Share, inspire, lead: CILIP Cymru Wales annual conference 2016

Library shortbread. Created by The Marriott
Hotel, Swansea.

CILIP Cymru Wales annual conference (May 2016, Swansea) brought together a diverse range of practitioners and provided thought-provoking content to challenge, encourage learning and development and to inject renewed professional energy. Two themes appeared, to me, to encapsulate the conference: partnerships; and people / user community focus.

At this stage I'm not going to give detailed reports on the conference sessions that I attended. (All were excellent and would deserve more detailed record, but, alas, time prevents that action). Instead I'll focus on what appeared to me to be two recurrent themes within presentations, discussions and from the trade exhibition.

Many speakers and workshop / seminar leaders highlighted the benefits of partnership working.

• Will achieve more / have greater impact. Manchester Libraries model of co-location, not only with local government, but with leisure centres, retail / commercial partners and others. Enterprise libraries (e.g. BL and Manchester libraries partnership) - serving the Manchester business communities.
• Will enable progress / action that wouldn't otherwise be possible. The Hive working with university students to provide events, expertise, energy and ideas. AWHILES - partnership of health libraries in Wales, sharing development, ideas and problems. BL Newspaper digitisation using a commercial partner - short term paid for access, that will offer longer term gains for preservation and access. Manchester Libraries - opening their doors to local festivals to provide new footfall, diverse interests, expanded reach.
• Will provide innovation and creativity - The Hive (as above); Welsh Government eDiscovery project - selecting a great eDiscovery tool and working with the supplier, enables new ways of working.
• Will improve understanding / communication. The Hive use their direct work with students to understand their needs, but also to gain feedback from the wider range of users, and more successful understanding of community benefit. The Information Literacy Group and their support for the TeenTech project provide opportunities for school librarians to demonstrate the value they can add to projects through their improved liaison with teaching staff.

A focus on people and a focus on user communities was the second theme.

It's not about buildings or collections. It's about people. Know your user communities, and your non users - Denbighshire Libraries, AWHILES, Manchester Libraries.
Staff (and your pro-active supporters) are a vital, unique and a key asset - The Hive, Denbighshire, Manchester Libraries
Have a clear understanding of the benefits that your users receive from using your services - Denbighire Libraries, BL, AWHILES
Strand services for particular user. Enable users to easily recognise services that will be relevant to them - Manchester libraries, AWHILES.
We need good metrics to demonstrate the ways we support our organisations' aims and objectives.  Denbighshire Libraries, BL / Manchester Libraries Enterprise Libraries, AWHILES.
Career pathways - understand your skills, your strengths and where you would like to focus - Caroline Brazier (BL), Sioned Jacques (Cardiff Libraries).

So what?

1. My recent evaluation of a online contract viewed this strictly as a procurement arrangement. If I view the contract in terms of a partnership then there are a range of further metrics and benefits that I should include within the evaluation. A partnership view from the outset of a new contract may also change the dynamics, expectations and outcomes, with wider benefits for Welsh Government, our users and possibly also for the supplier. What other partnerships should we be considering?

2. Do Welsh Government staff understand how Libraries and Archive Services can help them? We haven't promoted our services recently for fear of not being able to cope with demand. However, could we stream some of our services more clearly as "self-service / help yourself" enabling a change of interaction with our users. Hence, a return to library marketing and promotion, and wider user engagement, but with a focus on self service?  Should we be promoting the library as a space, a venue for personal development and creativity, to a far greater extent? 

3. Libraries in all sectors and contexts are usually seen as trusted services, providing access to quality resources. Are we successful in getting this message across within Welsh Government, and could we cope with the additional demands on our service if we did promote these more widely? Again, aspects of self-service would need to feature highly in any response if this were pursued.
4. Metrics. A recent survey that I ran within Welsh Government demonstrated the ease that user feedback can be obtained, and how useful this information has been. What other areas should we be working on in order to improve our metrics?

What next?

1. To consider all of the above in the development of our annual plan. 

2. To re-commence a partnership project which has previously been stalled. Partnership working should now be seen with greater priority.

Some key quotes:

"The city's living room, study and brain" (Neil MacInnes, Manchester Libraries). Should we consider an amended statement for Welsh Government Library and Archive Services?

"Refresh every 6 years"  (Ditto). A timely reminder that in the retail world a service point and its services aren't allowed to remain the same for longer than 6 years. Should we all adopt this model?

"Libraries aren't dying; they are changing" (Nick Poole, CILIP)

"We can all do something. We all have the power to spread messages". Ian Anstice, Public Libraries News.

Thank you!
Grateful thanks to the CILIP Cymru Wales Committee members and Mandy Powell for providing such a fascinating and enjoyable conference. I do appreciate how much work goes into organising events like these! Your hard work has reaped many rewards! Thank you also to the speakers, workshop and seminar leaders for your time and expertise in crafting informative, entertaining and thought-provoking sessions.  And also to the trade exhibitors for your valued updates and contributions.

House of Commons Library Open Day 2016

Occasionally a chance arises to visit a really special library. The House of Commons Library open day for librarians (17 February 2016) was just such an opportunity. A carefully crafted programme, delivered by colleagues from the House of Commons' Information Services Directorate enabled the effective sharing of knowledge and experience. The receptive audience of sixty librarians, drawn from an impressive spectrum of libraries from across the UK, collectively made for a very beneficial and truly enjoyable day. 

Palace of Westminster from the London Eye. Source: Jedyooo, via Wikimedia Commons. Licensed for reuse through CC-BY-SA 3.0 

The morning sessions provided lightning introductions to the various teams within the Information Services Directorate. We heard a number of fascinating tales, overviews and outlines.

Chiming with my own experiences Julie Keddie, Collection Management Coordinator gave a breathtaking recollection of needing to move extensive collection stores from the Palace of Westminster basements. Even with tight deadlines Julie proved that these times of unexpected space crises can be used to good effect: identifying elements of collections that could be housed by other organisations; selecting items that need to be housed closer at hand, and those that could be moved to on-site or off-site stores. Planning, prioritisation, clear record keeping incorporating  a prominent and motivational colour coded record of progress, together with working with an experienced team of moves contractors, were key lessons learned. There was also a nugget of seeing what your storage partners may be able to provide for you as part of their involvement. Wrapping, packing, stock inventories, unpacking and unwrapping may be services that storage specialists can offer to ease your burdens!

