Staff at City of Glasgow College Library write about their Autumn Gathering experience
Category: Blog
The following is a guest blog post about the CILIPS 2019 Autumn Gathering, written by Brenda Collins, Sarah Docherty and James Rowdon from City of Glasgow College Library.
The first keynote speaker was Catherine Stihler, CEO of the Open Knowledge Foundation. Their aim is to gain free, fair and open knowledge for everyone. She spoke about the potential for a ‘data chasm’ to develop between those with and without data and literacy skills as a matter of genuine concern. Catherine spoke about libraries as the last true physical public space, open to all. They are where the virtual meets the physical, and need to be futureproofed as community data hubs. She gave an excellent example in LA of an air quality project where sensors are placed at the libraries to relay the real-time air quality in specific locales.
The second keynote speaker was the poet, playwright, performer and children’s author Joseph Coelho. Motivated by the news that his first, local library was threatened by closure, Joseph set himself the task of joining a library from every local authority in Britain (209 in total) – The Library Marathon. So far 128 libraries have been joined. Joseph hopes to leave some kind of legacy for a library champion to hail libraries as the last bastion of public spaces and as ‘beating hearts of the communities’. The media coverage that Joseph has attracted will certainly help get the message across that libraries are needed, ‘make societies richer’ and are particularly poignant in out insular, online world. Joseph’s passion was evident as he stressed the importance of free, local access to books and the library as a space where people can connect with others in their community.
The final keynote speaker was Dr Sarah Morton and How Do You Know If You Are Making a Difference? Evidencing and Telling Your Story. Dr Morton is the Co-Director of Matter of Focus: Evidence, Action, Change. Their mission is to help organisations improve outcomes for people and communities. Sarah spoke of the chain of [Input] -> [Process] -> [Output] -> [Outcome & Impact]. The outputs are the things we deliver, the outcomes/impacts are the differences that these outputs make. The main challenge is that high level outcomes are the hardest to measure in a meaningful way – such as support, empowerment, trust and emotions. Multiple factors influence change. What is critical is that in delivering better services, we have to learn and evaluate as we go along. Feedback is extremely important.
The breakout sessions included a discussion of What should be our job description? by Schools Libraries Group Scotland where school librarian job specification was discussed in light of there being no national standard. Think Analytics: the Brains Inside the Box provided the next session – in a world where viewers are overwhelmed by choice, the Think Analytics search and recommendation engine gathers information about users and provides recommendations based on their behavior. The Power of Storytelling led us down the path of A.H. Proctor’s life with libraries, with her enthusiasm contagious and presentation engaging. Instill Independent Learning – A Transitional Journey illustrated the array of benefits of partnerships between primary and secondary schools and university education. Last but definitely not least was Kindness! Both the University of Glasgow and North Ayrshire Council acknowledged the role their libraries played within their communities and the importance of the concept of kindness. A family room at the university was just one example where collaborative working with the Students Representatives Council facilitated change to enhance the students’ learning experience.