Sunday 6 September 2015
The corrupting rhetoric of austerity within pulic libraries debate
As many of you will likely already be aware of, London Borough of Bromley is currently undergoing consultation for 'cost-saving measures' within its library service which may lead to a much smaller service in Bromley. Full information can be found here: http://www.bromley.gov.uk/info/200062/libraries/1050/consultation_on_the_proposal_for_a_commissioned_library_service/2
I would highly recommend adding to this online survey if you live in Bromley as I believe input is greatly needed so that local communities' voices can be heard.
While filling out the survey, I noticed a question mid-way which I felt I had to address in more detail. I would like to share my thoughts on this subject as I feel strongly. Below is what I submitted:
"Do you have any other ideas as to how the Council could make significant savings within the current library service ? Please let us know your thoughts, we have allowed up to 750 characters for your response
(my response)
I question the notion that savings automatically need to be made to a service which is vital to local communities. Perhaps it might be better to ask: what will be the human cost to the community of reducing funding to library services within Bromley? Can Bromley afford literacy levels to fall? Can Bromley afford less public services which help people to add economically to society as well as have a culturally positive impact to their communities? Can Bromley afford to cut off access to the internet (free of charge) for job seekers within the area? Can Bromley afford the loss of a safe and stimulating place for children which promotes inclusion as well as education for all?
If like me you agree that Bromley cannot afford to lose any of these vital services, please do everything possible to challenge this consultants' rhetoric."
The survey closes this month, so hurry if you want to be included!
Monday 29 June 2015
Life beyond #citylis....
As a current - soon to be alumni - student of the library science masters course at City University London (#citylis) I have often been asked why I am choosing to study such an 'endangered' subject. Why would I spend two years on a part-time course for a job that might not exist when I graduate? While I do accept that many libraries are facing heavy threats and many professionals have lost their jobs, I don't agree that the role of librarian is a thing of the past.
At City University London, I was able to receive a grounding in the information architectures that underpin so many library activities. Through practical sessions I got to try my hand at basic coding and was introduced to the world underneath the applications that we take for granted when inputting data in our library roles. I received seminars on digital library systems and received a broad overview to technologies in connection to libraries. Combined with this technology focus I was introduced to theories and framework which are the foundation to best practice within information services.
I am happy to say that I recently accepted a job working at the V&A museum as an assistant librarian and will be starting in this role soon. I firmly believe that #citylis was partly responsibility for equipping me with the right skills and knowledge to take on this role. We were encourages (from the start of the first term) to engage with twitter and to use the #ciylis hashtag to share relevant information. We also spent time considering the future of libraries in relation to new technologies and considered past predictions. This time and reflection can often be hard to find within a busy library service, as can a wider consideration to the academic field of library science.
I will be sad to leave #citylis but I am greatly looking forward to putting into practice what I have learnt during my time at City University London.
At City University London, I was able to receive a grounding in the information architectures that underpin so many library activities. Through practical sessions I got to try my hand at basic coding and was introduced to the world underneath the applications that we take for granted when inputting data in our library roles. I received seminars on digital library systems and received a broad overview to technologies in connection to libraries. Combined with this technology focus I was introduced to theories and framework which are the foundation to best practice within information services.
I am happy to say that I recently accepted a job working at the V&A museum as an assistant librarian and will be starting in this role soon. I firmly believe that #citylis was partly responsibility for equipping me with the right skills and knowledge to take on this role. We were encourages (from the start of the first term) to engage with twitter and to use the #ciylis hashtag to share relevant information. We also spent time considering the future of libraries in relation to new technologies and considered past predictions. This time and reflection can often be hard to find within a busy library service, as can a wider consideration to the academic field of library science.
I will be sad to leave #citylis but I am greatly looking forward to putting into practice what I have learnt during my time at City University London.
Monday 16 March 2015
'Library' or 'book exchange', does it matter? YES IT DOES!
