a home could have been tricky but when three units at the business park became available, they were perfectly laid out for the service which needs a reception area to meet with teachers, shelving for the book collections and storage space for other resources such as story sacks and project boxes. The SLRC also hosts a meeting area with WiFi that can be used by agile workers from both authorities.

Angela, who has over 30 years experience of working within education and libraries, leads a small team of talented staff ,3 full time and 1 part time, who provide resources, training and advice to 11 secondary schools, including one Welsh medium and 62 primary schools.

The SLRC provides a wide variety of support to school staff including:

• Project loans, 20 professionally selected books and other resources that support the National Curriculum and Curriculum Cymru. Teachers can request up to 3 project loans on any topic at one time

• Fiction exchange, a selection of quality fiction books loaned to schools for 12 months.

• Photograph packs, A5 photographs are used to enhance the project loans and compliment the book collections.

• Big Books, the SLRC has a large selection of Big Books suitable for Key Stage 1.

• Story sacks, these colourful sacks contain books, games, puppets and toys to be used by teachers in nursery classes to enhance story times. 

• Religious and historical artefacts, a selection of artefacts from all major religions and from periods of Roman and Victorian history.

• All of these resources are delivered using the SLRC van.

Designing Libraries

Angela and her team also design school libraries and their expertise has been in high demand.
The SLRC team help teachers reorganise a school library to enable it to function effectively. They remove (and recycle) unsuitable, out of date material, classify the remaining stock and give professional advice on how to set up a cataloguing and issue system. The team also provide a written review of the library and give recommendations on how to select resources. Details of each school library either designed by, or reorganised by the team are kept on file to be reviewed and updated, ensuring the library is kept up to date and relevant to the needs of the school.
Many teachers have written to the team to express their appreciation, one teacher writes

 “The library is brilliant! Staff are really pleased and seeing all the effort you have put in has helped me gain PTA funding to buy new library furniture!”

Angela Noble at the SLRC

The SLRC team also support the shadowing of the CILIP Carnegie and Kate Greenaway Awards in primary and secondary schools.
Angela visits secondary school students to present them with multiple copies of the Kate Greenaway short list, produced by the Youth Libraries Group. Students look at and discuss the books with each other and vote for their favourites.
Primary school students take the Kate Greenaway short listed books home to share with younger siblings and feedback on their reactions to the books.
This often sparks off other creative input from the students; with many classes creating art work and producing dramatic pieces based on the short list.
Angela has noticed how these sessions have helped develop the debating skills of the children involved.

“The enthusiasm and passion shown by the students in these discussions demonstrates an understanding and ability to debate that astonishes any of their teachers present.  In some schools the same students have reappeared each year, so keen are they to take part”
Angela Noble, Schools Literacy and Resource Centre, Monmouthshire and Torfaen.

Only a few days before my visit, author Neil Gaiman talked about the “'the power of fiction to transform our understanding of the world and turn us into citizens” at his Reading Agency lecture.

 "The simplest way to make sure that we raise literate children is to teach them to read, and to show them that reading is a pleasurable activity. And that means, at its simplest, finding books that they enjoy, giving them access to those books and letting them read them."

Angela and her team, in using their professional knowledge and experience to support teachers and pupils are doing exactly what Neil describes and I left feeling amazed at how one small team can achieve so much.

You can contact the Schools Literacy and Resource Centre
Unit 1b, Torfaen business park, Panteg Way, New Inn, Pontypool, NP4 0LS
01633 644 560 / 644 565
angelanoble@monmouthshire.gov.uk

• You can read more about the CILIP Carnegie and Kate Greenaway Awards here and
• find out about the CILIP Youth Libraries Group here
• You can read Neil Gaiman's Reading Agency lecture here

Mandy Powell
CILIP Policy Officer, Wales

CILIP New Professionals Day workshop

Last week (4th October) I ran a workshop at the CILIP New Professionals Day in London.
Although I have facilitated workshops before, and have a professional certificate in training , this was the first time I had planned and run my own workshop...and I thoroughly enjoyed it.

I had 34 people in my session and received some useful feedback.

The theme of the session was 'developing professional skills' and my aim was to help delegates explore ways of developing professional skills using examples from outside of their day jobs. As the title of the event explains, the audience were new professionals , so I was aware that some may not actually be in posts and I wanted to help them find other ways of getting the experience they need in order to apply for jobs.

