Prof/Dev

ProfDev 06/04/06

2006-03-23T13:56:00.000Z

How to deal with library disasters
librarian.net discusses ways to cope with tornados and other library disasters.
Lots of useful advice and links to various libraries disaster plans.

Library Websites and plain english
Jessamyn at librarian.net links to a site intending to help library web developers decide how to label key resources and services in such a way that most users can understand them well enough to make productive choices.
A lot of food for thought here even though there is an obvious USA focus to the site.
Also concerning library websites a presentation at USA PLA looked at best practice in library website content.
And over on the TALIS blog Richard Wallis isn't happy with the term OPAC!

Making libraries teen friendly
Libraries have competition among teens as a place to hang out, so we need to make sure that our buildings, programs, and services are enough to draw this user group to our libraries. A report on sessions held at the USA PLA conference.

'...the most important barriers libraries need to address'
some notes from a session run by Michael Stephens of the Tame the Web blog.

Too many policies

Irrelevant oragnizational chart

Remote users are not served

The Catalog isn't like Amazon or Google (which our users USE!)

Too many sacred cows in reference departments

Librarians do not market themselves or their services well

Many libraries don't have enough computers to meet user demand

Library staff need more training (and need to learn how to learn)

Libraries need more innovative programmin

Love your library, forget the books
At the launch of the 'Love Libraries' campaign , David Lammy had to face strong criticism for library closings and falling book stocks.

Good school libraries: making a difference to learning
This new Ofsted report, which identifies 'factors which help to produce good libraries in primary and secondary schools', can be downloaded here .

Supporting reader development with learners
Essex County Council Libraries have produced a guide for staff who are just starting to work with adult emergent readers, it is available via The Literacy Trust .

Evening classes to double charges
In order to fund job training for low-skilled workers, the cost of evening classes will double over the next four years as subsidies are cut.

Online, but out of touch
'Councils have made real progress in making services available online, but a new report says most host websites need a radical overhaul before they can start delivering.'
And to see how to do it properly take an inside view at the Clackmannanshire council's website which features in the top 20 sites in this year's Better Connected report.

National Archives to put Titanic records on the net
'The National Archives' entire historical database of passengers who embarked on sea voyages from Britain's shores between 1890 and 1960' is to be put online by the 1837online.com website.

Stealing beats borrowing
Commentary on the high rate of theft in the UK's public libraries.

The books that move men
What do men read to get them through life? You will find this article informative and scary (if you're a man).
(Thanks to Karen Thornton for this little gem)

ProfDev 14/03/06

2006-03-13T15:49:00.000Z

"Seven Deadly Sins (and Desirable Strategies) for Library Managers"
A Freepint article by Rachel Singer

Librarians find the Reference Online
The MLA has launched a new service providing access to reference material online. A list of the products available can be accessed here.

Running more productive meetings
The personal productivity site 43 folders, gives us 9 tips.
'...understand one thing above all; meetings do not run themselves, and if you have any desire to make best use of valuable people’s time, you’ll need a firm hand and a lot of thoughtful planning. Set a pattern of being the one whose meetings don’t suck and you’ll start seeing the productivity, tone, and participation in your meetings consistently improve.'

Really Simple RSS
This blog is an example of RSS technology and if you want to find out how to subscribe to blogs have a look at this very clear and concise article.

Visionary Design Awards
The National Library for the Blind has announced the winners of its Visionary Design Awards for outstanding efforts in ensuring their content is accessible to visually impaired people.

Google and BL join forces
Searches on Google Scholar will now include links to the British Library's document delivery service. Search results will be matched against the Library'sholdings, where a match is made, users will have the option to obtain articles held via the British Library's online document ordering interface, British Library Direct.

Library PFI bid fails.
The government has rejected a £28m PFI scheme to improve Derby's library service.

Libraries begin uncertain new chapter
With internet companies such as Google becoming more involved in digitising content, what role does the public library have in today's web-driven society?
An interview with John Dolan, head of policy at the Museums, Libraries and Archives council.

Archives open up online window to gay history
The National Archives is piloting an online portal devoted to lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender history.

2006 CILIP / LiS Libraries Change Lives Award
The shortlist is available at: http://www.cilip.org.uk/aboutcilip/newsandpressreleases/news060215.htm

Axed libraries may be moved to shops
Up to 20 libraries in one ofBritain's most rural counties could be closed or replaced withminiature facilities in village shops.

Keep tabs on your library books...

Email reminder service Elf helps library users keep track of their library borrowings. An expanding list of UK libraries are available via this service.

Wikepedia
Advantages and disadvantages of using Wikepedia are discussed here and here.

Free computer training materials in other languages
Languages covered include: Arabic, Bahasa Malaysia, Chinese (traditional), Chinese (simplified), English, French, German, Russian, Spanish, Thai, and Vietnamese.

