STV BULLETIN 164, 1 July 2014
Compiled by David Owen
Future of public libraries
On 19 June the Local Government Association’s First Magazine published an article by William Sieghart, who is the chair of the panel conducting the independent review of public libraries in England, in which he sets out his thoughts so far. He recognises that as it is local authorities who must deliver public library services he needs their support to deliver a plan that works. He states “I am convinced that public libraries are vital now and in the future- as community hubs, especially where they are part of shared services and/or co-location arrangements. They could be the solution to some of the changes that local authorities are facing, rather than being seen as part of the problem.” He is not considering changing the existing structures but has a strong view of the need for a national digital network of public libraries without conflicting with the need for local approaches. He recognises that such ideas are not new but he is looking for pots of money to establish the network by “highlighting the importance of libraries to helping deliver many government initiatives.” He wants to talk and exchange ideas and will be speaking at the LGA Annual conference on 8 July.
This somewhat reassuring and encouraging article is available at:
http://www.local.gov.uk/web/guest/first-features/-/journal_content/56/10180/6287803/NEWS
The value of libraries: Part 4
Bulletins 160, 161 and 163 reported on three research reports on the value and impact of public libraries by the LSE for DCMS; ERS for ALMA-UK and BOP for Arts Council England. On 16 June SCONUL announced that it has commissioned research into the value and impact of university libraries. This will be undertaken by Evidence Base, a research company based at Birmingham City University. Further details on the project’s objectives, methodology, deliverables and work plan are available at:
http://sconulvalueandimpactstudy.wordpress.com/about
E-content
Amazon has launched its long awaited smart phone, the Fire Phone, in the US. It provides in-built access to Amazon’s content from the Kindle e-book store, Audible, Amazon Music etc and will be available at 32 GB and 64 GB models in the US only from 25 July. Amazon’s objective is assumed to be to lock in customers but will people switch their smart phone and will it be a preferred means of reading e-books? For more details see: http://www.thebookseller.com/news/amazon-unveils-fire-phone.html
According to Amazon, the Fire Phone has a full suite of accessibility features for visually impaired, hearing impaired and mobility impaired people. For more details see:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/feature.html/ref=s_dp_acc_feat?ie=UTF8&docId=1002658171
Colleagues in academic libraries might be interested to read an article in the Chronicle of Higher Education on 16th June about the reaction of US academic library purchasing consortia to a sudden and large increase in e-content prices for libraries from 11 academic publishers, including Taylor and Francis and OUP. A major factor is the pricing of short-term loans.
Could this happen here? See:
http://chronicle.com/article/College-Libraries-Push-Back-as/147085/?et_mid=678620&rid=240986898
Meanwhile, the Library Babel Fish blog on the Inside Higher Ed website on 23 June sets out how the big US publishers are charging differential prices to libraries via secret contracts and have imposed a large price hike in the previous month for e-content. The author argues that libraries should support the open access movement and the non-profit model of scholarly publishing. See:
http://www.insidehighered.com/blogs/library-babel-fish/shocking-secrets-revealed-what-big-libraries-pay-big-deals#sthash.oOIor23q.dpbs
On a more optimistic note, Publishers Weekly reported on 26 June that Simon and Schuster had announced that following a successful pilot programme in 20 select library systems in the US it was now opening up its catalogue of e-books to all libraries nationwide. Simon and Schuster was the last of the big 5 US publishers to enter into e-lending arrangements with public libraries and its Chief Executive Officer stated that its move was due to “invaluable dialogue and feedback from many individual librarians and the leadership of the American Library Association.” The report notes that as the ALA Conference was getting underway librarians are looking beyond basic access to borrowing e-books to improve their users’ experience and experimenting with new models for digital content. See:
http://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/digital/content-and-e-books/article/63038-s-s-opens-e-book-lending-to-all-libraries.html
Let’s hope for a similar outcome to the pilot e-lending programme currently underway in this country!
On 25 June Good E Reader reported that Overdrive had announced a series of new initiatives to make it easier for libraries to manage their e-book collections and services. It is introducing a cost-per-checkout model by which the library only incurs a charge when a borrower uses a title. It is updating its media console app to remove the Adobe digital Editions step to insure that the title has been legitimately purchased or borrowed as the majority of library users don’t understand this. Also, it is permitting libraries to migrate e-books and audio books on other platforms to Overdrive’s!! See: http://goodereader.com/blog/e-book-news/overdrive-announces-new-programs-to-make-ebooks-more-accessible
Colleagues in school libraries should note that on 18 June the National Literacy Trust and RM Books announced that they were embarking on a 16 months joint study across 100 schools to explore the impact of e-books on students’ reading motivation and attainment following encouraging data from Manchester Academy. Primary and secondary schools interested in participating are invited to register their interest. A report on the project is promised to be published in October 2015.See:
http://www.literacytrust.org.uk/news/6070_national_literacy_trust_announces_partnership_with_rm_books_to_study_impact_of_ebooks
Digital inclusion
On 19 June the Local Government Association’s First Magazine posted a short article, “IT for older people”, in the libraries section of the LGA’s website. It covers research by the Sus-IT project based at Loughborough University into how older people access and use IT and has identified a key element for increasing their digital participation with major potential for both themselves and councils. Apparently, “Older people want to use ICT and greatly value its benefits. However, their experience of community ICT provision and support is seldom tailored to their needs and frequently requires participants to obtain a qualification with set goals. Many older people prefer their use of ICTs to be a social process in which knowledge and experience are shared, hobbies and interests pursued and technical problems resolved.” This way empowers them to use local government digital services rather than being compelled to do so. Good quality, tailored provision will help local government provide better services and save costs in the long term.
