ISSUE 3 Autumn 2014 · delivering digital inclusion, led by the Tinder Foundation. They support much of our work in delivering digital projects and have recently released the Library

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CONTENTS (Click to Jump to page)

Page 1 Editorial

Page 2 Code Club - Libraries, Digital Literacy & STEM

By Victoria Hunter

Page 6 1001 Libraries to see before you die!

Page 8 Supporting Libraries Delivering Digital Inclusion

By Luke Wilson & Sharon Wagg

Page 11 Dudley's Digital Festival

By Emily Clark

Page 14 The Glass Box Project

By Tabitha Witherick

Page 22 Choosing to Lead

By Paul Tovell

Page 25 Acknowledgements

Editorial By Paul Tovell,

Access Editorial Team

Welcome to issue 11 of Access, which this time is celebrating all the

current developments in digital services in our libraries. Appropriate,

perhaps, as we celebrate the 25th anniversary of the World Wide

Web this year. And yet recent statistics show that around 14% of the

UK population still lack household internet access. How, you might

ask, can we help?

We showcase opportunities to teach children how to code, and learn

valuable skills they will need in their future careers, in an article from

Cheshire West and Chester Libraries. We also present a report on

the digital making going on in Somerset through their Glass Box

project, which demonstrates just how our digital services can work

for business.

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Editorial (continued)

©PMLG ACCESS - Issue 11 - Autumn 2016

Code Club – Libraries,

Digital Literacy and STEM

In Spring 2016, Northwich Library launched the first of Cheshire

West and Chester Libraries' new after-school Code Clubs. These

free, hour-long sessions are part of the national initiative aiming

to teach primary school children the basics of computer coding

and programming in a fun, relaxed environment. The Code Club

organisation (see www.codeclub.org.uk ) is supported and

subsidised by the Raspberry Pi Foundation, whose aim is to give

every child in the UK a chance to learn about computer

programming. Hopefully this will encourage them to develop a

greater understanding of ICT and foster better engagement with

STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths) subjects.

We are also keen to set up successful Code Clubs in order to

support the Society of Chief Librarians’ (SCL) Digital Offer and to

help develop technologically-literate communities.

I’m incredibly proud that my library was the first to run sessions in

our area. However, I must admit that it did prove a much harder

undertaking than we first anticipated, principally because Code

Clubs are intended to be volunteer-led, and we have only had

tentative relationships with volunteers thus far.

2

Victoria is Team Leader at Northwich Library, on behalf of Cheshire West and Chester Libraries.

By Victoria Hunter

Dudley Libraries have been busy celebrating at their Digital

Festival, which is an idea that has spun directly from the

SCL Digital Leadership programme – a great example of

what can be done on a very low budget when people are

inspired to make things happen!

We include a summary of a stakeholder day around libraries

delivering digital inclusion, led by the Tinder Foundation.

They support much of our work in delivering digital projects

and have recently released the Library Digital Inclusion

Action Research Report. There is also a report on their

digital inclusion project, which used Library Research

Partners to encourage digitally excluded people to get

online.

There is a report from the SCL Choosing to Lead day in

Birmingham, which focussed on opportunities to lead in the

cultural sector, and how digital services might help to

increase our audiences. It also featured outgoing SCL Chair

Ciara Eastell who delivered her view of future potential to

lead in libraries.

Finally I’d like to point out the excellent Libraries Taskforce

blog, which is full of ideas and case studies from libraries

around the country (and from where the opening paragraph

statistics come!) – feel free to have a browse at:

https://librariestaskforce.blog.gov.uk

Best wishes

Paul

http://www.codeclub.org.uk/







https://librariestaskforce.blog.gov.uk/




Fortunately, we have gained the interest and support of an

ICT technician from the University of Chester, Rich, who now

gives up his evening every Thursday in order to work with us.

Over the course of twelve weeks, Rich has shown the

children how to make their own computer games, animations

and quizzes using Scratch software. We have been thrilled

that all six children who registered have shown up for every

single lesson, constantly full of excitement about learning to

code and not put off by the different types of project

encountered.

The lessons are challenging: the first project was to create

an animated "rock band", coding the instruments to play

noises, change shape and even to dance around! For that

first lesson we gave them written instructions to help, but as

the weeks went on we began to limit how much we provided

instructions alongside Rich's teaching. Slowly, they began to

receive only one page at a time, ensuring they had to listen

to Rich as the coding process became more complex.

By the ninth week, they weren't receiving any pages of

instructions at all. The change was incredible; within such a short

space of time, they had learnt enough to answer Rich's questions

and put the fundamentals of their code together with so much

confidence that they didn't even notice the instructions had

disappeared. Sometimes, when they got stuck, we challenged

them to figure it out for themselves and their teamwork grew.

They would go across and help each other, pointing out which

pieces of code weren't working, and it was lovely to see them

engage as a group.

Code Club’s online resources are fantastic in supporting this

development. Each project is clear, thorough, well-constructed

and well-designed for compact teaching within an hour's session.

