Category Archives: General

Library Leadership Programs

Leadership 1

Arabella Advisors, a philanthropy consulting firm, is producing a study of library leadership programs for the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. The study seeks to identify key players and highlight opportunities in the field of library leadership in a report that can be shared broadly.

As part of the initial research, Arabella is building an inventory of library leadership programs outside the US. If you are familiar with any leadership training program outside the US (either because you are running a program, have considered attending one or attended one in the past) please let them know via email at kheira.mansouri@arabellaadvisors. The goal is to build a wide-ranging list of leadership programs around the world so that the field can have an overview of how leadership training is done in various regions of the world.
The definition of  library leadership program is any program that is covering some or all of the following themes: advocacy, collaboration and partnerships, innovation, impact measurement, community engagement, change management, strategic planning and risk taking. Please feel free to share this message with anyone who might know of leadership programs in their region.

Opportunity for EU Public Libraries

EU Public Libraries

Throughout the implementation of the Public Libraries 2020 programme, the Reading & Writing Foundation calls on public libraries and associated organisations to apply for advocacy grants.

These grants are aimed at supporting advocacy projects at any level (local, national or international) that highlight the services that public libraries provide in the areas of social inclusion, digital inclusion or lifelong learning. We will fund newly developed projects or ongoing initiatives tailored specifically to this programme.

Public libraries, public library associations and other organisations working with public libraries in one or more of the 28 EU countries are invited to apply. Grants will amount to up to 15,000 euros, although joint proposals for a larger budget will be considered as well.

The call for proposals will have a rolling deadline with a 6-month cycle. The first date to keep in mind is October 17, 2014, 18:00 CET. The second deadline closes on April 17, 2015, 18:00 CET. The third and last deadline for applications is October 16, 2015, 18:00 CET. Please keep in mind that all projects will have to be to be implemented and their results delivered by April 15, 2016.

 

Libraries as a Safe Heaven in Times of Conflict

The ideas box launched at IFLA in Lyon. A possible solution for conflict situations.

The ideas box launched at IFLA in Lyon. A possible solution for conflict situations.

You still have time to register for Libraries as a Safe Heaven in Times of Conflict an online event part of the Library 2.0 Worldwide Virtual Conference Virtual which will be held on October 9 at 1:00 p.m. EST. This is a free event though the organisers would appreciate it if you registered.

The moderator is  Loida Garcia-Febo, Chair ALA International Relations Committee, President, Information New Wave
Co-Presenters:

  • Dr. Roberto Delgadillo, Humanities, Social Sciences and Government Information Services Resources Manager at University Library, UC Davis http://ucdavis.academia.edu/RobertoDelgadillo
  • Scott Bonner, Director, Ferguson Municipal Public Library, MO http://www.ferguson.lib.mo.us/
  • Natalia Tkachova, Librarian of Kherson City Library, Ukraine
  • Gonzalo Oyarzun, Subdirector, Sistema Nacional de Bibliotecas Publicas de Chile / Subdirector, National System of Public Libraries, Chile http://www.bibliotecaspublicas.cl/Vistas_Publicas/publicHome/homePu…

Session Description:
Libraries are helping people in cities experiencing conflict around the globe by providing shelter, basic needs and books. They are liaising with organizations to bring services into their communities. In times of armed conflicts, crises and natural disasters, libraries are playing a key role in the recovery process helping to keep families together and rebuild communities. Libraries are saving lives and providing hope in uncertain times.

Click here for information on how to attend this online event and how to check your computer for it.

A bibliography will be provided during the event.

Children eReading

ebook
The UK’s  National Literacy Trust has published a literature review summing up The Impact of eBooks on the Reading Motivation and Reading Skills of Children and Young People. In 2012, for the first time ever, the National Literacy Trust’s annual literacy survey reported that the number of children ‘reading on screen outside school outnumbered those reading in print’. This paper explores what such a dramatic shift in reading patterns means for young people’s literacy levels, by systematically reviewing the current thinking on the subject. The review addresses the negative concerns that screen reading detrimentally effects comprehension and recall, as well as the positive claims that eReading motivates typically reluctant readers  (such as boys or those from less advantaged backgrounds).

The paper pools together an intriguing and useful collection of easy to understand statistics on the matter, for example:
– Scholastic US research found that of children who had read an eBook, 26% of boys and 16% of girls said they were reading more books as a result.

  •  A 2012 study of 36 struggling readers at KS3 found ‘substantial gains in both accuracy and comprehension’ following an intervention involving both print and enhanced eBooks.
  • A 2013 study of 103 US high school students with dyslexia found that students offered texts on an iPod touch showed significantly improved reading speed and comprehension compared with reading on paper.

Internet safety for chidren and young people

Kid computer

During the IFLA WLIC in Lyon the  Libraries for Children and Young Adults Section published the first version of Guidelines on safety, privacy and online behaviour – Social media, children and young people @ the library.

The Guidelines summarize some basic issues on savvy use of social media tools and networks and are meant for librarians, teachers, parents and other professionals working with children, but also for children and young people themselves.

Transforming lives at a personal, local and economic level

Studio 12

Studio 12

Our friends at CILIP have announced a shortlist of three outstanding library partnership projects for the Libraries Change Lives Awards.

The shortlisted projects are:

All three initiatives are inspirational and provide a great deal of food for thought.

Philanthropist and publisher William Sieghart will announce the winner of this year’s award on Saturday 20 September at CILIP’s Big Day conference in Bristol.

Creative Communities – a new Australian report

Creative Communities: the cultural benefits of Victoria’s Public Libraries is the latest addition to the growing volume of work of the economic and social value of public libraries.

Creative Communities completes a trilogy of major research reports from the State Library of Victoria (Australia) and Public Libraries Victoria Network about the breadth, depth and impact on the whole community of services offered by the modern public library.

While Libraries Building Communities (2005) and Dollars, Sense and Public Libraries (2011) focussed on the social contribution and economic value of public libraries, Creative Communities focusses on the cultural benefits that public libraries deliver to their communities.

The report highlights the important (and often under recognised) range of activities undertaken by Victoria’s public libraries that produce specifically cultural benefits, which community members may not otherwise access.

The Public Libraries Section website provides some useful links to a wide range of studies on the value of public libraries worldwide. We welcome additional links and information.