I found this short article rather heartening in confirming what many librarians have long argued; that support for and funding of adult education and/or life long learning projects should not be limited to those which lead to qualifications but include those which encourage learning for its own sake. Hopefully, some councillors will have read this article and realised that libraries can contribute to meeting older people’s needs and their council’s own interests. See: http://www.local.gov.uk/web/guest/first-opinion/-/journal_content/56/10180/6289284/NEWS
I had not heard of the Sus-IT project which was established in 2008 under the New Dynamics of Ageing programme and involved 8 universities led by Loughborough. It has published over 50 publications on the challenges faced by older people using ICT. See: http://www.sus-it.lboro.ac.uk
I was also heartened to read a blog by Aniela Kaczmarczyk on the Tinder Foundation website about her experiences in the SCL/ACE training the trainers project to ensure that the SCL’s Universal Information Offer can be successful. She sets out what they have done on the course; why and what happens next. She comments “By definition, library staff are pretty knowledgeable people. But what impressed me most was the attitude of everyone I met- they all recognised that the more you know, the more you know you don’t know. I’ve worked in adult training for a long time, and it still surprised me how much thirst there was for the specialist knowledge and skills to support more people to do more of the things that are important to them. Library staff have really taken it to heart that customer service is at the heart of what they do.”
She concludes her piece not with details of what she taught them but three things she learnt from them! See:
http://www.tinderfoundation.org/our-thinking/blog/digital-skills-and-beyond-training-library-trainers
On 16 June, Ellen Broad, IFLA’s Manager for Digital Projects and Policy posted a report on her attendance at the European Dialogue on Internet Governance (EuroDIG) session in Berlin on 12 to 13 June. She was a keynote speaker at two workshops; “The Three musketeers of ICT for development: Access, inclusion and empowerment” and “European copyright for the digital age.” At the time of writing the transcripts for these workshops have not been posted on the EuroDIG website but Ellen has provided her own summaries of the highlights. It was interesting to read that the musketeer workshop discussed accessibility challenges and opportunities for visually impaired and other disabled people following the Marrakesh Treaty and efforts to impose basic accessibility standards at the European level. They also identified a key challenge which has to be overcome; “How to embed accessibility initiatives across service providers, including libraries, and transition to accessible by default.”
I like the idea that if we are to have “digital by default” we should also have “accessible by default.”
See: http://www.ifla.org/node/8665
Disabled Students Allowance
Colleagues in academic libraries might be interested in a report on the Dyslexia Action website on 24 June that the Special Education Consortium has called for a halt to the Government’s proposals for changes to the eligibility criteria for the Disabled Students Allowance. They believe the process has been deeply flawed, with inadequate consultation, and the changes will severely impact on students with SEN. The report summarises the key proposed changes to what the DSA will and will not pay for in the future. See: http://www.dyslexiaaction.org.uk/news/calls-immediate-halt-proposed-changes-student-lifeline
Technical guidance
The last Bulletin reported the start of a new five part series of technical guidance, “Make your Computer Speak”, on the Dyslexia Action website. Part 2 on free speaking software was posted on 26 June at:
http://www.dyslexiaaction.org.uk/news/tech-thursday-make-your-computer-speak-part-2-free-speaking-software
New National Librarian of Scotland
On 17 June the National Library of Scotland announced that its new Chief Executive and National Librarian is Dr. John Scally who is currently Director of Library and University Collections at Edinburgh University. For more details see:
http://www.nls.uk/news/archive/2014/06/national-library-appointment
Congratulations
Congratulations to Calibre Audio Library which celebrated its 40th anniversary on 26 June with a party for staff and volunteers. For more details see:
http://www.calibre.org.uk/news.aspx?itemid=1877&itemTitle=Calibre’s+Big+40&sitesectionid=29&sitesectiontitle=News&returnlink=news.aspx%3fsitesectionid%3d29%26sitesectiontitle%3dNEWS
Share the Vision is a partnership of UK libraries and library organisations that work together to improve the accessibility of library services for blind and partially sighted people. More information available from the Co-ordinator, Mark Freeman, or 01642 526481.
Contributions for the bulletin can be sent to David Owen at .