It might seem odd that someone who is pro community engagement especially within libraries would quibble over the naming of a community project of this nature. However, the value that we give to libraries in our current political climate is incredibly important. When we call something a 'library' we are alining it to legally enshrined public services. In its modern sense a library, or at least a public library, provides a community with a range of service beyond simply being a collection of books on a shelf.
The public library service that I used to work for offered their community: free internet access, baby and toddler sessions, adult language groups, reading groups, IT classes and introduction to ancestry.com. This was on top of providing books on loans and more general support in finding information. A public library offers much more than just a book exchange but it can only do this with properly with experienced trained paid staff.
Given the current political agenda to dismantle the public library service in the way we understand it, when libraries are mentioned on social media the conversation will often have a political dimension. That isn't of course to say that we can't wonder philosophically about what a library is or isn't, just that there are people losing their jobs right now (who work in libraries) for who this conversation has a particular potency.
This month a 'micro-library' housed in a phone-box in Lewisham won the government's Points of Light prize which highlights exceptional voluntary civil engagement. The project was described by media new outlets are 'London's smallest library'. I found myself angry at this celebration of a volunteer venture during a time in which publicly funded libraries are being decimated and under-valued by government agencies. Perhaps my anger was misdirected but I couldn't help thinking that the praising of community volunteer alternatives to publicly funded services was a real threat to the future of libraries in this country.
Something else that bothered me in one news story was the notion of impartially that the project seemingly had: "The entire concept of the Lewisham Micro-Library is based on pragmatism Handley stressed. There is no right or left wing economic model to it." (Thomas, Z., 2015). Surely someone like Sebastian Handley (who created the book exchange) would have an opinion on the situation faced by libraries currently. Why would a collection of people go to the trouble of creating and maintaining this venture if they are not passionate on the subject of libraries.
From reading gov.uk's entry concerning the Points of Lights award, the two people who maintain the book collection - there is no details on what this actually includes - are described as "2 librarians" (gov.uk, 2015). As there individuals librarians? and if so, by what definition? I would like to stress again that I am in no way criticising the work that they are doing especially given that they are not being paid to do so. Rather, I am suggesting that this is part of a broader trend in the de-valuing of a professional library worker's skill set. As someone who is studying library science at masters level, I feel very strongly that undermining paid library work has a negative impact on everyone. It threatens the quality of library services everywhere as well as threatening the livelihood of information workers.
Perhaps if the project was simply referred to as a 'book exchange' I might not have reacted so strongly but perhaps the fact that it was awarded such a prestigious prize for unpaid labour would have provoked the same feeling. The real worry comes when schemes such as these are seen as real alternatives to publicly funded library services.
References
gov.uk (2015) 'Points of Light: March 2015 winners', available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/points-of-light-march-2015-winners [accessed 15/03/2015].
Thomas, Z. (2015) 'World wide attention for London’s smallest library', East London Lines. 11 March 2015. Available at: http://www.eastlondonlines.co.uk/2015/03/world-wide-attention-awarded-to-londons-smallest-library/?utm_content=buffer3dd15&utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter.com&utm_campaign=buffer [accessed 15/03/2015].
Source: http://notesofnomads.com/wp-content/uploads/Lewisham-Micro-Library-London-3.jpg [accessed 16/03/2015]
The public library service that I used to work for offered their community: free internet access, baby and toddler sessions, adult language groups, reading groups, IT classes and introduction to ancestry.com. This was on top of providing books on loans and more general support in finding information. A public library offers much more than just a book exchange but it can only do this with properly with experienced trained paid staff.
Given the current political agenda to dismantle the public library service in the way we understand it, when libraries are mentioned on social media the conversation will often have a political dimension. That isn't of course to say that we can't wonder philosophically about what a library is or isn't, just that there are people losing their jobs right now (who work in libraries) for who this conversation has a particular potency.
This month a 'micro-library' housed in a phone-box in Lewisham won the government's Points of Light prize which highlights exceptional voluntary civil engagement. The project was described by media new outlets are 'London's smallest library'. I found myself angry at this celebration of a volunteer venture during a time in which publicly funded libraries are being decimated and under-valued by government agencies. Perhaps my anger was misdirected but I couldn't help thinking that the praising of community volunteer alternatives to publicly funded services was a real threat to the future of libraries in this country.