Liz Marley provided a thought-provoking session "Mind your language: indexing politics". Indexing usually has power to aid, group, differentiate and contextualise. But, just occasionally, index entries have power to offend. An index term "Baha'i Sect" was changed to "Baha'i Faith" in response to user feedback. Language and terminology changes. How should materials on ISIS, ISIL, IS, Islamic State, "So called Islamic State", Deash, etc be indexed? Indexes need to reflect this variance of language / terminology, and sometimes only time will provide a clear primary, accepted and authorised entry for the concept. How should wit and sarcasm be indexed in the proceedings of Parliament? A question to Nick Clegg on whether his sat-nav had broken because he seemed to be avoiding visits to universities and students unions, really reflected coalition policy on student finance. The true intent of the question was reflected in the indexing! Parliamentary Question Liz informed us that there is a beta test search facility for Parliamentary materials. This could be profitably used in my own enquiry work, but also to check, revise and expand our own subject terms.

 'very precise words in terms of indexing can be very loaded words in terms of debate'  @NickPoole1 #hclOpenDay

Dr Caroline Shenton outlined the considerable difficulties and challenges raised by housing the bicameral Parliamentary Archive in the Victoria Tower. One tiny lift, inadequate conservation /restoration areas, risks of substantial collection damage and destruction through accident or incident, poor public access and engagement with the Archive. A decision is anticipated shortly on the future of the Archives, ranging from do nothing, relocation to a new Archive space, or more ambitious plans for an Archive and Parliamentary Engagement Centre with a regional location. A move out of Victoria Tower could potentially free up 7% of the Parliamentary Estate. One to watch!

Other sessions demonstrated recent changes within the Division. "Are MPs customers? The House of Commons Library experience" hinted at the significant cultural change processes undertaken. Less "gentlemen's club" and more about supporting the information needs of elected members and their staff. Understanding library users' needs, and working to fulfil these needs as effectively as possible. To my mind, that the question ever needed asking, indicates just how significant the cultural journey has been. Similarly, reorganisation of the Division's Research Teams prompted staff to audit researchers' information searching confidence on three-point scale and to survey needs and awareness of information resources available to them. The Research Information Service now provide a programme of support and sessions, and their co-location with the research teams provides for new opportunities to strengthen and develop these links and offers. We also heard of the first proactive pilot with public libraries for the Parliament Public Enquiries Public Information Group. An enhanced offer for Parliament Week (October 2016) will be available. Reminders of the balanced, impartial, clear and definitive House of Commons Library Briefing Papers, which are freely available via the web, were also made at several points.
 

Delegates were also treated to opportunities to view an exhibition of historical materials from the Library. This included hands-on access to early copies of Punch, the London Illustrated News, parliamentary debate reports, constituency boundary change maps, deposited papers, as well as images of the Commons Library over time, and much more. The Portcullis House venue provided access to a selection of the Palace of Westminster art collections with notable portraits and bust sculptures of MPs past and present. Staff from the various teams and services were also available for one-to-one discussions. The lightning talks had raised a range of queries and comments and this was the ideal setting in which to delve deeper and to share experiences.

Westminster Hall. Source: Flickr by Nathan.  Licensed for reuse under CC-BY-SA 2.0.

Equipped with revised understanding of the House of Commons Library, the afternoon's tours provided opportunities to contextualise and deepen this knowledge. The troglodyte experience of walking from Portcullis House underneath Bridge Street to arrive directly within the Parliamentary Cloisters provided an impactful opening scene. The vastness of Westminster Hall, with its palpable sense of being witness and location to history in the making, and the ornate beauty of St Stephen's Hall, wowed delegates.  An opportunity to sample the iconic green bench seats of the Division Lobby, matching those found in the Commons Chamber, were too good to miss, and provided a comfortable juncture on which to consider bill, debate and voting procedures. Our tour continued with a detailed visit to the Commons Chamber, and to the majestic Lords Chamber.

St Stephen's Hall. Source: Shakespearesmonkey via Flickr Licensed for reuse under CC-BY 2.0.

The Commons Library sits alongside of the Commons Chamber with views to the south over the Thames. It is therefore ideally placed as an accessible and welcoming space for MPs. The collection rooms retain their air of "gentlemen's club", but this seems fitting and conducive to productive reading, research, cogitation, and in some cases, relaxation / recouperation. The collections reflected recent and historical political interests, although increasingly inter library loans rather than purchase seem to be used in meeting the requests of Members for items which aren't currently held by the Library. Such thriftiness of resource sharing calls on libraries of the House of Lords, the conjoined public libraries of Westminster, Kensington and Chelsea, Hammersmith and Fulham, The London Library, Chatham House Library and The British Library. In addition to the book collections, the hard copy newspaper and periodical collections are well used, supported by a wide variety of electronic resources (in some cases jointly procured with the House of Lords Library). Enquiry desks are prominently and welcomingly positioned, and the well resourced Reference Room can be used by MPs' staff members.

Review of the quiz answers provided further opportunity to probe and check our acquired knowledge. A recap from Nick Poole (CEO, CILIP) rounded off the day. We had all benefitted greatly from the day, from the collective networking amongst the 60 delegates from  a wide range of libraries, locations and experience. The day had also clearly demonstrated the centrality of accurate, impartial, comprehensive and up to date information to the effective functioning of democracy.

"There are four KEY elements to The UK Parliament: Commons, Lords, Monarchy .... and librarians" Nick Poole, CEO, CILIP.

CILIP Revalidation

Annual Revalidation of CILIP professional registrations (Certification, Chartership and Fellowship)  will become obligatory from January 2016.  The process is free and requires online submission of a log that accounts for at least 20 hours professional development in the year, together with a short reflective statement. Why wait until 2016? Why not start the process now?

I can see a number of advantages to undertaking Revalidation early.

