*****apologies for cross-posting*****

Dear colleagues, 

The EARL Consortium for Public Library Networking is delighted to announce
its upcoming series:

*Falling through the Net: Social Inclusion and Public Library Networking*

Series commences with:

Connecting the People in Your Neighbourhood: Social Inclusion, Community
Partnerships, and Public Library Networking

Thursday 21st September, 2000 10.00am-4.30pm
Royal Institute of British Architects, 66 Portland Place, London W1N 4AD



Despite the huge and welcome impact of new technologies, there are those
who can not fully participate and benefit from the Information Society.
Public Libraries are central to making sure that vast sections of society
do not fall through the net, and into the black hole of the information
have-nots.  Recent government initiatives, as well as on-going research,
have served to renew the role of public libraries in promoting social
awareness and inclusion.

In order to stimulate dialogue and increase awareness about existing
practice and future developments, EARL will be facilitating a whole series
of events to address social inclusion and its impact on public library
networking, from content development to IT training programmes.

*Series launch - The introductory event

The series will be launched with an introductory event, outlining the
long-term commitment of public libraries to community-centred activities
and offering practical suggestions for getting to know your community
through the presentation of exemplary case studies highlighting different
tried and test methods of social auditing.

*Issues

The speakers will address a range of issues including:

*Communities and public librarianship, a historical overview
*Social Inclusion and Public Libraries - different ways of getting to know
your community
*Introduction to social auditing, including practical case studies
*Current best practice in content and services development

*Interactive Session

Our introductory session includes delegates taking part in an innovative
Neighbourhood online game.  Originally designed by Drew Mackie and David
Wilcox of the joint UK-US initiative Making the Network, with funding from 
the UK's
Department for Trade and Industry (DTI) this interactive game has been 
tailored especially
for this event to encourage delegates to get to know their own communities
and prioritise the services that their libraries provide.

General information about the Neighbourhood online game can be found at:
http://www.makingthenetwork.org/toolbox/pgame/index.htm

*Programme and Speakers

The speakers have been carefully chosen as active participants in combating 
social exclusion.  The introductory event will be chaired by Annie Mauger,
Head of Library Services, City of York Council http://www.york.gov.uk/;
Chair, LA Community Service Group 
http://www.la-hq.org.uk/groups/csg/csg.html and member of LA Policy Action 
Group on Social Inclusion.
The other speakers will include:

*Kevin Harris (Community Development Foundation) http://www.cdf.org.uk/
Chair of a PAT 15 Working Group.

*Professor Bob Usherwood, (Reader at the Department of Information Studies, 
University of Sheffield and Past-President of the Library Association)
http://www.shef.ac.uk/uni/academic/I-M/is/home.html

*Peter Marchant, (Head of Libraries at Knowsley Metropolitan Borough
Council) http://www.knowsley.gov.uk/

*David Wilcox (Consultant in Community Participation and Partnership
development.) http://www.makingthenetwork.org/ and
http://www.partnerships.org.uk/

*Bhadra (Patel) Vadgama   Chair, CILLA(Co-operative of Indic Language
Library Authorities) http://www.viscount.org.uk/laser/cilla.html

*Workshop series continues...

The series continues through the New Year with a sequence of workshops on
training and content development, addressing different areas of social
exclusion including:

Senior Citizens; Children; Physical disabilities; Ethnic Minorities;
Homelessness and refugees; Literacy and Learning Difficulties; Lesbian, Gay 
and Bisexual issues.

Further details about the introductory event and series of workshops will
be available shortly at: http://www.earl.org.uk/events/inclusion.html  as
will online booking at: http://www.earl.org.uk/events/booking.html

In the meantime, first expressions of interest should be made to:

Sally Chambers
EARL Liaison Officer
4th Floor, Gun Court,
70 Wapping Lane,
London, E1W 2RS

Telephone (020) 7702 2020
Fax. (020) 7702 2019
Email [log in to unmask]

We shall look forward to seeing you there!

*Reading list

For those of you who wish to familiarise yourself with some of the issues 
that we will be discussing, here is an introductory reading list for your 
perusal.

Libraries for All: Social Inclusion in Public Libraries, Policy Guidance
for Local Authorities in England - published by the DCMS in October 1999 -
this report is available on the DCMS website - http://www.culture.gov.uk

Libraries: The Essence of Inclusion, published by the Library and
Information Commission, and is available on their website at:
http://www.lic.gov.uk/publications/policyreports/inclusion.html

Closing The Digital Divide: Information and Communication Technologies in
deprived areas.  A Report by the Policy Action Team 15 published in March
2000  http://www.pat15.org.uk/

Open to all? Libraries and Social Exclusion: A report from the Library and
Information Commission funded  research project: Public Library Policy and
Social Exclusion.  Further details can be found at:
http://www.lmu.ac.uk/ies/dmudd/dmudd1.htm

The Social Exclusion Unit website:
http://www.cabinet-office.gov.uk/seu/

Sally Chambers
EARL Liaison Officer 
4th Floor, Gun Court 
70 Wapping Lane 
London E1W 2RS 
Tel: 020 7702 2020 
Fax: 020 7702 2019 
[log in to unmask] 
http://www.earl.org.uk 


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