Something else that bothered me in one news story was the notion of impartially that the project seemingly had: "The entire concept of the Lewisham Micro-Library is based on pragmatism Handley stressed. There is no right or left wing economic model to it." (Thomas, Z., 2015). Surely someone like Sebastian Handley (who created the book exchange) would have an opinion on the situation faced by libraries currently. Why would a collection of people go to the trouble of creating and maintaining this venture if they are not passionate on the subject of libraries.
From reading gov.uk's entry concerning the Points of Lights award, the two people who maintain the book collection - there is no details on what this actually includes - are described as "2 librarians" (gov.uk, 2015). As there individuals librarians? and if so, by what definition? I would like to stress again that I am in no way criticising the work that they are doing especially given that they are not being paid to do so. Rather, I am suggesting that this is part of a broader trend in the de-valuing of a professional library worker's skill set. As someone who is studying library science at masters level, I feel very strongly that undermining paid library work has a negative impact on everyone. It threatens the quality of library services everywhere as well as threatening the livelihood of information workers.
Perhaps if the project was simply referred to as a 'book exchange' I might not have reacted so strongly but perhaps the fact that it was awarded such a prestigious prize for unpaid labour would have provoked the same feeling. The real worry comes when schemes such as these are seen as real alternatives to publicly funded library services.
References
gov.uk (2015) 'Points of Light: March 2015 winners', available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/points-of-light-march-2015-winners [accessed 15/03/2015].
Thomas, Z. (2015) 'World wide attention for London’s smallest library', East London Lines. 11 March 2015. Available at: http://www.eastlondonlines.co.uk/2015/03/world-wide-attention-awarded-to-londons-smallest-library/?utm_content=buffer3dd15&utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter.com&utm_campaign=buffer [accessed 15/03/2015].
Wednesday 4 February 2015
Introduction and explanation
Let me explain my twitter name...
When it comes to choosing any sort of digital handle, we have (likely) all been caught out. I remember as a teenager many of my friends regretting their email account addresses after a few years. juicygirl87@email.address isn't particularly appealing as a contact address beyond about 15. I myself, used to use a rather babyish email address which I only jettisoned in 2013 due to many year of dependence on it. I had been using it for so many years (and had given it as a contact address to so many people) that I felt anxious about getting rid of it.
I first joined twitter in 2008. Although the handle I creating is a sort of joke, I have kept it and continue to use it, even for more academic/professional twitter exchanges. @archivmyface comes from trying to thing of a way to express 'remember me' in computer language. How might this sentiment be less abstract and more computer friendly: subject>predicate>object. As childish as my twitter handle may be, I like it and intent to keep on using it. Hopefully its whimsy can be separate my twitter account (which I use genuinely to discuss and share interests) from my professional email accounts and other logins and electronic passports. @firstname.lastname felt too impersonal and unoriginal. So like it or lump, @archivemyface is around to stay....
When it comes to choosing any sort of digital handle, we have (likely) all been caught out. I remember as a teenager many of my friends regretting their email account addresses after a few years. juicygirl87@email.address isn't particularly appealing as a contact address beyond about 15. I myself, used to use a rather babyish email address which I only jettisoned in 2013 due to many year of dependence on it. I had been using it for so many years (and had given it as a contact address to so many people) that I felt anxious about getting rid of it.
I first joined twitter in 2008. Although the handle I creating is a sort of joke, I have kept it and continue to use it, even for more academic/professional twitter exchanges. @archivmyface comes from trying to thing of a way to express 'remember me' in computer language. How might this sentiment be less abstract and more computer friendly: subject>predicate>object. As childish as my twitter handle may be, I like it and intent to keep on using it. Hopefully its whimsy can be separate my twitter account (which I use genuinely to discuss and share interests) from my professional email accounts and other logins and electronic passports. @firstname.lastname felt too impersonal and unoriginal. So like it or lump, @archivemyface is around to stay....
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