1. Beat the rush, and in doing so choose your own Revalidation year. I'm guessing lots of us will be working to a calendar year, but is that the most convenient for you? Academic librarians may choose to revalidate over an  academic year, with submission perhaps planned over the summer vacation. Let the choice be yours!
2. If you submit prior to January 2016 then there is strong likelihood that your submission will be appraised. You will received valued and often very complementary feedback from staff in CILIP. This will give you confidence for future years, and may assist you in supporting your colleagues in their revalidation processes. Once Revalidation becomes obligatory then only a small sample of submissions will be monitored and appraised. So if you leave submission until 2016 then you may not get this personal touch of feedback.
3. Early Revalidation is one further demonstration that you are a committed, enthusiastic and conscientious professional - someone who takes their personal development seriously. In the current turbulent job market this may serve you well and may just be the factor that places you above other candidates.
4. In starting to plan for your Revalidation you will discover if you understand the submission protocols, if you have accrued the 20+ hours for the year, and if you can craft a reflective statement that cuts the mustard. The reflective statement is, for me at least, the most challenging aspect of the process. Reflective writing doesn't come easy; it's definitely a skill to practice and develop. An early start will take the pressure off you if you discover inadequacies in any areas. You will have time to seek help, to take further training, or to develop your reflective writing skills .
5. If you have a development plan through you work then do use this in your Revalidation. This plan, or the discussion that went in to formulating it, will prove useful in providing an a priori statement of your identified development needs. If your work-based development plan doesn't meet this purpose then use the PKSB (Professional Knowledge and Skills Base), or similar framework, to map out a formal evaluation of your training and development needs. Updating this annually will help you to identify your development needs, and so spot, plan for, or create the development opportunities that meet these needs. It will serve you well, in providing you with a more structured approach to your CPD.

In the last week I have received the fantastic news that my Revalidation submission has been approved. And so I have a promise to fulfil: sharing my reflective statement more widely! I'm sure this isn't a top notch example, but at least it may inspire and provide confidence to some of you in that challenging task of turning a year's worth of learning and development in to a 250 word reflective statement. I hope that this assists and possibly inspires some of you!

Evaluative statement 2014

Personal performance

Marketing and customer focus were identified priorities for development in 2014 - needs associated with new responsibilities delivering the Ministerial Decisions (MD) upload into the Library Management System, promotion of the Welsh Government (WG) Publications Catalogue (PC), and introducing a new corporate legal information subscription. Presentations at CILIP Cymru Conference and CLIC successfully marketed the PC to stakeholders and receive their feedback.  I  also developed effective dialogue with legal information service users: increasing training attendance, provide feedback to the product provider, and creating FAQs. These raised the profile of the Library Service but evidence for this was diffuse. On reflection upfront marketing plans with planned measures of success, would have been helpful.

Organisational context

The delayed delivery of the MDs demonstrates  the need for project management (PM) for on-time delivery of information, especially where progress is dependent on others within WG. PM would have provided greater importance, a strict timeline, better resource allocation, and exception reporting / intervention mechanisms. I have learned that PM not only supports delivery through its structured framework, but comes with a perceived organisational kudos.

Wider professional context

GIG Committee work provided me with greater awareness of challenges more broadly within the government sector, especially shared service developments. Event attendance, together with professional reading, have provided wider understanding of professional issues from other sectors (e.g. Public and education sector libraries).

Government "librarians" and CILIP chartership - why bother?

At the recent Government Knowledge and Information Management (GKIM) conference (25 March 2015 ¹) I attended a Table discussion session facilitated by David Smith (Head of Profession, Department for Communities and Local Government). David is also a committee member of CILIP's special interest group for Government Information (CILIP GIG). David posed the question "Will CILIP Chartership get you any further, and will it improve your pay?".

This proved to be quite a lively discussion, and the 20 minutes allocated could have been filled two or three times over. Here's a summary from my notes of the discussion, with apologies for any omissions or misrepresentations.

History.

In the past Charterhsip ² used to be a more frequent requirement within Government library posts in initial recruitment, and for progression to more senior grades. This is no longer the case.

Does Charterhip improve your pay?

Possibly. It can do, in some departments (e.g. BIS - Business, Innovation and Skills; FCO - Foreign and Commonwealth Office; and GCHQ - Goverment Communications Headquarters). However, many departments no longer require Chartership for career progression within their KIM structures or as a trigger for enhanced salary through qualification recognition.

Does Chartership get you any further?

Possibly / probably! Chartership is a clear demonstration that you:

• are a committed professional,
  
• take your professional development seriously,
  
• actively reflect on your professional contribution to your organisation,
  
• operate to a clear set of ethics and values, and
  
• work to recognise your continuing development needs and to achieve these.
  

All of these will stand you in excellent stead for internal job opportunities, or indeed if you decide to seek roles outside of GKIM.

It was also noted that in these times of cutbacks, efficiency and austerity measures, Chartership may assist staff in retaining their posts when cuts are being made. Where two individuals are being compared and where both have similar performance and experience levels, then tangible proof of professionalism as evidenced through Chartership, may be the deciding factor. It could be the tie-breaker that makes the difference! And if it isn't Chartership directly then it could be Revalidation - a clear demonstration of regular / annual continuing professional development, professional growth, career planning and reflection.

Challenges to Chartering?

A numbers of colleagues around the table were contemplating working towards Chartership and cited a number of barriers to commencement or completion:

• length of time since qualification. Where do I start, where do I draw the line?
  
• lack of support from their employer and peer group, with additionally perceived difficulties of finding a mentor, and maintaining the momentum with the mentoring relationship;
  
• lack of time, timetabling issues;
  
• lack of pressure. Possibly also lack of reward and kudos associated with becoming Chartered?
  
• process - a laborious process. Now possibly more streamlined through the changes implemented to the routes to professional qualifications, and through submission via the CILIP Virtual Learning Environment (VLE)?
  

Over the last few years CILIP has undertaken extensive work re-designing the routes to registration (formerly known as qualifications), the supporting professional skills and knowledge base, as well as the VLE. If you haven't looked at CILIP's Professional Registration pages recently then may I urge you to do so? The barriers may not be as numerous or as high as you believe! And there is lots of support to help you achieve your goal.

Other bodies providing professional recognition

• Information and Records Management Society IRMS - offers an Accredited Members scheme. This may be more appropriate for colleagues dealing with records management, information rights and governance. I believe that the Scheme requires IRMS membership and submission of a reflective account of 750 words with a supporting reference from an IRMS member.
• Archives and Records Association ARA - Registration Scheme supports trained archivists who are members of ARA to demonstrate continuing professional development.