However, the projects do get harder as the weeks go by – this

isn't an "easy" course. Whilst the fundamentals are the same,

each lesson varies in the different coding principles and

techniques covered. But this is what really helps encourage the

children to think outside the box and understand the concept of

computer logic. In fact, every Thursday at 5pm, they would

actually come sprinting into the library, keen to have fun and get

stuck into the challenge of something so new and complex.

Rich, showing participants a Code Bug and the Python software.

The members of Code Club – hard at work!


But the success of our Code Club is fundamentally down to

Rich as our volunteer leader – his enthusiasm and teaching

skills are the reasons those children became so engaged.

Initially, I was concerned at the idea of having a volunteer so

heavily involved, despite knowing that it must work elsewhere

otherwise the scheme would not advocate it so strongly. My

principal worry was not about reliability or being able to work

with children, it was actually related to the knowledge element

of the course. This is a serious set of skills to teach children –

you would not allow any volunteer who knows what a book is to

go into a school and teach English, for example. If something

goes wrong – which it often does, because coding isn't simple

and children don't always want to just follow the rules – then

someone with only a rudimentary knowledge of coding (like me)

can't explain the "why" that is ultimately needed to make the

teaching effective. And in such a situation, kids will switch off

and the excitement is gone – because what's the point if you

don't know "why"?

I still stand by this point. After twelve weeks watching Rich

teach our Code Club, I can see more than ever that having a

volunteer from the ICT profession, who actually knows and

understands coding and computers – and can answer the

inevitable questions about why programming functions the way

it does – is the most important aspect of running a successful

Code Club. Rich himself has also raised this issue, saying that:

"coding is exceptionally abstract; just reading the instructions

off a sheet will get you from A-Z, but it ignores B-Y and how the

code moves through each of these steps. It is incredibly useful

for the children – as beginners – to know why it’s doing these

seemingly abstract things, why this gives them the result they

end up with, and how their code gets the computer to its end

result.“

Our group really took this on board and you could see the value

they gained from it.

Towards the end of the course, Rich started setting them little

challenges to try at home, and because he had taught the "why"

so clearly and with great focus, some of them actually came back

with 90% perfect pieces of code that they created by themselves

because they understood the principles behind it. Using Scratch,

Rich has taught them how to think logically. The children never

once gave up or expected him to provide all the answers. Instead

they looked at their screens, they looked at their chunks of code

and they gave it an incredible shot, especially given how it was the

first time most of them had ever experienced coding.

It is not just the children who benefit. Rich himself has gained a lot

from volunteering with Code Club, saying that: "it's really

rewarding to see kids interested in where the programmes and

gadgets that they use day-to-day come from, and it's been really

fun teaching them how these things work, despite on the surface it

appearing quite mundane – it's something I never thought of

getting involved with before! But so many children today use

computers and technology without a second thought – they can't

imagine a world without it – it's so important that they understand

how it all works and the amazing amount of detail that's contained

in coding."

It has certainly been rewarding to see first-hand how libraries like

mine can contribute to this unique opportunity for 9-11 year olds.

When we asked the group what they had liked best about being

part of Code Club, the response was primarily about fun: “you can

learn all about coding and have fun doing it!" Even their parents

could not believe how involved the children were becoming in this

exciting new world of programming.

We evaluated the impact of Code Club by giving the group simple,

child-friendly feedback sheets that asked them how much they

liked attending (with a range of very happy to very sad smiley

faces to choose from) and to describe Code Club in three words.


I ensured that Code Club was added to the agenda of a Senior

Management Team meeting in order for me to debrief on the

experience and its impact. Our success has certainly

encouraged their desire to roll this initiative out to other

libraries. In terms of support from the Code Club national

organisation, we haven’t received very much, but we also

haven’t asked for it. We are aware of the support available, and

the meet-ups in big cities, but we have been quite content to

run it our way fairly independently. As a word of caution,

though, most of the information seems geared towards schools

and teachers1, and perhaps they are not aiming their support

at libraries specifically enough. 1 There are currently 4,589 Code Clubs registered on the official site, of which 4,228

are in primary schools and just 361 in public libraries – as of 1 August 2016

The whole group is now keen to sign up to the next level (Python)

and Rich is also thrilled that he can continue to teach them new

projects whilst also getting started with a fresh set of beginners in

September.

Believe me: as an initiative, Code Club is worth participating in –

whether setting one up, or just getting involved by volunteering,

it's a rewarding, challenging and fascinating scheme to be a part

of. Computer programming is the path of the future and I'm so

proud to know that my library is making a contribution towards

greater understanding, even if only to six kids who are coding

animations and games after school. Because everyone has to

start somewhere: Steve Jobs began somewhat unassumingly with

Heathkits. So who knows – perhaps one of our ten year-olds will

be following in his footsteps? I certainly hope so.

Victoria, Rich and the members of Code Club celebrate their learning and proudly display their certificates!

