© Christine Rooney-Browne
In just over two weeks time I’ll be heading through to Edinburgh to attend The Edge 2010.
I’m really excited about this conference because I think it’s unrivalled in Scotland. Quite often, when I attend conferences in Scotland it’s a mix of the ‘same old faces’ talking about the ‘same old issues’, which is fine…but it’s nice to see something new and exciting on the calendar for Scotland.
Normally I have to head South or across the water to attend a conference of this scale; but this time it’s just a 50 minute train journey away! And one of the most exciting things about this conference, in addition to it’s line-up of speakers, is that it’s looking at the public sector as a whole and the vital role that libraries can play within this sector. With such a wide remit, the conference is appealing to a remarkably wide audience. Liz McGettigan, Head of Edinburgh City Libraries reports that the conference will be attended by delegates from across the UK, Europe, North America and New Zealand and from fields as diverse as journalism, policy and strategy, education, leisure, universities and health.
Sounds like the perfect opportunity to communicate the value of libraries to an audience that extends well beyond those of us already working within libraries.I’m sure there will also be some unique opportunities to share ideas, network, build partnerships; and ultimately communicate our value and relevance as a public service to a non-traditional audience, thus enhancing our profile and extending our potential to make a positive impact in the 21st century.
If you’re interested in finding out more about The Edge 2010 then why not check out their blog?
The Library of Digress 
The Edge was tremendous – not sure ever been to a conference with such a coherent thought-through programme. It covered several different strands, but everything came back directly to the contribution of libraries, their potential and their need for advocacy. Conference was a fantastic mix of the strategic and theoretical with moving examples of the difference libraries can make.
The overwhelming impression was of the amount of creativity that exists within libraries, and of the need to harness that. A wordl where all 32 authorities in Scotland, or more importantly all 200+ in the UK beaver away in isolation is just not a sustainable world. There is an acute need to share development activity, to focus and prioritise, and to work together.
I agree Ken and I’ll be blogging about the events I attended on Monday. I think one of the things I enjoyed most about this conference was the atmosphere. I don’t think I’ve ever been to a friendlier conference. The delegate list was pretty impressive too and it was great to share ideas and knowledge with people from across a range of sectors. I was also really impressed by all of the speakers; and the fact that they weren’t just presenting on stuff they’d already achieved but on their plans and hopes for the future….offering some solutions to help all of us achieve our ambitious objectives for public libraries over the next 5,10 and 15 years. I thoroughly enjoyed my time at Edinburgh Castle and can’t wait to go over all of my notes on Monday and publish some blog posts. 🙂