Chartership and me

I chartered in 1993 and Revalidated in 2010. Within the last week I've just submitted my second revalidation under the new regulations. Along the way, admittedly in the dim and distant past, Chartership has enabled me to apply for and gain roles in further and higher education library posts. More recently, it seems to have been less of a requirement, not just in GKIM but also in the commercial sector. Despite this I firmly believe that being Chartered has served me well. It's something that I'm proud of, and that motivates me to maintain and update my skills and knowledge, to follow the code of professional ethics, and to share that pride with my colleagues. I've supported a few colleagues to successfully Charter, but I've also supported and encouraged colleagues to undertake professional library and information management qualifications who haven't then gone on to consider professional membership or Chartership.

I've always considered Chartership as a kite mark for professionalism, one that can be recognised by employers (current and potential), but that also provides the individual with a strong sense of pride, confidence, ethics and values. Some people will have inherent confidence in their skills and abilities and won't need the support and recognition that Chartership provides. But for the rest of us Charterhip is that comforting, external benchmark that we can shine to and promote.

For me Chartering has definitely been a continuing source of strength, pride and professional energy. Revalidation serves as a useful reminder to evaluate, plan, actively seek out and undertake opportunities for continuing professional development and to reflect on all of these stages. The forthcoming introduction of obligatory annual Revalidation will, I believe, be helpful for all committed professionals. Far from being a detractor for Chartership, this should be seen as a bonus, and as a very natural extension to the Chartering process.

---

¹ . KIM Profession Conference 2015. "Building capability: a profession that works for you". BIS Conference Centre, Victoria Street, London.

² . Chartership is now one of the stages of CILIP Professional Registration. See this link for further information.

Useful Internet sources for statistical information

Lately, I've been fortunate to attend some excellent  training with Internet search gurus Phil Bradleyand Karen Blakeman. Here are some of my learning points, specifically about statistical information on the web, from those sessions.

OffStats http://www.offstats.auckland.ac.nz/ - a database of free, official statistics available to search by topic, country or region. Expertly compiled by the Business and Economics Information Services Team of the University of Auckland. Save time in locating the official sources of information, especially lesser known or less obvious sources. The regional collections could also serve as a reminder of wider scale comparative statistics and their originating organisations.

NationMaster.com is a similar service although there are some concerns about the frequency of updates. When I checked today (1 April 2015) the latest updates appear to date from 1 January 2015. Nevertheless a useful directory of statistical sources which provides useful clues to the publishers of information. These can then be checked independently. NationMaster also comes with some interesting data visualisation tools which may help to indicate trends, interesting features or anomalies and most importantly,  missing data. In the example below, for steel production, the United Kingdom is missing from the dataset. This is odd because while the EU is listed, France, Germany and Spain have their own listings.

Google Public Data Explorer - A tool aggregating data from 136 sources including the likes of EuroStat, allowing data selection and visualisation. An interesting concept because there seems to be an expectation, in part, that developers will load their own choices of statistical data and make this available with graphics and visualisations. There don't appear to have been that many uploads of this type but if the data that you are looking for is given then you will be rewarded with some great visuals and interesting features. Google Public Data

Other information sources?

Guardian data blog - potentially interesting if it includes information that you are looking for. One to check quickly using Google Advanced searching and the site:http://www.theguardian.com/data option. Original postings at Guardian Datablog

Don't forget data.gov.uk and StatsWales. Again, advanced searching techniques might be required to find the information required. These are complex data sets. There may be missing data, and occasionally data errors (e.g. Keying errors, unwanted spaces, incorrect decimal points, etc).

Zanran - the numerical search engine, searches for data from charts, tables and images. Zanran. Provides a vast array of answers, but filters can be used to narrow search results. Data sources may need confirming / double checking. Annoyingly free registration is required to access to original result in full text. If other statistical sources fail then Zanran may be a useful resource especially as this may select data from slide presentations, reports and materials containing tabular information.

Statista.com - a subscription site although some basic information may be available free of charge. Registration with this site is required to access full statistical information. Statista.com

Wolfram Alpha may also be a potential source for factual data. Wolfram Alpha

I'll be interested to know if you recommend any other sources! Please do comment below.

Online support for our service users

(c) Geralt via Pixabay Licensed for reuse under
 Creative Commons.

Cardiff Libraries in Cooperation (CLIC) held an event on virtual support services on 22 January 2015. The session provided examples of virtual support in further and higher education and from one professional body (the Royal College of Nursing). These are my musings on the event with consideration of how virtual support might be appropriate to implement at Welsh Government Library and Archive Service.




Virtual what? 
 So what do we mean by virtual support? All the examples provided in this session focussed on web chat solutions. The ability for a service user to chat online, by typing in a message box, with a member of staff in immediate, synchronous communication. If the web chat service is fully committed or off-air, then usually messages can be left for later response.

Why? 
The "Google Generation" will use virtual chat services. It matches preferences for online discussion, and meets needs in being personal and instant. It was noted by several of the speakers that students can be sitting in the library, based near to an open service desk, but they will still use webchat help services rather than visit the helpdesk.
Virtual support also increasingly meets the expectations of users. Large commercial websites may come with webchat or virtual support features and these can often be a very efficient way to resolve problems or to find out more. Far more efficient than using premium rate support phone lines, or email. Examples of mobile phone providers were quoted in this context.

So virtual support, in the examples of this session, is geared towards supporting students: remembering their contexts of being fee payers, probably studying alongside working, often being remote / at distance to the university, and / or part-time. Virtual support is a valued method of reaching out to students, in a way that suits them.

Successful?

Generally "yes". Many of the case studies were in their early stages and had not been fully or widely promoted, and therefore only had low usage figures. However, users had been overwhelmingly appreciative. Several of the speakers noted the importance of virtual support to provide a route for students to express their difficulties, frustrations and concerns, and to be listened to. The listening aspect here seemed to be as important as the answer! For the RCN virtual support is teamed with a similar organisation from Australia, thereby providing an increasing level of round-the-clock "follow the sun" support.

Challenges?

Staffing - in many instances virtual support is an extra function for library staff to take on board. Issues with training, staff timetabling and potential additional pressures and workloads were noted. In one instance virtual support has been implemented alongside of the closure of traditional reference desk support, although this was the exception. Queue management, query identification amd directing were also significant in enabling virtual support to work effectively and to utilise staff resources to best effect. Some of the most basic issues were in remembering to sign in to the web chat service, and remembering to sign out when not available to answer queries.

