e-Newsletter December 2012
Inspire supports libraries from all sectors in working together to enable members of communities
across the UK who are engaged in lifelong learning or research to find and access their information
needs.
News
The British Library
The British Library agrees with six city libraries to share its business services across the UK
The British Library, the Intellectual Property Office and six major UK city libraries have signed an
agreement stating their joint intention to establish a national network of services for small
businesses and entrepreneurs across the country, modeled on the services offered by the British
Library’s Business & IP Centre in London.
This agreement is an outcome of funding granted to the British Library earlier this year by the
Intellectual Property Office, supporting a feasibility study looking at how the success of its Business
& IP Centre in supporting SMEs, start-ups, inventors and entrepreneurs could be shared nationally.
While the project remains in the blueprint stage, this agreement is an important step towards
establishing a national network of business and innovation advice centres across the UK.
The participating libraries in Birmingham, Leeds, Liverpool, Manchester, Newcastle and Sheffield are
all part of the PATLIB network, and have the core intellectual property and business collections and
expertise which are crucial to the success of the proposed partnership. Building on these
foundations, the project aims to share knowledge and expertise in order to help each city library to
integrate the ‘one-stop-shop’ information service in which the British Library’s Business & IP Centre
specialises. It also aims to strengthen knowledge exchange between business and libraries, and
establish a network of best practice and resources-sharing across the seven cities.
British Library leads on sharing research data in the UK with five major institutions signing up to
DataCite
Five major research centres have expanded their commitment to make data more accessible
through the British Library’s DataCite service, a global initiative which addresses the problem of how
to find, access and re-use the results of research. The Archaeology Data Service, the UK Data
Archive, the Natural Environment Research Council, the Science & Technology Facilities Council and
the Chinese genomics institute BGI have signed up to the service and are the first institutions to
work with the British Library on this initiative.
Data from the participating organisations, which spans information derived from ice cores to gene
sequences, cultural heritage to current populations, will be marked with DOIs (Digital Object
Identifiers) to enable it to be identified and cited, a system which has been widely used to provide
persistent links to academic journal articles. This initiative provides a practical solution to one of the
most significant challenges facing researchers today – access to data – an issue highlighted by the
Royal Society in a report published in June this year, ‘Science as an open enterprise’, which
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e-Newsletter December 2012
recommended that scientists should communicate the data they collect in fieldwork and research
more widely.
Scotland
Book Week Scotland 2012
Readers throughout Scotland enjoyed a week-long celebration as part of the first Book Week
Scotland held between 26 November and 1 December. Coordinated by Book Trust Scotland, public
and other libraries across the land organised a wide range of activities from the very small to the
very grand encouraging library members and non-members to participate in a love of reading. There
were fiction, non-fiction, poetry, history and storytelling events and activities for all age-groups.
Funding was made available to have 100 authors in 100 libraries which enabled libraries to have
writers of the calibre of Iain Banks, Val McDermid and Liz Lochhead in far flung places like Orkney,
Benbecula and Fife. Every person who attended an event was given a free copy of “My Favourite
Place” a collection of the best stories and poems from members of the public and authors
celebrating their favourite place. A copy can be viewed on the Scottish Book Trust website.
Midlothian Libraries, just outside Edinburgh, had a packed programme throughout the week with
appearances by an internationally acclaimed author, award winning authors as well as local writers.
To encourage those reluctant to participate in the digital society two drop-in sessions were held
whereby members of the public could bring in their iPad, ebook reader etc and be shown how to
download ebooks from the library catalogue. This proved to be a great success and we plan to
organise these on a regular basis.
An unexpected outcome from a visit by author Joyce Holms who writes crime novels with a comedic
edge is that she has agreed to provide a ten week writing course for members of the public in the
New Year. Funding was also provided to enable every 5 year old to be given three books free either
in the library or through the school. There has been very positive feedback from parents and
teachers on how this will encourage children to read at home.
On Friday 30 November, St Andrews Day, the whole of Scotland was invited to stop what they were
doing at 11.00am pick up a book and start reading. The Reading Hour is an innovative way to engage
with the public and get them to think about reading.
All in all a tremendous achievement by the Scottish book world in celebrating and promoting reading
to the whole nation. Book Week Scotland will now run every year so we’d better start thinking about
what we are going to do in 2013!
SCURL Walk-in Access project
Work has now been completed on the SCURL Walk-in Access project, funded by the Scottish Library
& Information Council (SLIC). The work is being disseminated through the website, presentations by
the work’s authors and in print. For more information please contact Jill Evans: J.Evans@nls.uk
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e-Newsletter December 2012
SCURL Partner Libraries
SCURL has introduced a new category of membership, after receiving a few enquiries from libraries
which do not meet the usual membership requirements. They have therefore come up with a new
category of “partner” which entitles the library to take part in shared procurement initiatives such as
SHEDL and SCOPNet. For more information please contact Jill Evans: J.Evans@nls.uk.
