Tim

Thanks to you and your team for liaising with MLA on this and organising final release.

Best wishes

Guy

-----Original Message-----
From: Tim Buckley Owen 
Sent: 25 February 2005 10:36
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Public library building site cements funding


CILIP: the Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals
7 Ridgmount St, London WC1E 7AE.

Tel: 020 7255 0500  
Textphone: 020 7255 0505  
Fax: 020 7255 0501  
E-mail: [log in to unmask] 

MLA: the Museums, Libraries and Archives Council
16 Queen Anne's Gate, London SW1H 9AA 
Tel: 020 7273 1444 
Fax: 020 7273 1404 
Email: [log in to unmask] 

News from CILIP and MLA
25 February 2005
For immediate release  (Please copy to online discussion lists)

Public library building site cements funding

Designing Libraries database goes public and expands

A pilot website which gives local authorities, planners, architects and interior designers as well as library specialists an insight into the best new, extended and refurbished public library buildings has been granted the funds from the Museums, Libraries and Archives Council (MLA) to go live.

There are currently 32 library projects listed on the website (www.designinglibraries.org.uk).  The Designing Libraries team from the University of Wales, Aberystwyth, who created the pilot site, are now expanding the database to include good examples of library design, both UK and overseas, from 1995 to the present. They are also working on providing fuller descriptions of projects and adding links to key information. 

The Designing Libraries website is designed so users can search by authority, by county, by size and type of library and by project - conversion, extension, new build.  The aim is for all the entries to be illustrated, with details of the cost, where the funding came from, and the name of the architects responsible for the work.  

The project is being led by The Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals (CILIP) as part of Framework for the Future, the government's 10-year vision for public libraries, which in turn is managed by MLA.  

"The web site will be a vital resource for anyone involved in the planning, construction or use of public library buildings" explained Debby Shorley, Chair of the Designing libraries Steering Group and President Elect of CILIP. "It is an ambitious project about sharing good practice and ensuring that our public library buildings of tomorrow will excite interest and pride. Although the focus is on public libraries, the information will be of use to other libraries, including those in higher education, healthcare and business".

 The CILIP-led project has also included a series of library space design workshops for library staff around the country.   

Andrew Stevens, senior policy adviser for libraries at MLA, said:  "A key element of Framework for the Future is the need to refresh library spaces so they continue to be relevant and useful in the 21st century.   Sometimes this means capital expenditure on new facilities; at other times a small investment in a local branch can make a big difference.

"We found that frontline librarians, when given the support, methods and opportunity, can be highly innovative, forward thinking and open to radical and effective space design.  At the same time, the examples already featured on the Designing Libraries website show that local authorities, planners and architects are reinventing public libraries as community hubs, where books, computers, study areas, meeting facilities, leisure zones and events all have a place."

Contacts: 

CILIP: Guy Daines, Head of Policy & Governance, Tel: 020 7255 0632, Email: <Mailto:[log in to unmask]>
MLA: Fiona Cameron, Media & Events Manager, Tel: 020 7273 1459, Email: <Mailto:[log in to unmask]>

Notes to Editors

About CILIP: 

CILIP: the Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals is the leading professional body for librarians, information specialists and knowledge managers, with around 23,000 members working in all sectors, including business and industry, science and technology, further and higher education, schools, local and central government, the health service, the voluntary sector, national and public libraries.  For more information about CILIP, please go to www.cilip.org.uk. 

About MLA:

The Museums, Libraries and Archives Council (MLA) is the national development agency working for and on behalf of museums, libraries and archives, advising the government on policy and priorities for the sector. MLA's roles are to provide strategic leadership, to act as a powerful advocate, to develop capacity and to promote innovation and change.  For further information, please visit www.mla.gov.uk. 

About the Designing Libraries Team:

Based in the University of Wales Aberystwyth Information Services, the project can be contacted at:
For general enquiries, database entries and marketing: Helena Earnshaw
For project administration and funding matters: Alan Clark

Email for both: <Mailto:[log in to unmask]>
Tel for both: 01970 622417

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