To prepare for the workshop I looked up a number of library and information job vacancies in the UK and chose the 6 skills most regularly asked for by employers.

On the day the room was set up theatre style and I wanted the 34 people to work with each other, so after a quick introduction from me, I asked them all to put themselves into small groups.

Monty Python breaks the ice.

I followed this with an ice breaker: I asked everyone to explain to each other which of the Monty Python team they were most like* This immediately lead to groans, laughter and lots of noise, which is of course exactly what I wanted...everyone talking and getting to know each other







I then asked each group to look at one of the 6 skills, and chat about ways they could develop examples.
I had slides ready with my suggestions, but I was very pleased to find that all the groups worked well together and came up with lots of ideas.

After each group had fed back to the whole room, I then asked the same groups to look at 6 activities or actions (blogging, networking etc) and asked them to answer three questions:

1. What skills will it help you develop?
2. How would you start?
3. How would you improve?

Again, I had slides ready with suggestions, but they were just for back up in case there were any awkward silences..., but there were none.

I received some very pleasing feedback.

32 people took part in the workshop, 25 filled in feedback forms.

• 19 rated the speaker's knowledge as Excellent, 6 as Good.

• 23 rated the speaker's communication skills as Excellent, 2 as Good.

• 8 rated the slides as Excellent, 14 as Good and 3 as OK.

• 15 rated the handouts as Excellent and 10 as Good.

• All 25 said yes they had enjoyed the session.

• All 25 agreed the workshop helped them identify ways to develop professional skills.

• 24 out of 25 said they had enough time to discus topics with their group.

                                         
Comments

“Really useful collaborative session”

“Great speaker!”

“Many thanks, it was useful”

“Good interactive workshop, thank you”

“Handouts are great, relaxed and fun workshop, thanks”

“Really fun session, well done”


It was a useful and interesting day, very well organised by Matthew Wheeler at CILIP. The best part was of course, getting to know more new professionals, whose enthusiasm was uplifting.
You can read more about the day and the other sessions here.

Matthew will also be speaking at the CILIP Cymru Wales FREE Information day and AGM , booking is open now.


Mandy Powell, CILIP Policy Officer, Wales

* For the record, I think I am most like Terry Jones.

CILIP AGM, Birmingham Library

Left to right: Stephen Gregory CDG Wales, Mandy Powell CILIP,
Dot Higham and Thomas Allen

On Saturday the CILIP AGM was held at the beautiful new Birmingham Library.
160 members attended, including members from Wales, around 900 sent in proxy votes.
The AGM was lively and there was a lot of debate.

Members voted:

• Against changing the organisation name to Information & Library Professionals UK (356 members for, 644 members against, 22 abstained).

• In favour of the proposed subscriptions for 2014 (778 members for, 128 members against, 64 abstained).

• In favour of the motion expressing ‘no confidence’ in Ed Vaizey MP (669 members for, 200 members against, 103 abstained).

CILIP Cymru Wales invited members to apply for free travel to attend the AGM and names were picked out of a hat.

One of the lucky ones, Dot Higham, Library Assistant, Holywell Library, tells us her impressions of the day...


What a day! Attending my first CILIP AGM in the brand new Birmingham Library! 
The  AGM was interesting in that the controversial renaming of CILIP as ILPUK was being voted on. 
The reaction from the attendees was in the main, quite hostile, resulting in the vote not being carried. (a moment of drama just before the vote - a fire alarm! Everyone had to leave the building.) There was also a lively discussion of the proposed membership fees for 2014  but a majority voted in favour. The greatest implication of this will be for students as joining will be free from next year. The hope is to attract more members to CILIP without the need for a more expensive recruitment campaign. 

In my opinion, the opening of this iconic new library could not have been better planned. It occupies a place next door to Symphony Hall and other worthy, timeless buildings, validating the presence of a library right in their midst. What better symbol of all that is good about libraries and worthy of protection. 


Another lucky name out of the hat was that of Thomas Allen, who works at Swansea Central Public Library.
Thomas is working towards Chartership and this is what he had to say about the day...


