News from CILIP
Friday 28 January 2005
For immediate release
Wi-Fi libraries help UK become one of the most e-enabled
countries in the world says Minister
E-commerce Minister Mike O'Brien addresses CILIP's conference
on Wireless Broadband in Libraries
Mike O'Brien MP, Minister of State for Energy and E-Commerce,
applauded the work of libraries when he gave the keynote address
at a major conference on Wireless Broadband in Libraries earlier
this week. Speaking to over 120 delegates, representing senior
library and local authority interests, at London's QEII centre on
January 26th, he emphasised the importance of libraries' place in
making the UK one of the most e-enabled countries in the world.
Opening the day to a full house, Chris Batt, Chief Executive of the
MLA, marked the tone for the event by focusing on content and
design rather than infrastructure. Broken into four sessions, the
day concentrated on the experiences of those that had moved to
an unwired environment and what this meant for the services
involved.
Robin Knowles, MD of Regenerate IT, discussed Lewisham's
experience of installing Wi-Fi. Peter Jones, Head of Public Sector
Aggregation from the Broadband Wales Unit, then outlined the
aims and targets of their broadband programme. ICT development
in Wales was at the heart of the CyMAL [Museums Libraries and
Archives Wales] strategy aimed at improving access,
strengthening local identity and helping better manage resources,
he said.
Presentations from the British Library and King's College London
gave delegates two very different approaches to Wi-Fi use. The
British Library had developed a competitive business strategy to
cover the costs and found that it affected the way readers used the
library while making the public spaces much more attractive for
meetings. King's College provided a Wi-Fi service to students,
finding that they no longer saw Wi-Fi as a perk but a right.
In parallel sessions on social and technical issues, the technical
workshop discussed issues around aggregation, interoperability,
security and intellectual property. In a presentation as part of the
social issues session, which revolved around experience and
experimentation, independent strategist Grace Kempster asked
what Wi-Fi did to the library service and what partnerships might
be harnessed through it.
A panel discussion ended the day on a note for the future, asking
what might be done with broadband and Wi-Fi, and how the
infrastructure might now be harnessed. With an ever-increasing
demand for content and portals, libraries are in a position to take
the lead, the conference concluded.
The Panel included:
Chris Batt, Chief Executive, MLA
Bob McKee, Chief Executive, CILIP
John deLucy, Director of Estates and facilities, British Library
Grace Kempster, Independent Strategist
Robin Knowles, Managing Director, RenerateIT
Nigel Heriz-Smith, Head of Rural Broadband, DTI
Contact: Tim Buckley Owen, Head of Membership, Marketing & Media.
Tel: 020 7255 0652.
Email: [log in to unmask] <Mailto:[log in to unmask]>
Notes to Editors
CILIP's conference on Wireless Broadband in Libraries was
supported by: Museums, Libraries and Archives (MLA); the
Department of Trade and Industry (DTI); the Department for
Environment and Rural Affairs (DEFRA); and the Countryside
Agency. Sponsors included: regenerateIT; the Cloud; bluesocket;
and, for the media, Government Technology and
governmentforum365.co.uk.
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.
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