1001 Libraries to see before you die This is the Stadtbibliothek Stuttgart. Like our last entry, this library was opened in 2011. Designed by Cologne-based Architect Eun Young Yi, the building is a

perfect 45m cube, with 9 floors and facades consisting of 9x9 windows set in glass blocks in pale grey concrete frames. The glass blocks are lit to spectacular

effect at night. The website for you to send your suggestions for great libraries can be found here: http://1001libraries.wordpress.com/


http://1001libraries.wordpress.com/









1001 Libraries to see before you die – Stadtbibliothek Stuttgart


Tinder Foundation – supporting libraries delivering digital inclusion

By Luke Wilson Project Delivery Manager at Tinder Foundation


Back in September, more than 100 library professionals and

stakeholders met in Sheffield to discuss Libraries Delivering

Digital Inclusion. This event was focussed entirely on libraries

and followed the launch of our recently released Library Digital

Inclusion Action Research Report1. This paper looked in-

depth at how library services can utilise their local position and

connections, and galvanise basic digital skills within

communities.

The event provided an opportunity to share practical advice

and inspirational stories from across the country, and

highlighted the key themes that seem to make digital inclusion

in libraries really work. The discussion ranged from library

governance models to working with small and medium-sized

enterprises (SMEs), from library equipment loan schemes to

working with jobseekers, from volunteer management to

mobile technology and outreach.

We explored some of the very real challenges facing libraries.

In our growing digital world, this means libraries are having to

deliver more digital services, and there’s no pretending that it’s

not a significant challenge in the face of cuts and closures. It’s

especially difficult when Local Authorities are also increasingly

looking to libraries to support their digital-by-default service

agendas by reaching out to those with least digital access and

least digital skills.

1http://www.tinderfoundation.org/our-thinking/research-publications/library-digital-

inclusion-fund-action-research-project-final

For some libraries, channel shift has actually been an

opportunity to really demonstrate that they’re more than just

books to funders, partners, councils and councillors. It was

great to hear how many libraries were using Management

Information - including from Learn My Way and Tinder

Foundation’s CaptureIT tool - to evidence the impact of their

digital inclusion work to key stakeholders and funders.

At Tinder Foundation, we want to help more libraries do more

with digital. And we believe that events like this one, where

libraries can come together to share, and learn and

disseminate, are the way to spread the message and, in the

end, a way to both prepare and protect our libraries for the

future.

We’ll be summarising and sharing all the discussions from the

day in due course, but overall what the day demonstrated to me

was that libraries are an important part of the local community

picture that can deliver digital access and digital skills to help

plug welfare, cohesion and other societal gaps.

Digital skills cannot just be seen in isolation - digital sweeps

through every aspect of modern life. These skills are now key in

education, in financial and information literacy, in supporting

SMEs, in combating social isolation and promoting community

integration, in helping people find work and do jobs, in the use

of digital health and social care services, in accessing benefits,

applying for social housing and school places - to name just a

few.

http://www.tinderfoundation.org/our-thinking/research-publications/library-digital-inclusion-fund-action-research-project-final


























As libraries make up half of our UK online centres network,

Tinder Foundation is committed to ensuring libraries have the

support and resources required to effectively deliver, evidence

and advocate their digital inclusion work.

We strongly believe that libraries have the potential to help us

close the digital skills gap, and reduce social inequalities. We

will continue to improve our support for libraries delivering digital

inclusion – both for existing and new members of the Library

Online Centres2 network. We will do this through the new look

Learn My Way website, and through training opportunities3,

funding programmes4, and wider network support5 to advance

and promote the great digital inclusion work which libraries are

undertaking.

If you’re not part of our network - we’d love you to join us! Just

email [email protected].

We’d also love you to just join the discussion - come and talk to

us, library and information professionals and people from library

professional bodies on the Digital Libraries Hub6.

2 https://www.ukonlinecentres.com/specialist-networks/libraries 3 https://www.ukonlinecentres.com/training 4 https://www.ukonlinecentres.com/funding 5 https://www.ukonlinecentres.com/join-the-network/why-join-the-network/libraries 6 http://digitallibrarieshub.ning.com/


The ‘Libraries Delivering Digital Inclusion’ event in Sheffield.

https://www.ukonlinecentres.com/specialist-networks/libraries










https://www.ukonlinecentres.com/training








https://www.ukonlinecentres.com/funding








https://www.ukonlinecentres.com/join-the-network/why-join-the-network/libraries


















http://digitallibrarieshub.ning.com/








Tinder’s digital inclusion project

By Sharon Wagg Research Co-ordinator at Tinder Foundation


As Research Lead on Tinder Foundation’s Library Digital

Inclusion Fund action research project, I’ve travelled up and

down the country visiting the 16 participating library services.

Delivering in over 200 library branches in both rural and urban

areas, and in a variety of outreach locations, the Library Digital

Inclusion Fund supported over 1,600 digitally excluded people

to improve their basic digital skills. A summary of some of our

key findings is below:

Partnerships are key in helping libraries to reach and support

new audiences

Library Research Partners built on the reputation of the library

‘brand’ to engage partners and support their digital inclusion

delivery models. They helped recruit volunteers, reach

established groups, and deliver in trusted outreach locations1.