Complexity of query - a comprehensive frequently asked questions answer bank is helpful. This can then be used as a basis for responses and can be added to over time. Several speakers noted the desire for staff responding to a query to want to see it through to completion. However the staff member may not always be best placed to do this. Web chat systems that enable referral, and in some instances three-way chats, were essential to deal with such queries. Three-way conversations could then be useful in providing staff training.

Surprisingly, I thought that many of the queries would relate to complex issues in using databases, and would therefore require abilities to screencast or screen share. I also wondered if queries would relate to problems of using different operating systems and IT platforms. However, the majority of queries were at a much lower level of complexity than this (opening hours, how do I renew my books, can I borrow this title, which database should I use for this topic enquiry?)

Promotion - make multiple links to the virtual support service from high usage and high profile areas both within the online environment but also in the physical environment. Use of a consistent button or logo is best, but some platforms may not enable incorporation of anything other than a standard text link. Clear naming and branding of the service are also key. Ensure that staffing support will be adequate, and that the number of service channels will be adequate to meet the need.

Implications for Welsh Government?

Whilst many of our users aren't from the "Google Generation", aren't students, and don't necessarily feel that they have an axe to grind, we have experienced declining use of helpdesk and telephone support services. Currently, email and webforms are the preferred routes to place enquiries with us. I understand that some form of internal web chat / instant messaging will be provided in a forthcoming IT upgrade. We may not be able to use the off-the-shelf webchat solutions used by our CLIC colleagues, and so may well lack the sophistication of queue handling, referral and statistical outputs. However, we must certainly be primed to use instant messaging when this is available to us, and have protocols in place so that we can effectively exploit this development. The potential is significant, but so too is the foundation work. Time to go away and update some of those help guides, to extend the use of FAQs, and to think about incorporating many more audiovisual help clips within our intranet provision!

LibCampWales - summary of IT session

LibCampWales gets underway with session pitching

I pitched for a session yesterday at #libcampwales inviting attendees to share their favourite IT service, program or application. This is my take on what was a lively and informative session. Thank you to everyone who shared and contributed their knowledge. I learnt a great deal.

My tip - Need to make infographics? Try PiktoChart  This enables you to easily create infographics really quickly. The free site has a reasonable range of starting icons and a couple of useful templates. It's easy to position the icons with accompanying text boxes and titles. In the free version your infographics can be saved and exported as a JPEG file, or shared on the web. A subscription service offers greater range of icons, design templates, and export options. Piktochart also enables you to create reports, presentations and banners (posters).

DropBox - tag line "your stuff, anywhere" . A cloud storage option that allows documents, files, photos, presentations etc to be accessed and synchronised across different devices and platforms. On the move and need to access a document drafted on your home PC? Not a problem if you have uploaded it to Dropbox you could view the document via your smart phone. The free version comes with 2 GB of storage. Other similar options to consider are :

• Google Drive  "One place for all your files"  Start with 15GB of Google storage – free
• SkyDrive  from Microsoft -also known as OneDrive. Start with 7GB of cloud storage.

Cloud storage may enable you to share documents with a group of people. This may even be a route to enable collaborative working on specific files?

Evernote Worthwhile re-visiting Evernote, it  has developed beyond the simple web page clipping / scrapbook service. Evernote is now an online note pad, allowing you to attach files, synch files between different devices, share and work collaboratively.

Augmented reality - how sci-fi is this. Use augmented reality to help explain how to use a photocopier, provide visitor information on location, or to enhance the experience. "Thanks to Aurasma, , every image, object and even place can have its own Aura. Auras can be as simple as a video and a link to a web page or as complex as a lifelike 3D animation. Use the Aurasma app to unlock Auras and share the experience with friends. Or get experimenting and use the simple tools within the app to create and share your own Auras".
 a App augmented reality app. See Aurasma in action on a £10 note :

 If This Then That. A tool that saves you time by synching your activity between internet services. Taken a photograph on your mobile device? Then set up a "recipe" in ifttt to have the photo saved to your DropBox. Posted a new blog entry then let ifttt post a tweet about it, and to make an entry on your LinkedIn timeline. Ifttt could also be used to help you archive and manage your contributions in social media.

We talked about the security concerns of using these cloud based platforms. Many employers won't permit their staff to use these tools because of these concerns. On a personal level you may also feel wary about linking a variety of platforms together and enabling mutual access and posting. There was also some concern about the way these services monitor and track your use of the web. It's Your call on this, but it is certainly something to consider.

Some felt that they wanted to find out about app development, and that they would like to experiment in this area. One suggestion was Code Academy   regular online lesson explaining basic coding, with suitable "homework" tasks enabling participants to gradually develop their coding skills. The Academy appears to build coding skills in a structured and logical way providing a sound basis for developing and embedding knowledge.

Several participants indicated a desire to experience online learning through a Mooc  (Massive Open Online Course). Some participants had completed a MOOC: like any distance learning these require a great deal of commitment, but benefited greatly from engagement from participants through discussion  in an associated online space.

Prezi  Presentation programme that allows zooming or flying through your presentation, incorporating images or video. This cloud based service allows you to work between platforms, share your presentations, and work collaboratively with colleagues. Noted as being far more dynamic and captivating than PowerPoint, but be cautious about not inducing motion sickness in your audience!

We also talked about IT solutions in wider use:

• Chromecast - connect the Chrome to your TV and via your wifi connection, and with initial intervention from a device, view content from BBC I-player, Netflix, YouTube. You can also use the device to screen cast from your device
• Spotify  - "music for everyone". Pick your own music, share playlists, get track suggestions from your friends.
• BloomFM "The music app. Bloom.fm is the all-in-one music app with 22 million tracks. Borrow music to play offline, free streaming radio, plays your music downloads.
• Shazam is a mobile application that recognizes music and media playing around you. Shazam is the best way to discover, explore and share the music.

Also mentioned:

• WhatsApp Messenger - "a cross-platform mobile messaging app which allows you to exchange messages without having to pay for SMS. WhatsApp Messenger is available for iPhone, BlackBerry, Android, Windows Phone and Nokia and yes, those phones can all message each other! Because WhatsApp Messenger uses the same internet data plan that you use for email and web browsing, there is no cost to message and stay in touch with your friends."
• 2048 maths puzzle. Apparently addictive, mobile phone game.

I repeat my thanks to all who attended this session, for sharing their experiences and knowledge so freely. I will be checking out these tools further!