ProfDev 21/02/06

2006-02-21T11:30:00.000Z

Coping with email
For those of us who would like to bring order to a chaotic inbox, here are some links to some great tips on managing your email. All from the very useful personal productivity site 43 folders.

five fast email productivity tips

quick tips on processing your email inbox

writing sensible email messages

'five email tics i'd love for you to lose'

Libraries fear digital lockdown
Libraries have warned that the rise of digital publishing may make it harder or even impossible to access items in their collections in the future.

Tales of the City
John Walsh asks 'Amid the kerfuffle about which books children should read by the time they leave school ... Whatever happened to the [personal] library?'

Teenagers are eager readers - of the right books
Letter from a sixth-form librarian who says she spends her lunchtimes working in a library that is always 'lively and busy' and 'it would be nice if columnists ... would take a moment to look at the eagerness with which secondary school students are reading, before launching another attack on the lack of literacy in young people'.

Open to all?
The Designing Libraries database has created a new gallery to showcase how libraries have addressed accessibility issues.

Minister threatens to step in to halt library closures
Culture Minister David Lammy has urged councils to reconsider plans to close community libraries, reminding them that he has the power to take over the running of their libraries if library authorities are not providing an adequate service. Guy Daines, CILIP's Head of Policy and Governance, added the warning that dwindling book stocks and reduced opening hours will be the hidden consequence of budget cuts.
See also: Defiant villagers draw up rescue plans.

Never mind the DVDs, where are all the books?
Letters in response to the article in the Guardian on January 25, by Marcel Berlins . In one letter Laura Swaffield argues 'Berlin's anger would be better directed at the situation where libraries have been bled white for so long that they will use their (considerable) ingenuity to grab funding to revamp their crumbling buildings or make the most of their potential...'. Philip Pettifor of Libri is author of one of the other letters.

Trust in libraries?
Sarah Houghton discusses trust in libraries (fines, personal details, overdues etc)
Quote "Phrasing "Don't" and "No" signs in libraries a bit more positively is something simple we can all do." And a really good example of how not to do it can be found here.

Home delivery of items, USA style.
"My dream," said the LiB, "is to see a day where someone can do from home anything he or she could do in a physical library. That is my dream," she said as she lowered her eyes in reverance of serving the remote user as considerately as the in-person user.
Librarian in Black discusses.

5 Factors for User Centered Services
Michael Stephens states that "One of my key points in planning for technology, and one I think applies to all types of services in libraries is to make sure you are being user-centered. For example, use this checklist to tell if you are proceeding down the wrong path"

“library dating.”
300 librarians across Brussels and Flanders have been trained to host library dating sessions where they offer participants wine, books and a good opportunity to meet other single bookworms.

Get the most of your local library — online
Article in Lifehacker about how great libraries are :-)

City history database goes online
Georgian newspapers detailing life in 18th Century Bath have been made electronically available to the public.

Shortlist for the 2006 CILIP / LiS Libraries Change Lives Award Announced.
Library services working with vulnerable young people, excluded children and teenagers, and guest workers new to the UK are shortlisted.

Library design as marketing:the Swedish experience.
Inspirational use of space is an expression of vision and provides a great marketing opportunity, says Angela Dove. (pdf 344k) It is in their attention to details that matter to their users that Swedish designs for public libraries are at their most impressive.

Frank Cottrell Boyce in interview.
Last year, Frank Cottrell Boyce won the Carnegie Medal for his first novel. His second was shortlisted for the Whitbread Award. Here he talks to Elspeth Hyams about his comic treatment of the way children deal with bereavement, temptation and the consumer society.

Making your library site findable on the web.
Tips on making your libary website more visible.
'...libraries need to think about their presence _and_ visibility on the web. Not just whether or not the library has a visually appealing, well-functioning, feature-full site, but is the site findable?'

Huddersfield PDA Project
The Smart Library Project is looking at ways of enhancing and encouraging academic library usage via implementing smart and interactive technologies in existing library spaces.
Images of the project are discussed on a recent Panlibus post.
More discussion of developments at the University of Huddersfield here.

The OPAC is not an end in itself.
Whats the future for OPACS?
“the darling in all this is the data”
This post is from the increasingly essential Panlibus blog written by TALIS staff on current library technology issues. For a welcome UK perspective on where we may be heading in the future visit and read regularly!

Prof/Dev 26/01/06

2006-01-26T11:14:00.000Z

Judges in rapture as poet Duffy wins T S Eliot Prize
Carol Ann Duffy has won the T S Eliot Prize for 'Rapture', a collection of her poetry.

E-read all about it
Article on the future of the printed book, with
electronic readers bringing electronic resources into a more flexible
set of formats.

Psychometric trip
Article on the use and usefulness of psychometric tests in the employment process.

Can you handle it? The nightmare interview
Tips on coping with a bad job interview.

Jane Austen dives between the 'chick lit' covers
Jane Austen is to be relaunched as a romantic novelist in the style of Danielle Steel and
Dame Barbara Cartland. Her six novels are to be given glossy, pastel
covers designed to appeal to women who are put off by the idea of
reading a 19th century writer.

UK poised for a new wireless revolution
Pipex, a broadband company is about to run trials of WiMax a new technology that offers improved wireless technology.