Mobile equipment is essential in delivering outreach sessions,

and in engaging older or more vulnerable groups

Mobile devices such as WiFi enabled tablets and laptops, and

mobile WiFi hotspots, made it possible to take the library

service out into the community, enabling libraries to deliver

digital inclusion activities in outreach locations such as

hospitals, churches, foodbanks, and local community centres.

1 https://www.ukonlinecentres.com/specialist-networks/libraries/case-studies

for case study examples.

Libraries need to collect robust digital inclusion data to track the

progress of their learners and programmes, and demonstrate

their impact to funders and stakeholders

Through the project the Library Research Partners were able to

accurately record and track the progress of their learners and

collect rich management information using Tinder Foundation’s

online learning platform learnmyway.com, which automatically

captures data on learners’ activity, and online tutor return tool

CaptureIT2.

Full findings of the report can be found on the Tinder

Foundation website3.

Sharon Wagg is Research Coordinator at Tinder Foundation,

and can be reached at : [email protected]

2 https://www.ukonlinecentres.com/running-your-centre/learn-my-

way-capture-it-basic-digital-skills-survey

3 http://www.tinderfoundation.org/our-thinking/research-

publications/library-digital-inclusion-fund-action-research-project-final

https://www.ukonlinecentres.com/specialist-networks/libraries/case-studies












mailto:[email protected]



https://www.ukonlinecentres.com/running-your-centre/learn-my-way-capture-it-basic-digital-skills-survey












































Dudley Libraries’ Digital Festival

By Emily Clark Service Development Librarian at Dudley Libraries


On 8th October 2016, Dudley Libraries held a digital-themed

day aimed at families and branded as a ‘digital festival’ with

the intention of raising the profile of libraries as a place to learn

digital skills.

Planning and promotion

I attended the SCL digital leadership programme in Oct-Dec

2015, and came up with the initial idea for the festival, to

accelerate interest in the programme of digital activities that

were already on offer in libraries and contribute to the STEM

agenda which is gaining more prominence in school and

college curriculums.

We anticipated that the event may gain a lot of interest and

planned ambitiously for a high attendance. An Eventbrite page

was set up and used to publicise and manage bookings for the

event, and schools and colleges were made aware of the

event, by sending out information on school bulletins and

newsletters via the network of literacy coordinators.

What happened

A committee of staff from all levels, with an interest in digital,

were involved in planning and delivering activities which

included the following:

Left: 3-D Printing with FizzPop

Right: Minecraft Masks

Left: Scratch Coding Right: Digital Music-making


• Minecraft taster sessions and Minecraft masks craft

• Creating light up robot cards using LEDs, cell batteries and

electric paint

• Code UK showing children how to create animations and

games using Scratch

• Raspberry pi introductory sessions

• Stop motion animation using plasticine models and iPads

• Beauty Blogging Workshop

• Digital music creation

• K-Nex

• XBox gaming tournaments

• Social media workshop with Adam Koszary from University

of Oxford’s Bodleian Library

• Film Screening of web series ‘Video Game High School’

• Birmingham Makerspace FizzPop demonstrating 3D

printers and running a digital torch craft

• Dudley College bought a DIY rocket launcher and

electronics

• Competitions including a QR Codes trail, and prizes such

as Think Tank Science Museum tickets.

The festival took place at Halesowen library from 10am – 2pm,

with activities taking place over five floors and in multiple

locations. There was a real buzz about the day, and children

were dressed in Minecraft t-shirts, running around to explore

everything that was going on.

Impact

• 200 bookings were taken via the Eventbrite page, with 600

people visiting the library on the day.

Above: Electric Paint Robot Cards

Left: Stop- Motion Animation

Right: K-Nex


• Lots of positive feedback was collected from families attending

the event. The event was described as ‘very fun – something

new’, ‘really relevant to my son’s interest’, with ‘loads of

exciting activities to get involved in’.

• Perceptions were altered about what libraries have to offer

and people who attended the event said they would now ‘look

more to find out what’s on’ in libraries.

• The taster format for activities allowed us to see which digital

activities are most popular – this will be helpful in planning

future events

• New members were attracted to the library and several people

joined on the day.

• Exciting partnerships were made with contributors, which can

be capitalised on when planning future events.

• The event was attended by a local councillor, increasing local

political awareness of the contribution that libraries can make.

Reflection

The festival was particularly exciting for me, as it was a chance to

see my idea realised. Although it involved a lot of planning, the

costs involved were low as volunteers were utilised, all partners

contributed free of charge and we made our own publicity. The

only costs were on staff and materials for the activities.

Many people who came asked for more of the same, and there

are plans for another Code Club and some spin off ‘mini maker’

activities for the school holidays. A big event like this is great for

grabbing attention and testing the waters for the community

appetite for more of this type of activity. There is so much more

mileage in many of the partnerships that have been made

through planning the Digital Festival, so we are hoping that this is

just the beginning.