Wales
Libraries Inspire: The strategic development framework for Welsh Libraries 2012 - 16
These are two of the National Library of Wales leads on the Resources for All strand of the strategy’s
main areas of work for 2012-13:
E-resources:
On the 9thof November the National Library of Wales published the Invitation to Tender for the
provision of an online newspaper service for Welsh libraries via the Buy4Wales website in the
Official Journal of the European Union. Work is also underway to investigate different models of
procurement and provision, and provide a forward plan for provision of and access to online
resources for Welsh citizens for April 2013 onwards.
Library Portal – librarywales.org
The portal librarywales.org is the main gateway for finding out information about Welsh libraries. It
is geared towards the public but also is a useful resource for library staff for example, the staff
toolkit. The portal promotes the all-Wales marketing campaigns as well as highlighting the key
benefits/messages of libraries. During 2012-13 changes are being introduced to the portal to make
it more dynamic, interactive and user-friendly.
North East
‘Seven Stories’ Gains National Accreditation www.sevenstories.org.uk
The children’s book centre in Newcastle, ‘Seven Stories’ is to be officially
known as the National Centre for Children’s Books, following approval by
Arts Council England.
Seven Stories is the only accredited museum in the UK specialising in
children’s books. Since opening in 2005 the Centre has gained a strong
following in the North East, with its unique collection, exhibitions and
learning programmes attracting national and international recognition and
acclaim.
The new name, ‘Seven Stories, National Centre for Children’s Books’ was
approved by Arts Council England following rigorous assessment, as part of
its UK wide responsibility for the Museum Accreditation scheme. Seven
Stories’ Collection holds national significance and international interest,
containing original material showcasing examples of modern and
contemporary children’s literature from the 1930s to the present day.
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e-Newsletter December 2012
Newcastle University Library is forging closer links with Seven Stories. A successful series of lectures
by Brian Alderson, an eminent authority on the history of children’s literature and its publication,
was arranged jointly by the Library and Seven Stories in 2012. The University, Seven Stories and
Newcastle City Library are developing a memorandum of understanding concerning the future
development of children’s literature collections in the city.
Newcastle University Library also continues to work closely with the Great North Museum and is
currently engaged in cataloguing materials from the Society of Antiquaries of Newcastle upon Tyne,
whose collections are held in the Great North Museum Library.
South West
SWRLS Grant Awards
Dates for the 2013 grant awards are as follows:
 Expressions of Interest – Closing date for applications 8th February 2013
 Outcome of Expressions of Interest announced by 22nd February 2013
 Full Bids– Closing date for applications 19th April 2013
 Outcome of awards by 10th May 2013
Other News
Railway Studies Library, Passmore Edwards Centre, Newton Abbot
The Railway Studies Collection, which opened in 1991, is on the first floor of Devon County Council’s
newly re-furbished Passmore Edwards Centre in Newton Abbot. The Collection was sited here
because of the town’s historical significance as a railway centre; at one time boasting the foremost
repair works for the whole of the Westcountry and a goods yard that became the Great Western
Railway’s largest, west of Bristol. Around a thousand people were still employed on the railway in
Newton Abbot as late as 1930.
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e-Newsletter December 2012
All aspects of British railways are covered by the Collection, with material of interest to railway
enthusiasts, social historians and modellers amongst others and includes standard gauge railways
plus broad and narrow gauge, industrial lines, miniature, model, underground and preserved
railways.
The material is in the form of reference books, timetables, periodicals, illustrations, drawings and
maps. All the books are on the first floor of the Passmore Edwards Centre where anyone can browse
the books (which are reference only). Everything else is stored in a rolling stack on the same floor,
from which items can be retrieved by a member of staff during library opening hours.
There is an active Friends’ Group (the first in Devon County Council’s Library Service) that supports
the Collection by raising funds for new books, holding talks and slide shows and volunteering to staff
the library on a Saturday. Over the past few years four of the Friends have identified and catalogued
over 40,000 photographs. This year they celebrate their 20th anniversary as a group.
