NE Links October 2015

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NE LINKS the journal of the CILIP

North East Member Network

Volume 6, October 2015

Note from the editor

Welcome to the October issue of NE Links, which is packed with reports and updates from the region’s library and

information world!

We’re very proud that former CDG NE committee member, Tracey Ainsley, received an honorary Fellowship from

CILIP at the AGM last month following a nomination made by the CILIP North East committee.

Very importantly, we held our half day conference, Beyond the Horizon, at the beginning of September and I’m

looking for reports from this event to include in the January issue of NE Links. Do get in touch with your reports

from this event!

In this issue…

Note from the editor……...………………………………………………………………………………………….………………………..……...… page 1

Beyond the Horizon: CILIP NE Conference .………………………………………………………………..…………………………….….... page 2

Shaping the Future: Update from Nick Poole, CILIP CEO...………………………………………………….………………..………… page 3

Honorary Fellowship: Tracey Ainsley …..……………………………………………………………………………..…………………………. page 4

Viki Lagus Prize 2015 ..………………………………...…………………………………………………………………………………….……... pages 5-7

National Acquisitions Group Conference ………………………...……………………. .……………………………………….…..….pages 8-10

CILIP NE visit to Whitley Bay High School …………………………………………………………………………………….……..……….. page 11

Reading is Power: YLG NE unconference …………………………………………………………………………………………….…. pages 12-13

Visit to Seven Stories Collections Department ………………………………………………………………………………………….…. page 14

Forthcoming events ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….………… page 15

Keep up to date...

Check out our webpages

Like us on Facebook

Follow us on Twitter

Read our email newsletter (sent to all CILIP

members in the North East—you must register to

receive email newsletters on your CILIP profile)

Get involved...

Please get in touch if you have any ideas for

features or articles to contribute.

[email protected]

Next issue publication date: 4 January 2016

Deadline for contributions: 21 December 2015

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CILIP North East Conference

Beyond the Horizon: Bringing the Information World Together

North of England Institute of Mining and Mechanical Engineers, 9th September 2015

On Wednesday 9th September 2015 the North of England Institute of Mining and Mechanical Engineers (or the

Mining Institute for short!) played host to the first CILIP North East Conference. Capitalising on the success of the

mini-Umbrella conferences that the old North East branch used to run, this half day conference is set to become an

annual event. The purpose of the conference is to inspire attendees, share knowledge, raise debate and provide

networking opportunities. And this conference definitely achieved this. It was an opportunity for members to hear

about a wide range of projects taking place across libraries in the region—for free!

Fiona and Fionn from the CILIP North East committee were live-tweeting throughout the day. Check out the tweets

at: twitter.com/cilipne and more from attendees via the official conference hashtag: #CILIPNEconf.

Call for articles!

So now it’s over to you...if you attended the CILIP North East Conference and would like to write a report of the

event, or of a particular talk that inspired you, please send any contributions to Elaine Andrew, CILIP NE Journal &

Newsletter Editor ([email protected]). Articles will be published in the January issue of NE Links.

Source: https://twitter.com/CILIPNE/status/641611997159796736

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Shaping the Future: Update from Nick Poole, CILIP Chief Executive

CILIP CEO, Nick Poole, attended our Committee meeting on Wednesday 30th September to give us an update about

the Shaping the Future consultation. Introductions were delivered by committee members and Nick Poole was wel-

comed to the meeting.

Nick outlined the context of change in CILIP as they consult with members and plan for the new strategy from

CILIP. Topics highlighted involved:

What is working at CILIP and what can be improved:

CILIP are currently trying to set out their strategic plan. What is the defining challenge which CILIP could address as

a focus?

Fight against an issue, for example, de-professionalisation and a declining membership.

Fight for an issue, for example, articulate value of what information professionals do for a living and get this

recognised by your employer, the media and the wider world.