To find more about Dudley Libraries and upcoming events, follow

us on twitter @dudleylibraries

Left: Raspberry Pi Workshop Right: DIY Rocket Launcher

Left: 3D-Printed Models Right: Electronics from Dudley College

https://www.twitter.com/dudleylibraries



Enterprise & Innovation in Somerset Libraries

By Tabitha Witherick Service Manager – Development at Somerset Library Service


So do you need to be in a city to make digital making work? No!

In our experience being in an area where digital making doesn’t

yet have a big profile puts your library in a unique and exciting

position. In 2015 a new set of commissioning outcomes were

agreed for Somerset Libraries to deliver on, which include:

• More people are enabled and inspired to make the most of

the digital world

• Libraries contribute to economic growth in Somerset

Whilst we already delivered well on ‘digital enabling’ and had

traditionally offered business information, we were keen to

develop a project that helped to give greater profile to resources

already available in libraries (company data, market reports,

electronic factsheets for start-ups, free Wi-Fi) and grow the

‘digital inspiration’ aspect of our offer.

We wanted to:

• Demonstrate and build on the libraries’ role in ‘cradle to

grave’ skills development and how this supports economic

growth.

• Broaden partnerships to bring relevant partner led business

focused activity and ‘expert’ volunteers to libraries.

• Demonstrate what is possible, test demand and ‘prototype’

the future library offer for business start- ups, skills

development and digital making.

We started by plotting what we were already doing and how this

might be developed, through an infographic. This proved very

helpful when engaging partners with our ambition and ideas.

(We had a lot of conversations!).


What emerged was a plan to create a new space for individual

and collaborative working and learning at Taunton Library (our

busiest library located in Somerset’s county town); to support

business start-ups, digital making and skills development. A

flexible space where we would host a range of digital maker and

business events from Code Club to digital skills training for

businesses.

The space itself, a shop front within the library building, had

previously been the Tourist Information Centre. The phrase

‘Glass Box’ was coined by our commissioning manager and it

stuck! We liked the way it represented what we were trying to

achieve - creating visibility for library resources and giving

people an inspiring view into the digital world.

Our property team granted us use of the space for a year, and

we felt this offered a good timeframe to experiment with a range

of partners, events and services.

Launch

We spent a few months planning, influencing and network

building behind the scenes, followed by an intense period

preparing the space.

We then held a Digital Day at the end of June to launch the

project and it has been all go ever since.

Enterprise

Aim

To support budding entrepreneurs, business start-ups and

creative minds, with business information, webinars and

workshops.

Why?

• Create a town centre focal point and unique space for

knowledge sharing and digital skills for business start-ups and

SMEs.

• Early stage failure rates could be reduced from around 65%

with the introduction of incubator and innovation centres.

How?

We are actively seeking partners to offer one off ‘pop up’ events or

regular activities such as workshops or one to one drop-ins.


Highlights so far

• Google Digital Garage on Tour - A Google trainer came from

Manchester and ran two workshops for over 100 local

businesses. The sessions included ‘Tell your story online’ and

‘Reach new customers’. We were delighted to get ‘Google’ to

Taunton!

• Funding for Google Digital Garage Workshops - We

successfully bid for funding from the Tinder Foundation to

enable the delivery of small Google Digital Garage workshops

to help businesses build digital skills to reach more customers

online.

• Social Media workshop - As part of the super-fast broadband

roll out programme ‘Get up to speed’, we hosted a business

focused social media workshop. We could have booked this

out multiple times.

• FSB Meet the expert (Growth hacking) - The local branch of

the Federation of Small Businesses developed and ran an

event providing expert advice to help businesses grow,

promote and increase their profit. Five top experts in their field

were available to advise and help businesses with social

media, business planning, networking, digital resources and

accounting.

Coming soon

A programme of business and expert delivered events are in the

pipeline as local partners have come forward having attended an

event themselves.

Innovation

Aim

Inspiring digital skills development through coding, robotics and

digital making.

Why?

• The CBI estimates that nearly 40% of firms looking for staff with

digital skills have had difficulties recruiting.

• House of Lords report warns that the UK could be left behind in

terms of digital skills.

• 82% of young people are interested in digital making. However,

half of young people make things with digital technology less

than once a week or never.


How?

We are recruiting expert volunteers and STEM Ambassadors to

set up a range of digital making workshops and events.

Highlights so far

• Raspberry Jam - Taunton’s first ever ‘Raspberry Jam’ was

organised and hosted by two teenage volunteers and

included workshops exploring digital making - scratch,

python, electronics, robotics and the sonic Pi.

• Maker in Residence – The Technical Director of a large

company, (with a background in electronics, software and

innovation through technology) is volunteering as the first

Digital Maker in Residence. His ‘make things, do stuff –

robotics for fun’ sessions have proved popular and he is

currently exploring evening coding sessions for adults.

• Code Club - Our weekly group for 9-11 year olds to learn

coding and digital making such as games and websites from

expert volunteers restarted after the summer holiday in its new

home.