Google launches paid video download service
In a move that brings even greater competition to the DVD/Video rental and library outlets, Google has launched a download service that will allow content owners to sell videos through the Google video service.

Selling' libraries just the ticket
Article on the @ Your Library marketing programme for public libraries in Wales.

From National to Local, in a way that almost makes sense
Panlibus looks at the ways DirectGov provides (English) citizens with access to services relevant to them, locally.

The Vital Link research and campaign
'The Vital Link' has just launched a new campaign to promote the role of libraries to learning
providers working with adults with literacy needs and reading for
pleasure. This builds on the outcomes of new research which confirms
the role that libraries can play in supporting creative reading and
Skills for Life; and also brings together libraries involvement in the
BBC RaW adult literacy campaign and the World Books Day Quick Reads
initiative for 2006. Further information is available from 'The Vital
Link' website www.vitallink.org.uk. The research Vital Link has just
published is 'an important piece of impact research, carried out by
consultants, who interviewed adults in nine literacy or family learning
groups across the country. The research assessed the impact of
libraries' work with emergent adult readers, looking for evidence of
the link between an enjoyment of reading and increased confidence and
motivation, improved skills and quality of life, and ultimately better
employability'.
To receive this newsletter you will need to send an email john@nadder.org.uk

Google Librarians Newsletter
The second issue is now available.

GoodNews, Bad News
An article in the Guardian by Marcel Berlins covers the announcement of the new 80 million Lottery Fund for developing community libraries.

Secret life of Matisse wins Whitbread prize
Hilary Spurling has won the Whitbread prize, receiving £30,000. Her monumental biography of
the master modernist Matisse, is a second instalment.

Digital challenge for local councils
A local authority willing to lead in the creation
of a 'wired-up community' will receive £7m to put its vision into
practice under the latest scheme to promote innovation in e-government.

12m workers have reading age of children
Up to 16 million adults - nearly half the workforce - are holding down
jobs despite having the reading and writing skills expected of children
leaving primary school, a new report reveals today.

50 libraries face closure as councils balance books
Around 50 libraries in at least six different counties are facing possible
closure in the coming months. Most are in small and sometimes isolated
communities.

Prof/Dev 17/01/06

2006-01-17T14:34:00.000Z

Now that does look stressful...

The most stressful job of all...
....a librarian
Phil Bradley also comments on this and links to an article from The Times
But Are You a Librarian? Take the online test to find out!

Latest statistics show mixed fortunes for libraries
While visits to public libraries increased by over three million last year, statistics released today show that the number of active borrowers and the number of books issued continue to fall.

Google mulls online book future
Google has suggested it may consider setting up an online book store.

Sony Reader targets book lovers
Sony is trying to do for e-books what Apple has done for downloadable digital music.

City-wide wi-fi rolls out in UK
A UK company that has created wireless hotspots in stations, coffee shops and hotels around the UK is planning to launch city-wide wi-fi this spring. The same company (The Cloud) is providing WiFi access to the ground floor of Scarborough Library.

Monitoring your website
Monitor the status of your library website and more...
(This will only work in Firefox at the present, TALIS are working on an IE6 demo)

Contacting customers by text
The use of text messages to inform borrowers about holds, overdues, and similar traditional library messages.

Top Technology Trends
K.G Schneider aka The Free Range Librarian starts the debate.

Prof/Dev 23/12/05

2005-12-23T10:24:00.000Z

NLB And RNIB Library Services Consider Merger
The Royal National Institute of the Blind (RNIB) and the National Library for the Blind (NLB) have started formal discussions with a view to merging the library services of both charities in April 2007. This in principle decision has been taken by the trustees of both charities and detailed negotiations will now start.

The Starbucks Christmas Book Drive 2005
'Starbucks is asking customers to give the gift of reading this Christmas by donating new or nearly new books for local children. The aim is to collect 50,000 books nationwide, which will all be donated to local primary schools'

Google's Newsletter for Librarians
The first issue of Google's Newsletter for Librarians has come out.

List of practical guides to web services
Phil Bradley's "I want to..." list
"I want to..." or "I need to" or "How do I?" This is a small collection of resources that will help to answer those questions. It is not complete, nor will it ever be.

British Library to ban ink pens
The British Library is to extend a ban on pens to all its reading rooms to protect its precious collections.

BBC to launch elearning site for school kids
Launching in January 2006, BBC jam is designed to encourage children to explore, learn and create.

Chicago Libraries Map
Using Google Maps to produce a map of your libraries.

Ten Tips for Technology Trainers in the Trenches
Useful tips on doing IT training...

and finally two seasonal tips

Make a Snowman Ornament from a lightbulb.

How to deal with house guests that wear out their welcome.

ProfDev 16/12/05

2005-12-16T14:15:00.000Z

The Birth of Yahoo Answers
Search Engine Watch reports on a new service from Yahoo.
‘The service allows any registered Yahoo user to ask just about any question and hopefully get an answer from another member of the question answering community. Access to Yahoo Answers is free.’