Fundamental pillars of strategic plan:

Planning for growth: believe that CILIP can and should grow. Creating more value and making being a

member more useful. Complete overhaul of the membership model. Research (http://www.parnglobal.com/

publications/membership/membership-fees-and-structures-in-professional-bodies-pdf) has indicated that

CILIP is towards the upper bracket for membership fees. Need to costs of membership without undermining

the value

CILIP finding a voice and becoming powerful advocates.

Promoting professionalism/CPD and getting the message out there about the workforce

Raising aspirations – quality and not quantity in terms of activities engaged in/issues they focus on with the

aim of having greater impact

Embracing information literacy and knowledge management topics and workers in those sectors

Going digital by default at CILIP – improvements already starting such as online joining

This was followed by a round table discussion which included the following topics:

Role of CILIP versus that of a trade union

CILIP’s role in speaking with the Treasury and other politicians

Importance of voluntary work of members and the number of activists/hours committed

Workforce mapping survey due to be published

Transferrable skills – i.e. to help people to move from public to academic. PKSB is a good way of mapping

that but we need to translate this for employers

Need for CILIP to be more vocal about library issues such as public library cuts

Need for “solidarity at a local level” to support library & information workers

The Consultation document for the strategy is at: http://www.cilip.org.uk/sites/default/files/documents/Shape_the_Future.pdf

Nick encouraged us all to complete survey at: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/cilip2020

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Honorary Fellowship: Tracey Ainsley

(Report from Becky Skoyles, Scholarly Publications Assistant, Northumbria University)

The North East Member Network nominated Tracey for Honorary Fellowship as we feel she has made a huge

difference to people’s lives through her enthusiasm and encouragement. We believe that Tracey has had a positive

impact on the profession and on the lives of people she has touched through her dedication and activism. We are

so happy that CILIP recognise the commitment and dedication of Tracey and agreed with us that she is deserving of

this award.

Through Tracey’s encouragement I and others have become active within CILIP, first by joining the Career

Development Group (CDG) North East division committee and then staying on when we became the North East

Member Network. Tracey’s energy and enthusiasm for professional development is not just limited to encouraging

colleagues to become more active with professional organisations, it is also evident in the way that she encourages

others to make the most of opportunities within the institution. Our involvement with CILIP has helped us get

experience which we have been able to utilise to gain secondments and promotions within the institution.

During her time as CDG Honorary International Officer Tracey organised a number of fundraising activities to raise

money in support of CDG’s international projects, including the Redcliff Public Library in Zimbabwe, Macaldeniya

Tamil Vidyalam and Estate Community Library in Sri Lanka, the African prisons project, a children’s orphanage in

Ghana and hosting a Big Brother Mouse book party in Laos. In 2012 Tracey organised and completed an 84 mile

walk along Hadrian’s Wall raising over £1,300 to be split between the CDG international projects and Newcastle’s

Lit and Phil Library. Tracey’s dedication has led to an outstanding contribution to change in society for people.

Photo credit: CILIP and Rolf Marriott Photography

Tracey Ainsley is Collection & Digital Services Librarian (Collection Development) at Northumbria University.

More information about CILIP Honorary Fellowships, including a full list of 2015 recipients, is on the CILIP website

at http://www.cilip.org.uk/cilip/advocacy-awards-and-projects/awards-and-medals/honorary-fellowship

A few words from Tracey:

Thank you all so much for nominating me for an Honorary Fellowship

of CILIP, I was taken totally by surprise. After Becky and Michelle

convinced me it was real, I have to say I was overwhelmed. When you

are nominated by your peers it is especially rewarding.

All the work we do for the committees is voluntary and we don’t

expect anything back, just the satisfaction we get when we run

successful events, raise funds to help others, and help and encourage

others in their careers. I must say special thanks go to Tom Relph who

I know is no longer on the committee, and the late Viki Lagus, who

convinced me represent the regional committee at national level,

when their goal was to encourage me to work at national level!

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The Viki Lagus Award 2015

What is the award?