The CILIP AGM of 2013 was certainly an interesting one for an AGM virgin such as myself.  The preconceptions that this would be a very dry and brief affair couldn't have been further from the truth.  Probably on a personal note it became quite exciting from the moment I saw the non-avatar version of library luminaries such as Phil Bradley, Annie Mauger etc.  
The new Library of Birmingham also gave the meeting something extra too (although I did feel sorry for the empty old central library that seemed much like Woody to Buzz a la Toy Story 1) with it's Shakespeare room, gardens  vintage SF craft event and glass elevator that brings to mind a strangely appropriate Roald Dahl book.  
The meeting itself really picked up and impressed when it came to the speeches by the fellowship awardees.  Particularly poignant points were made; especially how the recent Hillsborough result showed the power of information.  However, what I was truly happy to take away from the AGM was the passion expressed in the questions that were put by the audience.  
This certainly makes me want to be part of the profession more than I did before. 

You can read more about Thomas on his Chartership blog.

Birmingham library in pictures.

The impressive new library of Birmingham was designed by Dutch architects Mecanoo and includes 10 floors, covering 31,00 square metres, making it one of the largest public libraries in the world.

Here is a short slide show of photos I took on the day, but you can learn more about the library here.

Mandy Powell
CILIP Policy Officer, Wales

Youth Libraries Group Wales CILIP Carnegie & Kate Greenaway Awards Day 2013

Meet Gill Lewis, author Of Sky Hawk & Moon Bear

• Friday 18th October 2013

• Civic Centre, Swansea

• Free event with refreshments throughout the day.

• All staff providing services to children & young people are welcome to attend.

Short lists for the awards discussion & further details from angelanoble@monmouthshire.gov.uk

http://www.cilip.org.uk/youth-libraries-group/youth-libraries-group-committees/regional-committees/wales-0

Opportunity to attend the CILIP AGM at the new library in Birmingham.

CILIP Cymru Wales are offering the chance to three members from Wales to attend the CILIP AGM. 

CILIP Cymru Wales will cover the cost of your travel (train / coach ticket); in return you will be asked to write a short report of your experience to be published on the CILIP Cymru Wales blog.
Ideally, we would like one representative from public libraries, one from academic libraries and one from other libraries.

If you would like to be considered for a free place please e-mail 
mandy.powell@cilip.org.uk using the subject line CILIP AGM and stating the approximate cost of your travel.

Offer closes 28th August 2013

CILIP Annual General Meeting Saturday 21st September 2013
Registration 10.30am
10.30 Registration
11.00 AGM commences
13.00 Lunch*
*please note timings may vary depending on length of AGM

Address: Library of Birmingham Centenary Square, Broad Street B1 2ND Birmingham, BIR United Kingdom

For more information about the AGM please visit the CILIP website http://www.cilip.org.uk/cilip/events/cilip-agm-2013   


Cyfle i fynychu Cyfarfod Cyffredinol Blynyddol Sefydliad Siartredig y Gweithwyr Llyfrgell a Gwybodaeth Proffesiynol (CILIP) yn y llyfrgell newydd yn Birmingham.
Mae CILIP Cymru yn cynnig y cyfle i dri aelod o Gymru fynychu Cyfarfod Cyffredinol Blynyddol CILIP. Bydd CILIP Cymru yn talu eich costau teithio (tocyn trên / bws); yn sgil hynny, gofynnir i chi ysgrifennu adroddiad byr ar eich profiad i’w gyhoeddi ar flog CILIP Cymru.

Yn ddelfrydol, hoffem gael un cynrychiolydd o lyfrgell gyhoeddus, un o lyfrgell academaidd ac un o lyfrgell o fath arall.
Os hoffech gael eich ystyried i fynychu’n ddi-dâl anfonwch e-bost at 
mandy.powell@cilip.org.uk gan roi CILIP AGM fel testun a nodi amcan bris eich costau teithio.

Mae’r cynnig yn cau ar 28 Awst 2013
Cyfarfod Cyffredinol Blynyddol CILIP Dydd Sadwrn 21 Medi 2013

10.30 Cofrestru
11.00 Cychwyn y Cyfarfod Cyffredinol Blynyddol
13.00 Cinio*
*nodwch y gall yr amserau newid yn dibynnu ar hyd y Cyfarfod Cyffredinol Blynyddol Cyfeiriad:
Library of Birmingham Centenary Square, Broad Street B1 2ND Birmingham,
BIR Y Deyrnas Unedig I gael rhagor o wybodaeth am y Cyfarfod Cyffredinol Blynyddol, ewch i wefan CILIP http://www.cilip.org.uk/cilip/events/cilip-agm-2013