Education, Education, Education
Lots happening at the moment see below for specific issues and links.

Remodelling the School Workforce: A report from Ofsted
here.
Kelly announces new arrangements for inspection to give a better deal to children and learners
Government here.

Diploma and Advanced Diploma in Applications of ICT in Libraries Launched in Glasgow
The Scottish Qualifications launched the two People’s Network legacy qualifications on Friday 2 December.

Perceptions of Libraries and Information Resources
OCLC Online has published ahttp://www.oclc.org/reports/2005perceptions.htm

Public Libraries Stock Procurement Model Development project
MLA have appointed PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP to work with them on a Public Libraries Stock Procurement Model Development project.

What do young people think about reading?
This new report, 'Children’s and young people’s reading habits and preferences: The who, what, why, where and when' will tell you. Its based on a recent survey of over 8,000 primary and secondary pupils in England, explores why some pupils choose to read and others do not.

Dyslexic novelist wins book gold medal
Sally Gardner, a dyslexic woman who could not read until the age of 14, has won the Nestle Children's Book Prize with 'I, Coriander' a fantasy tale of murder, magic and romance in 17th century London.

Searching for a fresher taste
Report on the new face of classic search engine, Yahoo, that is now investing heavily in the social networking stars of Web 2.0, such as the photo-sharing site Flickr and bookmarking phenomenon Del.icio.us.

Richard and Judy name top ten books - stand by for sales bonanza
The 2006 Richard and Judy booklist has been released.

Girl's tips on coping when parents split up win book deal
Ten year old Libby Rees who wrote tips to help children cope when their parents divorce, entitled 'Help, Hope and Happiness', has been offered a book deal by a company a day after it received the manuscript.

Whitbread writes itself out of top literary award
According to Whitbread, literature no longer fits with its status as a leisure conglomerate, so it is withdrawing its sponsorship of the literary prize.

Dance Dance Revolution.
One american libraries efforts on engaging with youths.
‘I’ve must say folks, video games in libraries is absolutely what it is cracked up to be. The fact that it is an excellent way to meet the cultural needs of our young patrons was demonstrated to me over and over by the number of people that came and their enthusiasm. We had over 25 kids in the library on a Friday night.'

Wikipedia, Britannica: A Toss-Up
Wired magazine reports that Wikipedia, the encyclopedia that relies on volunteers to pen nearly 4 million articles, is about as accurate in covering scientific topics as Encyclopedia Britannica, the journal Nature wrote in an online article published Wednesday.
The finding, based on a side-by-side comparison of articles covering a broad swath of the scientific spectrum, comes as Wikipedia faces criticism over the accuracy of some of its entries.

Talis Assure: new offline module
'Talis Assure is a new user-friendly and robust backup system which complements and supports Talis Alto. It has been launched to deliver an offline service without the usual management complexity.'

ProfDev 21/11/05

2005-11-21T09:55:00.001Z

The value and quality of email at work
40% of office workers spend 0.5-3 hours reading poorly written e-mail

ProQuest puts 19th Century periodicals online
ProQuest Information and Learning has started a project to digitise nearly six million article pages from 19th century British periodicals.
(CILIP Information Services)

Minister encourages take up of e-services
A national campaign designed to raise public awareness and encourage take-up of council e-services has been announced by Local e-Government Minister Jim Fitzpatrick. The campaign will launch in early 2006 and will highlight the benefits of accessing council services online.
(CILIP Information Services)

Adult education class fees to double
Education Secretary, Ruth Kelly, has announced that fees for millions of adults to study at further education (FE) colleges will double as government subsidies are withdrawn.
(CILIP Information Services)

Richard and Judy help waitress on to book prize list
Rachel Zadok, a graphic designer, has been nominated for the £25,000 Whitbread Book Awards, alongside such established writers as Nick Hornby, Salman Rushdie and Geraldine McCaughrean.

Police 'spy' on library suspects
Microsoft and the BL have formed a partnership to digitise 25 million pages of content from the library's collections.

Libraries urge clarity on terrorism criteria
Leading library bodies, including CILIP, SCONUL (the Society of College, National and University Libraries), and CURL (the Consortium of Research Libraries) have issued a
joint warning that librarians and researchers could be criminalised unless the Terrorism Bill currently before Parliament is amended. A spokesman for CILIP said: 'in view of the wide and uncertain definition of what may constitute a terrorist publication, librarians and their governing bodies or institutions would be at risk of prosecution as the clauses currently stand'. The article also refers to the advice CILIP has recently published on how existing laws, including police powers to access library records, could affect members.
(CILIP Information Services)

I'm not a writer but a fool, says plagiarist
Judith Kelly, author of 'Rock Me Gently' speaks about what led her to lift long pages from Charlotte Bronte's 'Jane Eyre', and Graham Greene's 'Brighton Rock' for her own memoir. She blames it on ignorance and lack of education. More than 30,000 hardback copies of the book were sold before Kelly's plagiarism was discovered. More discussion and examples here.
(CILIP Information Services)

The British Library enters the dating business
shocking news that the British Library is entering the dating biz by offering a "Mingle" evening for singles who "like...to talk and wants to make friends."