A change is as good...

I've recently returned from secondment with CILIP Cymru Wales. What did I hope to achieve from secondment and were these hopes realised?

Conference high-point. Celebrating the nominees for the Welsh Librarian of the Year

award. Image (c) CILIP Cymru Wales,  2013. 

I've been a member of CILIP for more than 20 years, and it's been a guiding light in my career, especially in providing a formal structure for professional qualifications. Having a chance to work more formally with CILIP in Wales, aside from my role with CDG Wales, I hoped would provide me with:

• opportunities to update my awareness of library policy matters in Wales and across the UK

• to develop my skills in Policy Analysis and in formulating official responses - gaining an "outside" view on these processes

• freedom to experiment with new technologies including web-casting, blogging and other social media

• practical experience of stakeholder management - CILIP's members and other key bodies in Wales and across the UK

• an "in at the deep-end" reminder of event management best practice - in organising CILIP Cymru Wales' two-day annual conference.

Were your aims met? 

Yes, and more so. I return to the Welsh Government with deeper enthusiasm for the wider roles of librarians in society. I hope that we can harness this energy in extending the important work of Library & Archive Services in promoting and improving WG staff members information skills, and in being internal advocates for the profession. I'm also keen to share some of my experiences in partnership working, and in using social media to develop and maintain effective two-way communication with stakeholders. My professional network of contacts has increased significantly, and so I'm hoping to continue using this to identify new ways of working, and in professional updating more generally.

And the high points? 

Definitely helping to establish the very successful Welsh Librarian of the Year Award. It was humbling speaking to all five of the shortlisted librarians and finding out about their successes and huge positive impacts on the communities that they serve. I also gained a lot in helping to organise the Annual Conference. It's great to know that over 200 people benefitted through attending this vibrant event, and had the chance to share their experiences with colleagues from across Wales.

What next? 

I'm looking forward to: re-familiarising myself with my role of Legal Librarian and Team Leader; sharing my learning and experience; and in helping Library & Archive Services develop for the future. I have also been asked to maintain my involvement with the Welsh Librarian of the Year Award and I'm really thrilled to have a further opportunity to celebrate the innovation, achievements and impacts of librarians and information professionals from across Wales.

Well they do say that a change is as good as a rest! It's true.

Thing 22 - Volunteering to gain experience

Hello! So Thing 22 encourages participants to consider volunteering to gain experience. I'm certainly not going to quibble with Jo's blog. I agree, sad as it may be, that in this time of infrequent job vacancy opportunities, volunteering may be the only way to get out of the Experience Gap Catch-22 situation. This may not only apply to new professionals. Established professionals, seeking a career change, may also be in similar situations. Or for that matter those returning to work after a career break! Volunteering can be good at whatever stage of your career! 

I also feel strongly that organisations which take on volunteers should provide lots in return to their volunteers and definitely not substitute paid professional roles for volunteers! CILIP have an excellent policy statement on using volunteers in public library services, but the principles will apply in other sectors too.

My experiences of professional volunteering have mainly been on CILIP Special Interest Group Committees at divisional and national level. These roles have provided me with wider professional knowledge, energy and transferable skills (chairing meetings, taking minutes, organising events etc). At the same time they have always been fun, confidence building and have left me with a network of fabulous, supportive and amazing contacts. I appreciate that the "day job" is becoming increasingly pressurised, stressful and burdensome. And although volunteering adds to these, it also provides huge rewards of wider perspectives, a different working regime, and a whole load of professional reassurance or inspiration. Although it can be hard work, for me at least, it's good to wear a number of "different hats".

Wearing a different hat. Rhododendron clearing in Snowdonia.
Copyright of the Author.  

I would also add that work can take up so much of our lives, and although I love my career and profession, it's a real bonus to have other interests. I use volunteering with the National Trust as one of these. My NT work enables me to mix with a different group of people, undertake very physical work and be outside at stunning locations. All of these in combination provide a very real tonic to life, and is something that I recommend to anyone who likes the outdoors, values our environment, and who want to give something back.

Thing 21 - Promoting yourself in job applications and interviews

Professional Knowledge & Skills Base

Maria's blog for Thing 21raises a great many useful tips and truths. I've sat on both sides of the interview desk, and I know that I'm not very adept at either, and I certainly don't enjoy either experience. The most successful, and least painful, interviews that I've had have nearly always felt more like professional conversations than some formulaic grilling. This of course comes down to the skills of the interview panel, the environment and culture of the organisation, and the compassion /  humanity of interviewers during interviewing.

Competence-based interviewing doesn't suit everyone, and there is certainly a specialist knack in answering  such questions appropriately. But practise and planning can mean that you should have a set of established examples and some answers to hand. Whether you can remember them all under the pressure of the interview might be a different matter! Fortunately, many interviewers are very skilled in their roles, inherently wanting candidates to give their best performance, and to be part of making a fair and appropriate selection decision. The interview can certainly provide a really fascinating insight into the organisation!

I do think Maria's emphasis on knowing your strengths and interests are good ones. For CILIP members the Professional Knowledge and Skills Base (PKSB) interactive tool provides an excellent framework for self-assessment and reflection on your professional skills and strengths. I will be looking at this in more detail after completing CPD 23Things!  But in summary:

• I enjoy undertaking thorough enquiry work and the challenges of trying to meet users' needs and expectations. This is probably why I love legal information work.
•  I work best when I'm appreciated and valued and can see benefits / impact / results from my outputs.  This means that the culture of the organisation, the people and the value systems are really important to me. In working with and managing others I hope that I enthuse these qualities too.
• I relish working with others and I am learning to value project management frameworks to plan, deliver and evaluate project work. The challenges of projects and change are positive stimuli for me.
• A big part of me is a perfectionist, and I'm a self-confessed work-aholic. I love to do things well, and to be shown how to improve things. I like to be challenged.
• I'm a terrible leader, but hopefully a capable, supportive and energising "second in command".

Knowing your strengths and interests is very valuable. But, I suspect in this day and age, where job opportunities are few and far between, it is often an economic necessity to accept what you can and try to make the best of it. Undertake the role with enthusiasm and dedication, and try to take opportunities for development and training wherever they arise. However, keep in mind your personal strengths and ambitions and try to work towards these as well. Know when to "jump ship"; don't get stuck in a less than ideal role for too long if you can help it.

