Public libraries & social media…

A few months ago I blogged about my experiences of trying to access social media websites at The Mitchell Library in Glasgow.    After that, I was invited to write an article on a similar topic, for Information Scotland.  The article appeared in the April 2009 issue but has just been published online.  You can access it here.

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A summer of library conferences to look forward to…

It’s that time of year again; I’m gearing up for a summer of library conferences and I’m so, so excited!   

First up there’s the CILIPS conference (Branch Group Day) on 3rd June at Peebles Hydro, featuring sessions with Jay Jordan (OCLC), Richard Boulderstone (British Library), Brian Kelly (UKOLN) and David Potts (MLA)…plus lots more; check out the programme here.  

Then the next day I’m heading down to Warwick for the Society of Chief Librarians Conference, which I’m presenting at on the Friday.  I’ll be discussing “Social Value: identifying, measuring and sharing some of the less obvious ways that public libraries contribute to economic regeneration”.  

A few weeks later it’s off to Turin, Italy to attend the Pre-congress satellite for the IFLA World Library and Information Congress (2009) to present a co-authored paper on “Public libraries as impartial spaces in the 21st Century” .  The programme for this looks amazing; check it out here.  Then it’s a quick train journey through to Milan to attend the 75th IFLA General Conference and Assembly!

Phew!  Will be a busy few months but I know I’ll have a fantastic time! Drop me a line if you’re planning to attend any of these conferences and we can arrange to meet up in the hallways! 🙂

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Helsinki’s Library 10 – an excellent example of a modern day public library

At the recent CILIPS Branch/Group Day at Peebles Hydro in Scotland there was lots of buzz surrounding a presentation by Käri Lamsä from Helsinki’s Library 10. 

Library 10 is one of the most modern public libraries I’ve ever come across.  It’s a music library, but unlike any music library I’ve ever visited.  It still provides many of the services you’d expect from a traditional public library but really comes alive as a space and place for users to discover, collaborate, perform, record, discuss and perhaps more importantly, enjoy music. 

It seems to have captured the imagination of users across a range of demographics and has successfully appealed to younger users in a non-patronising way!

Their website is really user friendly too, check them out here. 

Thanks to Alan Poulter for the heads up!

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