1,082 books for $8,000?
Librarian replaces personal library lost in a forest fire.

Offering web-based Instant Messaging on public computers
As mentioned in the last Route A. Meebo allows public-use computer users to interact via IM without risking installations and all the security concerns that go along with that.

Library 2.0: what's next for library websites
At the Internet Librarian conference, over 100 library professionals speculated about how to survive in a world of Web-based, user-created content. They've dubbed their initiative Library 2.0.

Virtual Reference Conference
A report on Ask Colarado from the Virtual Reference Desk Conference.
See also...Text a Librarian, integrating reference by text message into digital reference.
and discussion of the new Question Point software options (as used by the Peoples Network Enquire service).

Chainreading
Library Stuff reports on the Chainreading site where you can suggest books to friends, and your suggestions will be added to a list that only they can see when they log in to the site.

Virtually unstoppable
As the world's favourite search engine opens its new London headquarters, Simon Jeffery steps inside the Googleplex.

ProfDev 21/11/05

2005-11-21T09:55:00.000Z

ProfDev 1/11/05

2005-11-01T15:10:00.000Z

Librarians and Google share a mission
'...to organize the world's information and make it universally accessible and useful. We support librarians like yourself who work each day to further that mission.'
Google are launching a newsletter for librarians. You can sign up here.

Instant Messaging via the Web
This could be useful for our PN users, a way of using all the major IM clients via a web page.

US school swaps books for bytes
A school in Arizona, US, has thrown out its paper-based text books and is relying solely on laptops and digital material to teach its pupils
(thanks to sally crossthwaite for this)

Jargon Update
Lots of talk about Web 2.0 at the moment, for instant enlightenment go here.

Brits don’t know what blogs are…
Well you all do as you are reading one now, but apparently lots of people got blogging mixed up with a similar sounding word beginning with D…

Library jobs and branches cut after losses on DVDs
'FURIOUS protesters took to the streets on Thursday after learning that at least eight of Bucks' 35 libraries are set to be closed down.'
A very interesting story see below for links.
Covered by the Guardian
http://books.guardian.co.uk/news/articles/0,6109,1593822,00.html
The local press
http://www.bucksfreepress.co.uk/display.var.638915.0.0.php
And the County Council review that started it all.
http://www.buckscc.gov.uk/libraries/review/

Gates unveils his vision of a future made of silicon
Bill Gates arrived in London yesterday to deliver his vision of the future and predict the eventual demise of paper at the hands of silicon.

Helpers for local and family history
(Higher Education Libraries in your PERsonal history reSearch)
…is an online guide to using the resources held in London University's libraries and archives for family and local history research.
Helpers is intended to be used as a second line of attack in your research. If you've exhausted all the possibilities in your local library or with the census data and you've come up against a brick wall, or you want to deepen your understanding of your family history, then this may be the place that can help you.

Libraries lure teens with pizza, movies…
Last year the US National Endowment for the Arts announced that the number of Americans reading books had been steadilydeclining over the last two decades. To counteract this trend, public libraries across the country are reaching out to teenagers with interesting methods...

Shakeup will give schools independence
New proposals for education were set out in a White Paper published by the government yesterday.
http://education.guardian.co.uk/schools/story/0,,1600635,00.htmlGuardian, pp12-13, 26 OctoberSee also: This is our vision (but feel free to reject it) (Daily Telegraph, p4, 26 October)http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2005/10/26/nscho26.xml
Private firms poised to run state schools after reform (Guardian, p1, 26 October)http://education.guardian.co.uk/schools/story/0,5500,1600797,00.html
Parents in charge of schools will opt for social selection (Guardian, p33, 26 October)http://education.guardian.co.uk/policy/story/0,,1600744,00.html
Plans for education reform get a cool reception from parents (Times, p4, 26 October)http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,17129-1843446,00.html
The story of a white paper (Guardian, pp8-13, 26 October)http://education.guardian.co.uk/policy/story/0,,1600866,00.html
(CILIP Information Services)

One in three has bought a book just to look intelligent
One in three of those polled for a survey commissioned by the British Airports Authority and travel website Expedia admitted they had bought a book 'solely to look intelligent'.

Brighton rocks.
Eco library clinches the Prime Minister's Better Public Building Award for 2005.

ProfDev 07/10/05

2005-10-07T15:20:00.000+01:00

Damning Ofsted report reveals literacy failings
Ofsted has published a report warning that one in five 11-year-olds are starting secondary school without reaching the required standards in English.
(CILIP Information Services)

Andrea Levy's 'Small Island' wins 'Best of the Best' Orange Prize
In response to requests from libraries and bookshops, the Orange Prize fiction for women's has decided to carry out an audit of its victors every decade. Chairwomen from the first 10 years of judging panels came together to reread all the first decade's winning novels. As a result,
Andrea Levy, has been awarded the Orange Prize for fictions' best of the best for her novel, 'Small Island', a story of post-war immigration.
(CILIP Information Services)

The music of time
Interview with Kate Thompson, winner of the Guardian Children's Fiction prize this year.