• 3D Printing - The 3D printers have been used for a variety of

projects, including miniature train enthusiasts, for school

homework and by our Maker in Residence to create robotics

chassis. There has also been interest from a number of

businesses and local schools .

• Fun Palaces - As well as hosting a SCL SW regional workshop

in the lead up to Fun Palaces, we also held a staff invented and

led robotics themed Fun Palace on 1st October. The day was

hugely successful in engaging a range of ages, most notably it

attracted 8 to 16 year olds and kept them busy at the library for

hours! The mobile 3D printer was requested at the Wells

Library space themed Fun Palace - printing the ratchet sent into

space for Tim Peakes.

• Taunton Developers Meetup - The local developers group now

meet in the Glass Box, to raise their profile, recruit new

members and hopefully support community activity, such as

skills sharing or hack events

Coming soon

• 3D Printing Workshops - Local 3D printer manufacturers,

Robox, are running workshops to demonstrate their innovative

product. This includes multi material printing, as well as router

and cutter options


• Open Innovation Challenge - WSP Parsons Brinckerhoff are

sponsoring an Open Innovation Challenge - Groups of

students will be asked to think innovatively under the theme of

SMART Somerset, resulting in a pitch of their ideas to a

Dragons Den style panel. The process will be facilitated by an

external Digital Making expert.

• Apps for Good - We have been keen to use the Apps for

Good programme (teaching young people to develop and

create apps) and are excited that one of the local colleges are

planning to run this for students in The Glass Box.

• Workshops with schools - We also have some workshops

planned that will actively engage with schools and colleges

about how they can further use the space and resources.

• Open Data – Very early conversations are starting about the

potential of Open Data.

The recipe

• Flexible, highly visible space - It was important that the space

we designed was allowed us to easily reconfigure for a variety

of needs. We also wanted any furniture to be reusable after

the end of the yearlong experiment.

• Team - The development of the project was very much a team

effort, and it certainly would not have been possible without

the dedication, hard work and commitment of all involved.

• Expert Volunteers – Central to the delivery of events has been

expert volunteers. They have come forward through STEMnet

(we ran a local event in the lead up to launch) and people

have also come from the local community by dropping in to

find out what we are doing.

• Lego Mindstorms and BB8 - Mindstorms offer a range of

robotics projects and work well as a step up from our popular

Lego Clubs. The little Sphero BB8 is a hugely popular droid!

The robots can be controlled by code as well as apps.

• Raspberry Pi and Pi kit - this kit included Kano kits (step by

step computer building made simple), CamJam sets, such as

the Raspberry Pi Robotics kit which includes the electronics

and the coding factsheets.

• Littlebits, Makey Makey, and Micro Drone - tools to support

invention, electronics and basic Internet of Things experiments.

Kit

We have invested in some kit

to get us started. This includes:

• 3D Printers - One Ultimaker

Pro and one Ultimaker2Go.

We decided to hire these

from a company as one of

the teams main concern was

about support, maintenance

and training - this is included

in the package. The other

benefit of hire is that after

the three year hire period we

could easily upgrade to a

newer model (budget

allowing). We also have a

3D scanner but haven't got

the software connected yet.


• Virtual Reality goggles and Google cardboard - these use an

app on a mobile phone so aren't at all expensive, but have

been hugely popular.

• PCs, Laptops, tablets, 65” wall mounted screen and increased

WiFi capacity - providing flexible use of technology within the

space.

• Software - we requested a unique image for the laptops, which

included CAD software for 3D printing design and Minecraft.

• Business resources - a suite of large colourful posters were

designed to promote existing services such as Cobra, MINT

and Access to Research, as well as online tools like the

brilliant FutureLearn courses and British Library Business and

IP webinars.

• A full list of equipment and software is available on the

website (www.somerset.gov.uk/glassbox).

Budget

So you are no doubt wondering about the money! We scanned

around for potential funding opportunities, but there wasn't anything

immediately obvious or practical to apply for. We could have created

a programme of events within the existing library space at a lower

cost, but we felt we would get more profile from a 'shop front'

approach.

Not having external funding has obviously limited the scale of what

we could achieve, but it has also liberated us from targets and

predefined outcomes and has made us work hard to draw in new

partnerships, volunteers and sponsors. We have been able to

experiment within the stated aims of the project, which has resulted

in some great case studies and opportunities to develop further.

We were offered five days of Arts Council funded consultancy time

via our bridge organisation RIO. This provided us with details of the

social enterprise model and has allowed us to work on a range of

income generating options, to potentially enable a cost neutral

operation in the future.

Challenges

• IT - Working with our council IT provider was both helpful and

difficult. No doubt we have asked them to innovate in a way other

departments don't. They stepped up, but time was left very tight

and we had to step in at various times to find workarounds.

• Staff time - We don't currently have lots of frontline resource to

support the project and there is more that we would like to do.

The staff time we do have is spent upskilling and confidence

building, as well as supporting the volunteer led events and

activities.