The Viki Lagus prize is awarded by the CILIP North East Member Network every year to a Northumbria University

Library and Information Science (LIS) undergraduate and a postgraduate student who have demonstrated their

commitment to continuing professional development. To be nominated, the students have to be CILIP members

and agree to write an article for the Member Network’s journal NE Links.

The prize consists of £75, a certificate as well as the committee’s congratulations.

Who was Viki Lagus?

Viki Lagus was an inspiring library and information professional from the North-East of England who died through

illness in 2011. She was keen on promoting continuing professional development and played a very active role

within CILIP, by being a CILIP mentor and holding different roles within the former Career Development Group.(1)

In her own words: “I have been very involved in CILIP, which is the organisation that links professional librarians

together. I volunteer with the Career Development Group and we run courses and conferences all over the country.

It is very exciting and gives me so many opportunities that I don’t have with my day job. The most important thing I

have learned in my career so far is that the more effort you put into your work and career, the more rewarding you

find it.”(2)

Sources

(1) Scown, J. (2011) ‘Viki Lagus BA MA MCLIP 13.3.1976 – 17.3.2011’, Impact, Spring issue [Online]. Available at: http://

careerdevelopmentgroup.org.uk/2011/04/viki-lagus-ba-ma-mclip-13-3-1976-17-3-2011/ (Accessed: 28 June 2014).

(2) Lagus, V. (2010?) ‘Viki Lagus – Development Librarian’, Libraries Archives and Information Services Careers UK [Online].

Available at: http://www.infoprofessional.co.uk/people-profiles/Viki-Lagus.aspx (Accessed: 28 June 2014).

2015 Viki Lagus Award recipient (Undergraduate) - Steven Gunard (BSc Librarianship)

Photograph courtesy of Northumbria University iSchool.

Steven Gunard with CILIP NE Vice Chair, Jennie Hillyard

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The Viki Lagus Award 2015

(Report by award winner Steven Gunard, Learning Facilitator at Chesterfield College)

For many years I had been frustrated about my lack of a professional, degree level qualification. Back in 2009 I had

done my NVQ3 in Information and Library Services, partly scratching the itch I had about not having any

qualification whatsoever in the field that I had chosen as an entirely new career in my late thirties.

But then, there was the degree ‘itch’. This was something I’d tried to address before with the Open University, but

my wife’s renal failure entered a nine month long terminal phase at the beginning of my second year of study and I

lost both heart and the ability to concentrate. A few years later I approached my employer about sponsoring a LIS

degree, but like most FE colleges they were strapped for cash and the days of fully sponsored degrees were long

over.

I looked into student loans but distance learners were excluded from applying. My dream of an LIS degree seemed

a forlorn one. Then the government changed the rules.

So now, three years later and almost £6,000 in debt with the Student Loan company, what have I learned and do I

think it was worth it? Has the distance learning experience been a positive one? Are there downsides to doing a

degree by the distance learner route? Would I recommend others to follow the same path?

Let me say straight away that I have no regrets about taking on such a massive commitment. Yes, it’s three years.

Yes, it means working most weekday evenings, and a good chunk of the weekend too, but the satisfaction of having

achieved such a major goal has made it all worthwhile.

Studying a subject that we love obviously makes the ride far easier than it might be, and we all love libraries and

information, right? What surprised me though was the variety of subjects covered in the modules. Of course there

were the ‘usual suspects’, collection management, cat and class and the like, but there was also XHTML

programming, web design, learner support, management and marketing. This kept the course interesting, and

relevant to the contemporary information world.

A definite positive of taking the distance learning route was the fact that studying, rather than taking place in a

vacuum, was carried out within the context of my current employment in a college library. The degree informed

the job and the job informed the degree. It also made it easy to carry out projects and research in the workplace as

I already had access as an insider, effectively a practitioner researcher, and permissions were easy to obtain.