Does your content management system generate long urls?
Yep very long urls...but content management systems can be made to produce shorter urls, using DigBig. More can be found at http://www.DigBig.com/

Creating a cultural future
'Creating a future: lessons from cultural strategies' is a paper from the Local Government Information Unit, which looks at some of the work that Councils are doing to develop cultural provision. Although brief, it does include the contribution of museums and libraries. Available to download as a PDF (17 pages) from: http://www.lgiudocuments.info/pdf/Cultural-Strategies.pdf
(CILIP Information Services)

Your friendly local library?
Some US libraries are using collection agencies for unreturned library books and bringing criminal charges against offenders. This article relates how one family was denied a mortgage after a credit check turned up... an unpaid library fine.

Online cataloguing for the home...
LibraryThing is an online service to help people catalog their books easily.
catalog your books online (example); no software required.
LibraryThing searches the Library of Congress and thirty other major libraries around the world.

$100 laptop closer to fruition
A research project at the MIT Media Lab has a plan for getting $100 laptops in the hands of millions of people around the world. One notable feature is a hand crank for providing power in places where electricity is undependable or unavailable.
Thanks to http://librarianinblack.typepad.com/ for this.

Whose question gets answered first in your library?
….first-come first-served is the only way to go states this site.

A third of UK teenagers have own websites
A survey of Britain's youths - that's people between the ages of 14 and 21 - shows that almost a third of them have their own weblogs or websites.

ProfDev 21/09/05

2005-09-21T14:23:00.000+01:00

Authors sue Google over book plan
A US writers' group is suing internet search engine Google, claiming that its plan to digitise major library book collections infringes author copyright.

Potter books on sale as downloads
The Harry Potter novels have been put on sale as audio downloads in a bid by author JK Rowling to tackle piracy.

Tractors takes the prize
Marina Lewycka's 'A Short History of Tractors in Ukrainian' has won the Saga award for books of wit and humour by authors over 50. Read an interview with the author here.

The read of my life:
The Independent newspaper asked its readers to review their favourite novel in no more than
100 words.

Move over Buffy, it's Librarian Lady
The USA Librarian Action Figure is based on a recently retired Seattle librarian, Nancy Pearl. Some 100,000 “Librarian Action Figures” have been sold...

Alice's adventures in Wonderland
The latest addition to the British Library's 'Turning the pages' is a fully digitised version of the original manuscript of Alice's Adventures Under Ground. It is available via http://www.bl.uk/index.shtml.

Life-changing books: the chapter and verse
Melvyn Bragg said it wasn't great people who changed the world, but the books they wrote. Here, we discover books that influenced 12 lives. An alternative to the list devised by Melvyn Bragg.

ProfDev 12/08/05

2005-08-12T15:23:00.000+01:00

MLA Issues Call to Action for Public Libraries
The Museums, Libraries and Archives Council (MLA) has presented England’s public libraries with five major challenges to be met over the next three years.

Stock procurement and funding review
Consultants PKF have completed their in-depth review to find the best and most cost-effective way to operate the book supply chain, and to look at budget issues and efficiency in public library services.

Summer Reading Challenge
Getting some media coverage.

Bookstart Project
Expanded project gets very variable press coverage.
In The Times it’s a “state handout”, the Guardian calls it giving the “gift of reading to children” And the Independent calls it the “latest government drive to encourage parents to read to their young.”

New IT buzzwords
PVR? Blu-ray? Hotspots? Just some of the new buzz phrases you might have heard but barely understood. You're going to be hearing a lot more of them…

Richard and Judy plan (new) book project
The autumn series of their Channel 4 show will feature a search for viewers with an autobiographical tale that can be turned into a book by a well-known ghost writer.

Do we still need libraries in a digital age?
Article and discussion.

Top 20 technology skills for librarians
Last month, T.H.E. Journal posted an interesting article titled 20 Technology Skills Every Educator Should Have and briefly defined each.
Thanks to The Shifted Librarian for the links.

Cautious welcome for moves to improve public library procurement
CILIP: the Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals has welcomed the "swift and positive" response by the Department for Culture, Media & Sport (DCMS) and the Museums, Libraries & Archives Council (MLA) to the report by consultants PKF 'Public Libraries: Efficiency and Stock Supply Chain Review'. However CILIP also points out that little in the PKF report is new, and questions as "simplistic" some of its conclusions.

A whole new sentence
Article on the Penguin/Orange book club of the year. High Down reading group is in a Category B prison and the reading group was founded by the prison librarian, Kay Hadwick. Nick Hornby writes of his visit their to discuss his latest book.
(CILIP Information Services)

Da Vinci Code was an original, says court
The author and publishers of 'The Da Vinci Code' have won a court ruling confirming that the bestseller did not infringe the copyrights of earlier books published by rival author Lewis Perdue.