• A future uncertain - starting on this journey without an end

game was a risk and at times it has felt like a big risk! And yet,

for us, not running with this project would have been the

biggest risk of all. In a time when digital technology is

changing so rapidly we believe libraries will have an ever

increasing role supporting people to navigate the digital world.

The question is, are we able to mobilise, evolve and change

quickly enough to support our communities with their digital

learning needs?

Successes

• Having a memorable, if slightly random, name for the project

has helped. It seems to stick with people and many we talk to

now say ‘oh yes I’ve heard of The Glass Box.

• Colleagues in our Economic Development team have been

incredibly supportive, and actually the relationship has been

mutually beneficial - we have each made new connections as

a result of working more closely together.

• We brought in 2TimesDo to provide workshops for the library

team in advance of opening. This helped staff by breaking the

ice with some of the kit available in the space.

• We have recruited a new development officer, who teaches

the coding curriculum in school part time and works with us

part time and we have new volunteers and potential partners

coming forward as what we are doing is very visible.

• Key decision makers within the council now see how libraries

can contribute to economic growth and skills development and

are supportive of what we are doing.

• Our three month review showed we have had 5144 visitors,

170+ businesses engaged, 25+ events and workshops, 100+

young participants, 12 new volunteers have come forward and

10+ new partners.

Top tips

If you would like to do something similar in your library, here are

some tips:

• Get out there and talk to people. Influence anyone and everyone

who will listen about the benefits of a project such as this.

Having advocates in the right places will open doors to further

conversations (and maybe even pots of money).

• Bring staff aboard early and keep in contact throughout. We

adjusted how we developed aspects of the project, for example

one of the team’s main concerns was around the 3D printers,

which we ultimately decided to rent. This option included

training, ongoing support and servicing (and also means we can

upgrade after 3 years as technology will no doubt move on!)


• Use digital tools to tell your story. We have used Piktochart

to plot our ambitions, Storify to amplify our events and Prezi

for exciting presentations.

• Don’t worry about things not being perfect. Learn from your

mistakes and understand that failure is part of the process.

• Don’t limit your ambition. You may not manage everything

you aspire to, but you’re more likely to get further by being

ambitious about what is possible. As one local entrepreneur

said to me ‘You have to visualise it if you want to make it

happen”.

• Do your research. Ask people who are already doing this

sort of thing. Corinne Hill from Chattanooga Libraries

(recommend you find out more) says ‘Innovation is on the

edge of what is already happening’, so make sure you know

what is happening! Libraries in the US are leading the way

with digital making and we spent time checking out their

websites. Travelling Librarian blog is a really helpful source.

And of course we visited the inspiration that is FabLab

Devon and Business and IP Centre in Exeter (thank you

neighbours!).

• When it comes to digital making start with whatever you can

manage. It can come in all shapes and sizes. SCL Code

Green Toolkit is a great place to explore.

• Attend a few unconferences and digital making/ hack events.

I’ve attended days like #CityMash at City of London and

Things Camp in Plymouth to catch up with what others are

doing with digital making (it’s great for inspiration, confidence

building and creating a network of contacts). I’ve recently

heard that I’m off to MozFest with library folk from across the

country thanks to an SCL Digital Leaders bursary, so should

come back with loads more ideas. And if you can’t get to the

events yourself, jump onto Twitter and get chatting with those

who are there using the event hashtag.

https://storify.com/GlassBoxTaunton/google-digital-garage-on-tour

http://prezi.com/n4mmqsnec3ry/?utm_campaign=share&utm_medium=copy&rc=ex0share

http://chattlibrary.org/4th-floor




https://travellinglibrarian2015.wordpress.com/





https://www.fablabdevon.org/



https://new.devon.gov.uk/business-info-hub/







http://goscl.com/codegreen/







http://citymash.github.io/

http://citymash.github.io/

http://www.devonportguildhall.org/2016/05/13/internet-things-comes-devonport-guildhall/



https://mozillafestival.org/

Choosing to Lead A day of stimulating conversation for library managers

By Paul Tovell Business Support Manager and Stock and Activities Officer at Staffordshire Libraries


I recently attended the Choosing to Lead day at the Library of

Birmingham, organised by the Clore Foundation, the British

Library and the Society of Chief Librarians. The aim of the day

was to encourage more people from the library sector to

consider investing in their leadership potential, by applying for a

Clore Fellowship. Sue Hoyle from Clore explained that out of all

the arts and cultural organisations, they receive very few

applications from library professionals. This day was aimed at

trying to change that.

The day had a very theatrical theme – the facilitator Fearghus

O’Conchuir was also a choreographer by trade, and we had not

one but two presentations from key leaders in the theatre

sector. You might wonder, as I did, what theatres have to do

with libraries, but we left enlightened. Fiona Allan gave a great

presentation about her time leading the Curve Theatre in

Leicester and the Birmingham Hippodrome. She, just like us,

has to deliver cultural and social value whilst operating like a

business, and constantly has to evidence the impact and

outcomes they make. The key points I took from it were:

• As library professionals, we need to be on the cultural

boards of our local areas. Many areas now have committees

to develop cultural offers – libraries need to be represented at

this level! At the very least, we can offer space and our

extremely enviable access to diverse audiences. Fiona’s

advice was, don’t wait to be invited to these boards, be a

gate-crasher! But whenever you are invited to any sort of

cross-cultural event or board, always say yes.