This was especially valuable for my dissertation, snappily titled ‘Do Further Education students have the necessary

information skills and motivation to successfully evaluate information they find on the World Wide Web?’ Because

this could be used to inform future strategy and provide a base-line from which we could work from as department

it had the full support of not only the library manager but also the college principal. I had no problems with

permissions to interview staff and observe student behaviour, or indeed with taking the necessary time to carry out

these activities. This could have been much harder to negotiate and carry out if I had had to perform my research

at an organisation that was not my workplace.

Another benefit was the way I could now relate to the academic needs of the students. I could see things through

their eyes, what was useful, what was frustrating, and this has given me a much more empathetic approach to

supporting students. My student experience has also given my teaching sessions credibility with the students that it

did not have previously. Suddenly I was one of them, and I let them know it! My sessions on referencing or

searching academic journal databases now started with something like “Although I’m a member of staff here, I’m

also a student just like you. I’m doing a full-time degree course on top of my job here and like you I have essays to

write and information to find. Like you, I don’t have time to waste, so this morning I’m going to show you what I’ve

learned, practical tips, so you not only save time and make life easier for yourself, but also get better grades as

well.” This seemed to get their attention and helped them relate to what I was teaching them and to me as a fellow

student.

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The Viki Lagus Award 2015

Are there downsides to the distance learning route? Well, you don’t get the campus experience you would

otherwise have. Most contact with lecturers is by e-mail or telephone, which can delay things as you wait for

e-mails to be responded to, or mutually convenient time slots to become available for telephone conversations.

However, this can be worked around and even if you are having problems with one thing, there’s always something

else you can be progressing. This distance, and the reliance on teaching materials on a VLE rather than attending

lectures, can also make one feel a bit of autodidact at times! You really do have to take responsibility for your own

learning.

So what can help one to make a success of a distance learning degree course? I can only speak from my own

experience of course, and everyone is different, but for me two things really helped. Firstly, I entered it with the

right frame of mind. I knew it would be hard and require self-discipline so I tried to make it as easy as possible for

myself by avoiding potential distractions. For instance, I just love the natural world and for many years I have

subscribed to, and read every page of, BBC Wildlife magazine. I cancelled my subscription a month before my

course started. Extreme? Maybe! But I knew it would sit there ‘calling to me’, and it would be a huge temptation to

spend time reading the magazine when I should be studying! “It’s only temporary”, I told myself!

Secondly, I can’t stress enough the value of having a study schedule and sticking to it. Don’t be too hard on yourself

though! I originally envisaged spending a couple of hours every weekday evening on my studies but soon

discovered that, for me, Friday was an evening too far and I needed that evening to relax and wind down from the

working week. Also, don’t underestimate what you can achieve in fifteen minutes, or overestimate what you can do

in a day! More, shorter sessions are definitely more productive than fewer, longer sessions.

So would I recommend the distance learning route to others? Of course I would! As long as you are prepared to be

self-disciplined and put in the hours it’s a great way to do your degree. Oh yes, and I’ve left one of the other great

benefits ’til last: free student CILIP membership!

Photograph courtesy of Northumbria University iSchool.

Steven Gunard with CILIP NE Vice Chair, Jennie Hillyard and Senior

Lecturer, Susannah Hanlon

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It’s time to go ‘back to the future’: assessing our progress at the

National Acquisitions Group Conference 2015 (Report by Leah Maughan, Digital Collections Librarian, Teesside University)

The theme 'back to the future' for this year’s National Acquisitions group conference is an important one for all

professionals, encouraging participants to consider the progress made in recent years and assessing its actual value

to our communities, taking a realistic view of the landscape and considering where we should go next.

The keynote speaker, Neil MacInnes of Manchester public libraries, set the tone in spectacular fashion showing

marketing videos of events and residencies which are a result of collaborations with local bands and celebrities, the

investment in Manchester Central Library has not just stopped with an overhaul of its buildings, the Library

continues to reinvent itself putting on a variety of events, carefully engaging new audiences whilst not alienating

current readers. The Library has made great use of its collections in addition to making use of its revamped

buildings, creating an archives area at the very front of the building, with permanent exhibitions and interpretation

aimed at children and young people giving an immediate and lasting connection to their past through the lens of

local archives.