I heartily agree with Maria's suggestion of keeping your CV up to date, and having a record of your achievements in a form that is easy to update, review, sort and search. I'm a poor practitioner in this respect. Again, I will consider following this up after completing the programme.

Thing 20 - Library roots / routes

Library roots

Trips to the mobile library after primary school. A great deal of fun and excitement selecting that week's reading from the children's section. The mobile library was a terrible grey colour, but was an articulated lorry trailer, and the children's section was in the bit above the connection with the truck unit. (A similar sort of vehicle is pictured here). It was always exciting going, and they used Browne Issue!! Mum was, and still is, a big reader and she spent many hours encouraging me through my dyslexia and opening up the wonderful world of the book.

Teenage years. Seeking solace in the high school library. A lunchtime library pass would mean that I wasn't beaten up in the playground, or my blazer chucked over the school fence. Asterix the Gaul books in French. Similarly, at weekends visits to the central libraries in Luton or Dunstable. The microfiche catalogue was a wonder to behold. The Library at Sixth Form College also became a place of refuge, although the Common Room and cheese toasties had growing allure. That, or joining the masses sitting in the main corridor, just watching the other students go back and forth, trying to perfect that teenage disinterested / threatening look. Never really mastered that!

Luton Sixth Form College
© Copyright Nigel Cox and licensed for reuse under this Creative Commons Licence.

Undergraduate career. I worked incredibly hard at university driven by my love of study, poor social skills,  a general lack of balance in life, and most significantly, terrible A-Level results. Many happy hours in the Library, second floor overlooking the Loch and watching the mists and clouds dance over the Ochills. Biological Abstracts in hard copy became an absolute joy and I revelled in a catalogue on computer.

Grounds of Stirling University
© Copyright Eva Forbes and licensed for reuse under this Creative Commons Licence

Present day. I still use my local public library, and have retained that magic and awe in visiting. It's a place that provides me with potential for escape, together with a feeling of belonging to my local community. My leisure reading helps me to escape to places or situations that I have slim chance of actually being at, and enables me to meet and experience people and lives whose paths I would not cross in real life. Library staff still inspire and guide my reading. However, the computer and smartphone take increasing amounts of my time and attention.

Library Routes

Another story of an accidental librarian (sorry!).

• Uncertain what to do at the end of my undergraduate degree, I stumbled across several posts for graduate trainees to work in libraries. Lady Luck shone and I was successfully appointed to a position, one of four, at the Polytechnic of Central London (now University of Westminster), working in the Engineering and Science Library on New Cavendish Street. Completed a very happy and informative year, and was accepted to study Librarianship at the University of Sheffield.

115 New Cavendish Street - site of the PCL Engineering & Science Library.
© Copyright Stephen Richards and licensed for reuse under this Creative Commons Licence.

• On completing Sheffield I was fortunate in being appointed to a Senior Library Assistant post in the Normanby College Library, supporting nursing, physiotherapy and radiography students, linked with King's College Hospital and King's College London. Three very happy years learning about health and medical information sources, gaining Chartership. Supported, guided and encouraged by a fantastic line manager and mentor, the librarians at the adjacent Medical School Library, and in the other health care libraries in the South East Thames Regional Health Authority.
• Took a giant leap of faith and relocated to South Wales to manage a small further education college library and learning resources service. Constantly inspired and  supported by other college librarians as part of CoFHE and a very supportive senior management team in the College.  Four happy years and my line manager suggested that I had achieved lots but that it was time to move on. 
• A further leap of faith, and probably more blind courage than was really sensible, I was appointed to manage a Campus Library at the University of Wales Institute, Cardiff. New subject areas, managing and supporting professional colleagues, introducing three graduates to the profession via our own Graduate Trainee scheme, and finally a huge refurbishment project.  A fantastic environment in which to develop my financial management, team leadership and strategic management skills. However, the refurb project, although successfully completed, was my downfall. I ran out of enthusiasm and energy in the post-project phase - adapting  services and partnerships required of the new Learning Resources Centre, and saw my dream job wane into a buildings management, problems solving role. Made the best decision of my life, and resigned. Took time out, and after 6 months or so the yearning to return to the profession grew too strong to resist.
• A fortunate  sideways  step saw me appointed as an Assistant Librarian at Morgan Cole Solicitors. Despite having no legal training my colleagues supported me, and were extremely generous in sharing their knowledge, experience and friendship.  Being outside of my comfort zone in both subject area and the commercial environment was hugely developmental, but it was clear that this wasn't quite the right role or environment for me.
• Took up post with the Welsh Assembly Government in 2006 and have progressed through Policy Support Librarian and Legal & Business Team Leader roles, and other periods of temporary responsibility.
• Currently on secondment with CILIP as Policy Officer (Wales).

In writing this account I'm struck by a few key messages:

• Colleagues are so generous with their time and in sharing their knowledge and experience. Value these relationships and work hard to develop and retain them. If working in solo positions generate links with colleagues outside of your organisation.
• I have never regretted those giant  leaps of faith and those periods of living on my Dutch courage.  Resigning from the Campus Librarian's role was a brave move, and horrendous at the time. But this was the correct decision. The possibility of still being a very unhappy, dispirited and probably a very unwell, dysfunctional Campus Librarian is just too frightening.
• However, know your strengths and appreciate  your  weaknesses. I'm surer now that senior management just isn't for me.  Being at the "practical sharp end" of librarianship suits me well. 
• My "fit" with the organisation has been significant. If I feel I can contribute to the organisation, if I am valued and challenged then I am far more likely to love working there, and stay longer.
• Take opportunities when you can. Living outside your comfort zone for short periods of time can be positively developmental. Carpe diem!

(c) Lechoucas, 2012 - Creative Commons CC-by-sa
http://www.camptocamp.org/images/352093/en/carpe-diem 

Profession in crisis? Thing 15: Attending, presenting at and organising seminars, conferences and other events.

CILIP Career Development Group / North Wales Library Partnership joint event – January 2012, Llandudno Junction. Image © Stephen Gregory / CILIP CDG Wales, 2012.

The picture above, for me, recalls an excellent joint event hosted in North Wales in January 2012. I attended and spoke at this event, and it reminds me of the pleasures and perils of doing both. I found myself agreeing with so much provided within the brief for Thing 15 and its related links. Participating in professional development events, as delegate, speaker, chair or organiser really is so fulfilling, beneficial and invigorating. Consequently, my first attempt at this blog did little more than replicate the suggestions and experiences encapsulated in the brief. Little point in re-inventing the wheel!