Ofcom deregulates RFID in the UK
Ofcom has said that it would be making radio spectrum available for use by Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) equipment and that those using the new technology would not need a wireless telegraphy licence.

Man Booker prize
Long list announced.
Articles from The Guardian and The Independent.

ProfDev 22/07/05

2005-07-25T11:30:00.000+01:00

This is a abbreviated post due to network problems at HQ on Friday and the subsequent loss of most of my original posting!

Harry Potter and the stony broke authors
A survey by the Society of Authors has revealed that a third of children's authors earn less than the national minimum wage of GBP8,827 a year.

Adults with learning difficulties
At least one in 10 colleges are reported to be cutting their provision for adults with learning disabilities.
(CILIP Information Services)

UK 'embraces digital technology'
Increasing numbers of people in the UK are moving to digital and broadband technology, according to the latest report from media regulator Ofcom.

New look for BBC's community site
The BBC's iCan website, which helps people get involved in their community, is to have a new look and new name.

Libraries 'risk becoming relics'
The charity for libraries, Libri, has suggested in a report (pdf 737kb) that 'misdirection of funds has transformed libraries into urban village halls where drama groups, creches, and slimming clubs are in the ascendant and books are destined for the skip'.

Author's ally
Despite fears the web would kill the art of reading, it has actually become another weapon in the writer's arsenal.

Public images
Two of America's major photographic houses have launched a joint venture to provide one of the largest freely available archives of pictures on the internet. The collaboration between New York's International Centre of Photography and George Eastman House is expected to include at least 200,000 images by the time it is fully set up next year. (CILIP Information Services)

ProfDev 15/07/05

2005-07-15T09:31:00.000+01:00

British Library faces digital avalanche
"An avalanche of digital information is produced in the UK every year, catering to every possible taste and keeping the nation informed, but presenting the British Library with a terabyte sized headache as it attempts to fulfil its mission to preserve the nation’s knowledge in the digital age."
(CILIP Information Services)

Tackling social exclusion
The Network is a network of public libraries, museums, archives, other organisations and individuals committed to tackling social exclusion.
The site has a wealth of information regarding work being done in this area and has a useful newsletter you can download (pdf 199kb).

British Library predicts ‘switch to digital by 2020’
Lynne Brindley, Chief Executive of the British Library, today predicted a switch from print to digital publishing by the year 2020. Lynne was speaking at the launch of the Library’s new three-year strategy.

Google Answers
An insiders view of this new Google feature.
(Freepint)

New challenges for libraries outlined
An initiative is being launched to nudge policymakers away from seeing successful book lending and the encouragement of reading as the prime goals of Britain's public library service.

Everything you always wanted to know by text...
24- hour text answering services have been some of the fastest growing sectors of the mobile phone industry.

Public Appointments: Goodbye to endless meetings
E-mails, laptops and virtual teams are taking the place of costly face-to-face discussions.

Death, poison, treachery - the best bedtime read
Article on Civitas's re-issuing of the classic children's history book 'Our Island Story' and the project to send it to every primary school in the country.
(CILIP Information Services)

Basic needs
New research shows that adults with the worst literacy levels suffer in many areas of their lives. Are Labour's skills targets unintentionally leaving behind those most at risk?
(CILIP Information Services)

Reading is Fundamental
UK teams up with WHSmith Trust to support summer reading.

School reading champions
The National Reading Campaign has launched School Reading Champions, an initiative that draws on the success of previous Reading Champions activity celebrating male reading role models.
(CILIP Information Services)

Measuring Up; Public Libraries do make an impact
Results of the Libraries Impact Project by Laser and PricewaterhouseCoopers can be found here. (pdf 304kb)
(CILIP Information Services)

Reference Book Award
This year's Nielsen BookData Reference Award winners are 'The Design encyclopaedia' (Printed Category) and 'Oxford Dictionary of National Biography' (Electronic Category) and Ian Maxted (Walford Award).

Framework for the Future Digital Citizenship Workshop Series 2005
These were a series of workshops held in different locations, exploring ways of developing the People's Network. Presentations and handouts from these workshops can be downloaded from here.

Gershon
Early indications are that local authorities achieved efficiency gains worth around £700m in 2004/5.

Potter's magic spell turns boys into bookworms
JK Rowling's latest is launched as a new report shows that her books are inspiring children to read again.

Reading - the new 'Cool'?
Carnegie and Greenaway Medal fever hits the nation's schools.

Carnegie and Greenaway results
'Millions', the debut novel from Frank Cottrell Boyce, has won the Carnegie Medal.
Gulliver's Travels illustrated by Chris Riddell was this year's Kate Greenaway winner.

ProfDev 27/06/05

2005-06-27T14:01:00.000+01:00

Lionel Shriver wins tenth Orange Prize for Fiction
We Need to Talk About Kevin by Lionel Shriver (Serpent’s Tail)

(CILIP Information Services)

Brighton rocks
With near-blanket coverage, no Brighton resident is more than 10 minutes from a free internet connection.