1 Neil MacInnes sets off the conference

The desire to increase the use of collections and discover their value was a constant theme through the conference,

many speakers acknowledged the day to day difficulties of such projects, in some cases the library collection may

not be fully catalogued, be in need of serious maintenance or just need some investment to get items digitised and

available online. The workshop from the Royal College of Surgeons showed an excellent approach to collection

management, using archival standards the entire collection is being mapped and assessed for security, preservation

and discovery so that future projects can be prioritised on those areas that need them most. The Guildhall Library

detailed how they had begun to increase use of their collection through digitisation projects, running a project over

2-3 weeks during which a meeting room was converted into a digitisation suite and volunteers used to scan items

from the collection. The Library used Pinterest to make the works publicly available and the collection experienced

a spike in usage as a result, before the project the collection was rarely accessed but staff now realised that no one

had known what they had.

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National Acquisitions Group Conference 2015

The idea of collaboration was also strong, speakers from public libraries across the Black Country and across Wales

spoke of differing initiatives in combining resources to save money and do more, both areas were looking to create

a shared library management system to facilitate use of libraries across the area as a whole rather than as

stand-alone units. The idea seems to have been a success and Helen McNabb of Vale of Glamorgan Council

outlined some of the gains already made with little expenditure. Staff from The Hive in Worcester also spoke on the

benefits of collaboration, in this case between public and academic libraries. By combining the library buildings and

collections both institutions have found new and better ways to support their communities, an expanded collection

which encourages the local community to engage with academic work and an impressive events programme which

increases engagement and footfall for the public library and disseminates research from the academic community

are just two of the improvements. While the project obviously had concrete designs and goals the impression given

by the presenters was that both sides of the project still retained a lot of autonomy but by working closely together

had found improvements and opportunities in unlooked for places.

The session from Jennie Hillyard of the Mining Institute in Newcastle was very enjoyable, again exploring the

themes of expanding the use of the collection and collaboration, the institute had secured Arts Council funding to

have a resident folk musician for a number on months in the spring of 2014. Gareth Davies-Jones wrote an album

of songs based upon the collection and its themes, ‘The Seam’ is now touring as an independent venture. I thought

this was a particularly lovely project as it not only drew attention to the Institute and its collections but invites the

local communities to interact with them, this is their history after all! It seems an empowering project and has had

a great response in the local area.

2 Collaboration was a strong theme, spoken on here by the University of Manchester

3 Gareth and Jennie sing songs from ‘The Seam’

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National Acquisitions Group Conference 2015

The final theme which came through was the empowerment of the libraries themselves, both to identify new

initiatives and drive to achieve them but also to improve of what already exists, this came across in the talk from

Graham Stone of the University of Huddersfield on e-books and improving their use, the Northern Collaboration

have spent some time looking into the user experience of e-books and why they remain a resource of last resort for

so many readers. The outcome of the project so far has been improved understanding of how users experience

e-books and the desire for improved software, the speaker summed up by making an appeal to the publishers

present to put pressure on their partners in the software industry the same way libraries have collaborated to put

pressure on them. The speaker from Lancashire County Council also showed how libraries are asking for more, in

this case the public library decided not to use the government issued materials for their summer reading plan

following feedback from their 8-13 year old users that the scheme was too similar to that used in previous years.

The resulting plan was a success with the library’s users and showed what could be achieved when a library is

engaged with its user base and willing to stand up for what is important to them. The student panel on the second

day of the conference was an excellent embodiment of this approach, where students from 3 local universities

attended to answer questions from the floor on their experience of using their academic libraries.

