Dear Amanda and colleagues,
CILIP officers will reply formally as soon as they can but I wanted to
provide a brief note about CILIP's current and ongoing advocacy work. Those
of you who came to the lunch time 'fringe' session at Umbrella will already
know about this.
Despite its current financial constraints, CILIP has prioritised health as
one of its main work areas for the immediate future. A small group of
CILIP Councillors with an interest and commitment to raising the profile of
libraries in health ( Alan Fricker, myself and Paul Clarke from Greenwich
Public Libraries) are helping CILIP develop its advocacy strategy in this
area. We have been in touch with a number of individuals and groups and
held a meeting at Umbrella to develop some ideas with library and
information workers who experience just the type of attitudes you report
here ! We are also looking at how we can work best with the Museums,
Libraries and Archives Council (MLA) and some of you may remember a
promising start MLA made in Wider information and Libraries Issues (WILIP)
that morphed into Routes to Knowledge and then slowly died. Guy Daines and
I have been lobbying MLA to resurrect their activity in this areas and the
London Library Development Agency are also working along the same lines.
Guy Daines is the CILIP officer coordinating this work and we report to
CILIP@s Policy Development Committee. Guy is possibly at IFLA this year
and out of the country so he may not be able to reply as quickly as he
would like.
As a National CILIP Councillor ( and ex member of The Library
Association's staff) I try and keep a balanced view about what CILIP can
and can't do. I wish it could achieve more - don't we all - and don't want
to be an apologist for CILIP. However, CILIP has carried out a lot of
advocacy work on behalf of all librarians - salary guides, the employers
pack, the articles in the Guardian and other media, book awards and works
with HLG on advocacy. All these activities raise the profile of the role of
information and library services and the professionals who staff these
services. I am discussing the possibility of some health related seminars
with CILIP next year as well.
It is easier to advocate on behalf of public and academic libraries eg
public libraries come under DCMS and there is an obvious Minister and work
programme. That's why we are trying to plan an effective advocacy strategy
that doesn't just lead to the obvious contacts in the NHS - although we
hope to partner NLH, MLA, LLDA in raising the profile.
Sorry to go on ! It doesn't get any easier, does it . Hopefully we can
pull out of the despond - and I loved Ann Brice's story about plane travel.
Good luck locally and over to you Guy to explain properly about what CILIP
is doing next
best wishes
Veronica
Veronica Fraser
Head of Knowledge Management, Public Enquiries and Complaints
Customer Service Centre
Department of Health
79 Whitehall
LONDON
SW1A 2NS
0207 210 5428/5112/4890
07867 537890 mobile
"Minns, Amanda (HM)
Librarian" To: [log in to unmask]
<[log in to unmask] cc:
COT.NHS.UK> bcc:
Sent by: UK medical/ health Subject: Re: Do we still need libraries?
care library community /
information workers
<[log in to unmask]
>
21/08/2007 12:49
Please respond to "Minns,
Amanda (HM) Librarian"
Hi All,
Having read all of these I had thought we could suggest to CILIP/S that the
professional journal should dedicate one issue to answering this question -
and not just articles from us on the front line but from those who have the
negative point of view as well.
In fact I think I will e-mail both and see if I get a response. Don't hold
your breath!
Amanda Minns
Library Services Manager
Library, Education Centre
Hairmyres Hospital
Eaglesham Road
East Kilbride
G75 8RG
01355 585488
[log in to unmask]
-----Original Message-----
From: UK medical/ health care library community / information workers
[mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Sandra Wilson
Sent: 21 August 2007 12:06
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: Do we still need libraries?
I heartily agree with all the comments so far. I still love working in the
information field but as I am approaching a mid-life crisis I wonder
whether
to retrain in another profession soon. I went into libraries as I loved
the
idea of customer service married with quality research skills - both of
which are being eroded. We are definitely disappearing behind electronic
resources with no library branding.
I am getting fed up justifying my existence to friends, family and
colleagues. Are there other professions who feel this way?
I put up with lots of regular teasing about libraries and librarians with
good humour but it is getting harder.
I have a son and daughter who are part of the My Space generation. They
were
dragged to libraries and I read books to them from the age of 9 months!
They
have no respect for copyright and in spite of my son getting to university
-
studying pharmacy no less(!) - he never reads books preferring computer
games and BEBO. I am a failure as a parent!! And my own father was so poor
he had to leave school at 14 and was self-educated by the public library
service. If he was alive he would give these grandchildren a ticking off!!!
We have definitely had no support from CILIP in advocacy for the profession
in all the years I have paid my membership fees. Can I suggest a joint
professional body for all those working in libraries, museums and archives
which would have more professional clout!
Sandra Wilson Information Officer/Librarian
Scottish Motor Neurone Disease Association
76 Firhill Road, Glasgow, G20 7BA
T: 0141 945 1077 F: 0141 945 2578
email : [log in to unmask]
website: www.scotmnd.org.uk
Company limited by guarantee, registered in Scotland, number SC217735
Scottish Charity No : SCO02662
Information is provided free to patients and families. A donation is
welcome
from health & social care professionals
Forthcoming events
Sunday 7th October Cumbrae Cycle
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