Teen spirit
Thirty years on from its publication, Forever, Judy Blume's candid portrayal of a teenage sexual relationship, is still causing controversy.

Keeping libraries safe for children
The revised edition of 'A Safe Place for Children' now available to CILIP members via the CILIP website.
(CILIP Information Services)

Libraries to pilot "Mylocal" kiosks
Libraries will be one of the places where 'Mylocal' kiosks service will provide free access to government information, as well as advertising of local commercial services, from interactive, touch screen kiosks across the UK.
(CILIP Information Services)

Make a Noise In Libraries awareness campaign extended
The National Library for the Blind's 'Make a Noise in Libraries Week' will become 'Make a Noise in Libraries Fortnight' this year and will run from 9 - 23 July 2005.

A turn-up for the books
Article on the regeneration of libraries despite the challenges of the internet.

Serpent's Tail
Article on Serpent's Tail, the independent publisher of this year's Orange Prize, Nobel Prize and Man Booker International Prize.

ProfDev 31/05/05

2005-05-31T10:58:00.000+01:00

People’s Network launches live-chat ‘Enquire’ service
"Enquire is a live question and answer service provided around the clock, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
The service is provided by library services in England, collaborating with other library services internationally from the United States and Canada. It works like instant messaging or chat room technology allowing you to put questions to trained staff who are skilled to help you just as if you were talking face-to-face or on the telephone"
North Yorkshire Library and Information Service took part in staffing the launch day.

Publishers lay into Google Print
Leading academic publishers have accused Google of copyright violation on an unprecedented scale.

Silver surfers say net is 'vital'
“Technology use across the age groups in the UK is on the rise, even though a recent report said older generations are still alienated by technology”

Taste of 1861 online with census
Family history buffs are to be given a taste of Victorian life with the release of the 1861 census.
Made available by the National Archives and now online.

Joy of reading needs to be rediscovered...
...says laureate for children Jacqueline Wilson. The most popular author in libraries has been chosen as the next Children's Laureate.
(CILIP Information Services)

Library use soars
A new report published by the Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy (CIPFA) shows 'a record rise in public library usage across the UK'
(CILIP Information Services)

'Uneducable' man who learnt to beat disability.
Mark, who was born with cerebral palsy, has graduated from university and yesterday he received the "individual learner of the year" award for triumphing over adversity as part of Adult Learners' Week.

Farewell Harry – Rowling looks to new life of crime.
With the seventh and final Harry Potter book to complete, Rowling, at 39, is contemplating her future as a crime novelist.

Away with the fairies
Article on Eoin Colfer, author of the Artemis Fowl books, on getting boys interested in reading. He advocates asking for advice in the public library.

Race row hits Penguin birthday
The list of 70 Pocket Penguins celebrating 70 years of publishing contains only two black authors and is causing controversy.

Tabloids beat libraries for the facts that matter
Much of the British public goes to the source it trusts least - tabloid newspapers - for its most crucial everyday information on politics and society, according to a study.
This is because the sources the public trusts most, notably public libraries, are closed when it most needs them.

Catalogablog
Not getting enough info on cataloging? Visit Catalogablog and gorge yourself!
Thanks to The Free Range Librarian for this.

Steps to an Effective Web Presence for Libraries
An interesting list for webteams everywhere from librarian.net

ProfDev 17/05/05

2005-05-17T15:54:00.000+01:00

Death of the book …again
Discussion of issues raised by Nigel Newton, the CEO and co-founder of Bloomsbury publishing house.
(CILIP Information Services)

Google book project angers France
In France there is concern that the Google digital library project will give greater prominence to English over texts written in other languages.
(CILIP Information Services)

CILIP Carnegie Medal shortlist
The Carnegie Medal has announced this years shortlist.

Online Learning gaining ground
Freepint article on the growth in businesses using online learning.

New email list for the CILIP Revalidation Qualification
"A new JISCMAIL list, (LIS-CILIP-REVAL) has been established to discuss issues surrounding the new CILIP revalidation qualification. This forum is not an official communication channel with or for CILIP, but a forum for revalidation candidates.Details of how to join can be found at:http://www.jiscmail.ac.uk/lists/lis-cilip-reval.html "
(CILIP Information Services)

Raising the profile of children's literature in teacher training
MLA has appointed the United Kingdom Literature Association working with the University of Nottingham to evaluate Literature Matters, the national scheme to increase awareness of books and libraries amongst new teachers , there is a
“…growing evidence base demonstrating that many teachers are not confident in promoting and fully utilising children's books"

Tesco eyes film download service
Retailers Tesco is planning to launch a film downloading service "as soon as possible" to build on the success it has had in the online music sector.

Support for EU 'digital library'
A plan to create a vast digital library to preserve Europe's cultural heritage has
received strong backing from European Union (EU) culture ministers.

GCSE Revision aid
The BBC Bitesize Revision site has a multitude of helpful information for candidates and for staff trying to answer queries.

The ELDIS Information service
This is an Internet-based information service, maintaining a library of online documents and resource guides to often asked for topics such as climate change, health
systems and globalization.