The conference overall was a great reminder of what libraries are capable of without passing over the ugly bits, the

difficulty involved in realising the projects presented was acknowledged and addressed by all of the speakers, there

was a real feeling of taking stock at the conference, identifying what is really important and finding a way forward

which meets the needs of our user base. Finding ways to collaborate so we can do more for our users, discovering

what is really important to them and delivering on this, realising the limits of what we can do but still creating

something very special for our communities.

[Leah attended this conference using sponsorship from the CILIP NE bursary fund. More information and the

application form for the bursary fund are available on the CILIP NE webpages: http://www.cilip.org.uk/north-east/

bursary]

4 The student panel takes questions

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CILIP NE visit to Whitley Bay High School Library

(Report by Jackie Dunn, Senior Library Assistant at Newcastle University)

I have worked on and off for a few years with Gareth Ellis, school librarian at Whitley Bay High School - but have

never actually been into the library. So when the opportunity to attend via the official CILIPNE visit I literally jumped

at the chance.

One of the things I love to see in school libraries is students working away, using the facilities and generally owning

the environment by adapting the space to suit their research/information needs and this was all very visible at

Whitley Bay High.

I was really impressed with the flexibility of the space, how it could be switched around for conferences, teaching

sessions and various events at very short notice and with minimal effort (the shelves are on wheels) which is

probably a very good thing as Gareth and his 2 full time librarians (Laurene and Kathryn) organise and run events all

year round.

Events range from their own take on university challenge which included IL related questions, comic club, to visits

by authors and poets.

I was in awe at the library statistics of 660+ visits each day and approximately 300 issues per week. I am always

interested in the use of students as library assistants so I asked more about the programme Gareth and his team

use for training the year 9 students who like the idea of working in the library.

One thing which was very evident was the passion the library staff have for their job, be it re-shelving, teaching

information skills, event organisation, liaising with other libraries and oh yes….stamping books!

With my mentors hat on it was fascinating hearing the career timelines of Laurene and Kathryn and how they

undertake to support staff and students as well as the professional friendly banter which exists between them and

Gareth.

Even driving home in a torrential thunder storm could not dampen my mood – the visit had been brilliant and I

encourage you visit this amazing library, which you can follow on twitter @wbhslibrary

It goes without saying that I couldn’t go without taking a photo of Kathryn, Gareth and Laurene.

Thanks guys.

Jackie Dunn (@hedgehope)

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Youth Libraries Group North East A.G.M. and Unconference

Libraries R.I.P. - Reading is Power

(Report by Paula Wride, YLG NE Chair)

On Saturday 4th July, YLG NE held an AGM and Unconference event at Newcastle City Library. 19 people attended

the free event: 5 YLG NE Committee members; 13 staff from a variety of public and school libraries across the

north east; and local author Dan Smith.

Following a brief AGM, Dan Smith kick-started our Unconference with an excellent talk about his experiences of

books and reading while growing-up abroad (where there was no public library but still lots of books to be shared),

and the later influence of the wonderful school librarian at his boarding school. Dan went on to talk about his own

writing for adults and children and spoke passionately about the importance of books, reading, librarians and

libraries. After his talk, Dan answered questions and copies of his children's books (kindly supplied by Blackwell's

bookshop) were available to buy and have signed.

Dan's talk enthused and infused us all with really positive thoughts about our roles in libraries, and prepared us to

discuss the issues of concern to us, share positive advice, and to seek ideas and solutions from fellow colleagues.

Author Dan Smith talking with Eileen Armstrong from Cramlington Learning Village

Since this was an Unconference, everyone was encouraged to suggest topics for discussion, rather than having an

imposed agenda. 3 sessions were held with 3 discussion groups in each. Delegates chose which group to join each

time, whether they were concerned about the subject, or could potentially offer experience, ideas or solutions.