• Be aware that many organisations are into Corporate Social

Responsibility (CSR) and may be keen to invest in your library,

or your projects, as part of their remit. And don’t be afraid to ask

for help.

• One of the key tasks is to do a partner audit in your town or

area. Who are the key partners, and what do they have to offer –

money, influence, in-kind activities?

• Whenever you’re in a partnership, make sure you’re asking the

key question – what’s in it for me / my service? Are you getting

enough out of your partnerships?

• We need to attract new audiences. The key reason that people

from diverse ethnic backgrounds just didn’t come to Fiona’s

theatre was that “no-one in there looks like us”. Her response

was to completely change that – but how far have we got with it?

Birmingham is a good example – by 2024 there will be a white

minority in the city. If you lose some of your traditional audience

who might not like your new direction, don’t worry. As long as

you replace them with new audiences, does it matter?

Roxana Silbert, Artistic Director at the Birmingham REP Theatre,

was interviewed in another session, and she outlined her unusual

career path, and how leading isn’t always about managing people

in a traditional hierarchy, but it’s also about passion, enthusiasm,

respect, and taking opportunities. Again, this chimed well with the

point of the whole day – Clore does offer fantastic opportunities for

personal development.


Ciara Eastell, as outgoing chair of SCL, also gave a keynote

presentation, where she outlined her view of the current

opportunities to lead within the library sector. These included:

• Leading digital services, in order to transform what libraries do

• Partnership and collaboration – the more we do in partnership,

the greater impact we can have. Our trust and reach into the

community is enviable.

• Impact across the policy spectrum – We offer a universal

service, and the trick is to navigate it with confidence. We are

the answer to policy makers’ problems – they just don’t know it!

We need to change that by gathering evidence.

• Entrepreneurship – Seek alternative business models, and

opportunities to grow. It is vital that we learn to take risks.

• Workforce – We are very good at being focussed on what

customers really need; very flexible and adaptable. But how

do we grow it, diversify it, and marshal the experience of all

our volunteers. Is there a group locally who we haven’t yet

asked for help?

Finally she pointed out something I’d never fully appreciated – we

as library workers understand how to talk to civic leaders in a

way that most other people working in our sector do not. And

that’s actually rather valuable.

The rest of the day was taken up by some interesting sessions

focussing on the difference between leading and managing, and

examining the key drivers for why we work in our profession – we

clearly all have very different reasons for being here, and it was

refreshing to remember just how many good things there are

about working in our roles.

One of the discussions was around how libraries can become more

collaborative, and the answers included advertising each other’s

venues to audiences, mapping partnerships (i.e. not just inheriting

them but being proactive and deciding future directions), being

willing to hand over the keys, offering space for breakfast meetings,

and collaborating with the audience (asking why they come and

what they’d like to see). It is paramount that we get better at getting

content into local communities, such as screening theatre

productions in a library in real-time. There really were some very

interesting ideas.

We also all captured some offers and opportunities within the room

at the end of the day, which included an invite for guest bloggers to

contribute to the Library Taskforce blog. All in all, I was pleasantly

surprised by how much I got out of the day. The Clore Foundation

advertise their short courses here1, and I would not be surprised if

their applications from the library end of the sector increased this

year.

1 http://cloreleadership.org/Clore-Short-Course-Application.aspx

The Curve Theatre in Leicester, which Fiona Allen managed. Success there was defined by people protesting outside the doors if there was ever a threat to its survival.

http://cloreleadership.org/Clore-Short-Course-Application.aspx









Please get in touch if you have any ideas for articles or you

would like to contribute. E-mail us at [email protected]

with your thoughts and we can provide more information and

guidelines for authors. You can also keep in touch with what’s

going on by following PMLG on Twitter: @CILIPPMLG

PMLG Committee Members 2016

Chair: Jacquie Widdowson

Vice-Chair: Jon Davis

Treasurer: Mike Brook

Hon. Secretary: Sue Cook

Membership Sec: Emily Clark

Editorial Team: Paul Tovell

Emily Clark

Saran Pope

Journal Publisher: Jon Davis

Events: Julia Shepherd

Committee Members: Stella Chevalier

Sue Lawson


All Material in this publication remains the copyright of the

Public & Mobile Libraries Group of CILIP.

Photographs are reproduced by permission of article Authors,

unless otherwise credited.

Reproduction of this material is only permitted with full

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© Reproduced by kind permission of Charles M Shultz Foundation – All Rights Reserved.




ISSUE 3 Autumn 2014 · delivering digital inclusion, led by the Tinder Foundation. They support much of our work in delivering digital projects and have recently released the Library

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