The Railway Studies Collection is open on Monday and Wednesday from 9.30 am – 6.00 pm,
Tuesday, Thursday and Friday 9.30 am – 5.00 pm and on Saturday 9.30 am – 4.00 pm at the
Passmore Edwards Centre, Market Street, Newton Abbot, Devon, TQ12 2RJ
email railway.library@devon.gov.uk tel. 01392 384069
The Practice, Power and Promise of Archival Collections Assessment
Whilst this article focusses on archival collections in research libraries, it’s findings are equally valid
for archival collections in all types of libraries. The report identifies the importance of assessment for
processing, conservation and collection management and includes details of the necessary
framework needed to prioritize work and take action, as well as models, methodologies and
inspiration for staff undertaking archival collections assessment. Written by Martha O'Hara Conway,
University of Michigan and Merrilee Proffitt, OCLC Research, the article is available here:
"The Practice, Power, and Promise of Archival Collections Assessment"
OCLC announces the first phase launch of Bookmark Your Library
The Bookmark Your Library website is a collaborative effort between OCLC, the Society of Chief
Librarians, Arts Council England, The Reading Agency, The Combined Regions, The Collections Trust
and the RNIB and aims to provide a gateway to all the content and services that libraries have to
offer new and existing users.
The Bookmark Your Library website (www.bookmarkyourlibrary.org.uk) is now open to all Librarians
in the UK for review as OCLC wishes to give librarians exclusive early access to the site to elicit their
feedback on functionality, content and features to refine Bookmark Your Library, ahead of a full
national public launch early in the 2013.
Bookmark Your Library is about boosting visibility and usage of public library resources and services
by moving them collectively online, and making them accessible via a single digital presence.
Bookmark Your Library will be home to FABLibraries, the UK’s only public library national catalogue,
which is based on the holdings of UnityUK subscribers. Users will also be able to use the site to
access the Enquire digital reference service and chat online with a librarian to answer questions or
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e-Newsletter December 2012
support learning, at any time of the day or night. Bookmark Your Library will help people to find out
about local library events, become a member, and provide them with the information they need to
develop skills and pursue interests through their library service. And they will be able to do all of this
for free.
To be a part of Bookmark Your Library, please visit www.bookmarkyourlibrary.org.uk and use the
site’s contact us form (www.bookmarkyourlibrary.org.uk/contact-us) to feedback. You can also get
in touch via Facebook at www.facebook.com/bookmarkyourlibrary or Twitter at @bookmarkyourlib
to let us know what you think, and what you believe the UK public would like to see included on the
site.
“Round the World in Bedford”
African Caribbean, Asian and European Bedford
Bedford library website provides fascinating information on African Caribbean Bedford, Asian
Bedford and European Bedford. In each instance information is provided about art and music;
country information; books, films and newspapers; languages; religion and festivals; culture and
heritage; connections and facts and figures both available within the library and elsewhere in
Bedford and the surrounding area.
http://www.galaxy.bedfordshire.gov.uk/webingres/bedfordshire/vlib/0.local_information/asian_be
dford.htm
National Gallery call for feedback on their newly available Archive Catalogue
Librarians have been invited to view the National Gallery Archive Catalogue now online. Responses
and feedback would be welcomed by the National Gallerry Archivist – contact details below.
You can search the Archive at: http://www.nationalgallery.org.uk/archive/search
There is also a short survey about the National Gallery Archive, and their new online search tool. To
improve their service, they would like to have your views:
https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/archive-search-tool-survey
Contact: Alan Crookham: alan.crookham@NG-LONDON.ORG.UK
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e-Newsletter December 2012
Free Booklet on Salvage following water or fire damage
Knowing how to respond to water or fire damage is an essential part of emergency preparedness.
This free booklet describes a range of salvage options and techniques applicable to library and
archive materials and explains how to mount a salvage operation.
Download at: www.bl.uk/blpac/pdf/salvage.pdf or Free printed copies available on request from:
Preservation Advisory Centre
The British Library
96 Euston Road
London
NW1 2DB T +44 (0)20 7412 7612 www.bl.uk/blpac
Events
Show off your special collections with a treasures volume!
When: Tuesday 22 January, 15.00-16.30
Where: Senate House Library
Cost: £20 for CILIP RBSCG members, and £35 for non-members
A CILIP Rare Books and Special Collections Group (RBSCG) training event
Treasures volumes, beloved at item or collection level by libraries for many years, are currently
enjoying a boom. In this session Karen Attar uses her editorial experiences of the Senate House
Library treasures volume (2012) to talk about the various aspects of producing a treasures
volume and its ramifications. The event includes the opportunity to view an exhibition of items that
feature in the Senate House Library treasures volume. Refreshments will also be available.
This event is. To book, please contact Tanya Kirk on tanya.kirk@bl.uk, quoting your CILIP
membership number (if applicable).
End Note
For anyone who hasn’t seen this, The Joy of Books is a little piece of book magic.
Reminder: this newsletter covers news from all library sectors and especially collaborative activities,
ideas and proposals throughout the UK – and beyond. If you would like to contribute information on
events in your area, whether they are large or small, or offer any other items which might be of interest
to Inspire members –please send them to me. Contact details:
Sally Curry, Inspire Support, e: inspire2011@hotmail.co.uk m: 079 6651 8769
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