However, I would agree with Katie Birkwood's comments that attendance at events is being increasingly jeopardised by the current economic situation. In my experience this really is becoming a significant factor to the viability of our professional events. Furthermore, in the absence of other activities, this affects the viability, vibrancy and raison d'etre of our formal professional groups. It seems to me that the impacts of the economic downturn on professional development are numerous, including:

• from the employer / employee perspective:
  • depleted or non-existent training and development budgets
  • reduced staffing levels, meaning that: retained staff work to increased workloads; capacity for planned absence is reduced; ability to catch-up after absence, or to clear the decks prior to absence, are diminished.
  • Stagnation on the career ladder. There are fewer opportunities for promotion and advancement, meaning that staff loose motivation and enthusiasm for cpd. Staff new to a role will have greater need to attend formal CPD activities in order to aid their development for fitness to undertake the role effectively and fully.
  • Organisations are less likely to support professional development in its broadest contexts, favouring job-specific training only. This is in part because of training budget limitations, but also because of workload pressures and reduced capacity to sanction cpd absence.
    
    
• From event providers' perspective:
  • Economic viability of events is being squeezed, leading to increasing likelihood of event cancellation.
  • Events become undertakings where the risks of financial and reputational disaster are too great. Can an organisation afford to loose money, or in effect subsidise events? Can organisations weather the potential for loss of credibility with poor attendance rates and perceived declining impact or professional value?
  • Events are not able to get off of the ground because the burdens of event organisation are too great for volunteer group committee members, especially given that support by their employees may be severely decreased.

There may be additional factors in some areas too. For instance, being based in Wales, where travel times from Bangor to Cardiff are at best half a day, we have significant problems of geography and costs associated with this (hotel fees, journey practicalities and time). However, in Wales geography can also be an issue for much more local destinations. Public transport routes between a location in one valley and a nearby location in another valley may be tortuous or non-existent. Video conferencing may be a solution, but as professional and social networking is such a valued feature of many meetings, can this be effectively replicated via a video-link?

How can some these barriers be overcome?

• Collaborate or use partnerships for events! Use vibrant local groups to jointly host successful, well attended events. The North Wales Library Partnership was a superb group to collaborate with. In South Wales groups such as Cardiff Libraries in Co-operation are incredibly active, now run with very little financial assistance. Other local divisions or circles of CILIP's Special Interest Groups or your CILIP Branch may also be able to assist. In the case of Wales it may be more appropriate for us to collaborate with our neighbours in West Midlands, North West, or South West, because transport links make it as easy, or easier, to attend events in Birmingham, Hereford, Chester or Bristol. (It could work the other way around though couldn't it! Marketing events in Wales more actively to colleagues just across Offa's Dyke.)
• Make events free / very low cost, and seek funding to cover costs via other routes. Grant funding, sponsorship, bursaries, awards, and dare I say, creative financing.
• Where possible use central locations, with excellent public transport links, and if possible with addition attractions or benefits.
• Plan well ahead and market your event extensively. Know your intended audience(s) and plan timing to maximise attendance. I consider timing to mean in this context two factors. Recognition of delegate availability (e.g. probably best not to run an event for academic library staff in late September or October). And also training budget cycles. When are training budgets set (April / August / January)?, and so when might chances for successful bids for expenditure from this budget be most successful? Remember that with some organisations expenditure for events that coincide with the end of a financial year, or which can be billed for in advance, using up residual funding in one year, to support CPD in the following, will be successful. Of course, if you are funding an event through means other than delegate charges, then this becomes less relevant, except where creative financing options may be considered.

Case Study

Walled Garden at the National Botanic Gardens of Wales

© Copyright Andrew Hill and licensed for reuse under this Creative Commons Licence

In the Spring 2012 I organised for CILIP Career Development Group in Wales, a one day event at the National Botanic Gardens of Wales with the Gardens' voluntary library manager. The day was planned to enable delegates to find out about:

• botanical and horticultural information and library collections for these subject areas, including the delights of herbaria and seed banks;
• implementation of Koha shareware library management system, and how to do this very successfully on a very small budget;
• the use of volunteers within a library service; and
• the Library's plans for the future.

I naively thought with that spread of fascinating and pertinent topics there would be significant interest from delegates. Unfortunately we had far too few bookings to make the event viable and so cancelled the event at one week's notice.

So what did I learn from this?

• Sell-ability. Potential delegates may have found it difficult to convince their line manager that attending this event was good use of their time and would provide excellent returns for expenditure from the training budget
• Affordability. If your employer wouldn't pay for your attendance, then the pricing was too high for self-funders (£40). If this is an option then delegates may also be burdened with using a day's leave and funding transport costs.
• Geography. The Gardens are difficult to get to unless travelling by car. Public transport would have been viable, but the journey is time consuming and a further expense. (I'm not quite so convinced by this one. No one contacted me to see if lift-sharing was possible, or if a quicker connection from the local train station could be collectively organised.)
• Increasing professional malaise or apathy? I hope not, but sometimes I can't help but suspect that this is the case.

What might be the way forward?

• Technology - video conferencing / virtual meetings are proving to be a vibrant and low-cost means for providing cpd. But technology has it's limitations: uneven user demographic; barriers caused by the technology; the lack of “by chance”, face to face networking opportunities.
• More local “live” networking events: pub meets, New Professionals meet ups; charity fund-raising initiatives.
• Mentoring – mentees and mentors both gaining through formal planning, discussion and evaluation of professional development, job roles, professional issues etc.
• CILIP Branch and Group Review. Changes to enable Groups and Branches to be more sustainable, but also more vibrant, creative, effective and supported.
• Where geography allows, the formation of cross-sectoral local groups providing cpd events, forums for discussion and debate, library visits etc. Partnership working between groups of all different types, sharing the burdens and risks of running events, but also gaining through their collaborative muscle and reputation. For CDG Wales linking more directly with the Annual CILIP Wales Conference might be a good way of promoting the Group, increasing our membership and our activity levels.
• Further exploration of alternative funding mechanisms and sources.

Regrettably, I don't have a prescription guaranteed to provide success. I do have ideas, enthusiasm and energy to support events, where and however I can. But what do you think?