Topics that were discussed include: Accessing locally based writers; Involving and inspiring parents; How to make

the Summer Reading Challenge exciting; Engaging public library services with their primary schools; Engaging

schools with their public library service; How to get overdue books back; Coping with changes in the National

Curriculum e.g. prehistory; Ofsted inspections – why libraries and library staff are often ignored; Keeping 6th

Formers reading and inspired; Whether there's still a place for non-fiction books; Why some departments in

schools, get to keep budgets while the library seems to gets less and less; Info literacy lessons – working with other

departments and building links; Coping with attitudes of parents / society about what Schools are responsible for;

Using Schools Library Services, where these still exist; E-books; Accelerated Reading; and running Code Clubs.

Some great practical experiences, radical ideas and interesting solutions were shared by everyone,

and (true to YLG tradition) lots of tea and cakes were consumed of course!

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Youth Libraries Group North East A.G.M. and Unconference

Two of the discussion groups sharing concerns and solutions

On their Evaluation forms, all delegates (11 of 13 non committee members completed forms) said that they rated

their 'Overall Impression of the Unconference' as excellent. All 11 rated the 'Presentations', 'Speakers' and the

'Organisation of the event', as excellent. 9 also rated the Venue and Catering as excellent while the other 2 rated

these as 'Good.'

Most delegates stated that their objectives for attending the event had been primarily to network, meet other

librarians and make new regional contacts and links; to get new ideas, inspiration and impetus; and, to share views

and discuss issues across Public and School Libraries. Others reasons included: gaining a different perspective on

the benefits of libraries; to explore ways to encourage children to engage with libraries; and to find out more about

a sector of the profession [of which] I have no experience. All 11 respondents said that 'Yes' their objectives had

been met and several suggested event topics they would like to see from YLG NE in the future including: Advocacy

for Librarians - how we can make ourselves valued; Partnership working; Creating library sessions for schools;

Safeguarding, working with teachers and working with parents; and any reading for pleasure topic.

One of YLG NE's aims in running the Unconference was to hopefully recruit new faces to join our committee. 9

attendees have asked to be kept in touch with YLG NE following this event, and 1 delegate has since requested

details about YLG Group Only membership. We are very grateful to Elaine Andrew and Jennifer Hillyard from CILIP

NE, who not only joined in the Unconference, but brought along a display and information about the benefits of

joining CILIP. We hope to see some new faces at our next YLG NE committee meeting on 7th September.

Thanks also to all the publishers who very generously supported the

event by providing free bags, proof copies of their latest books,

bookmarks, etc. for Goody Bags for delegates. We also gratefully

acknowledge the generous assistance provided to us by YLG National in

paying Dan Smith's fee, and Newcastle City Library, who kindly provided

the venue for free.

If you would like any further information about YLG NE or the event,

please contact me:

Paula Wride, Chair of YLG NE, by emailing me at

[email protected]

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Visit to Seven Stories Collection Department

Tuesday 13th

October 2015, 2:30pm

Come and see behind the scenes at the Collections Department at Seven Stories:

Britain has a wonderful heritage of writing and illustration for children. Seven Stories works hard

to preserve this heritage for this and future generations. We are the custodians of a unique and

ever-growing national archive of modern and contemporary children’s literature.

The Seven Stories Collection includes material by over 180 authors and illustrators. Our

Collection includes rough artwork, draft manuscripts, dummy books, correspondence, editors

notes, proofs, and anything else that helps us explore how books are created. We collect

archives dating from around 1930, right up to the present day. We also have a fantastic library of

over 35,000 books, many of which are rare or unique. We collect all sorts of British children's

books as well as things like proof copies, translated editions, journals and periodicals.

You can find out more about the Collection by visiting our website: www.sevenstories.org.uk/

collection. Click on the ‘Collection’ tab to browse our Collection highlights page as well as a list

of the authors and illustrators whose material we hold, read our Blog, and to search our online

archive catalogue. Our book collection isn’t available to search online yet.

Date: Tuesday 13th

October 2015

Time: 2:30pm

Cost: Free to everyone

Venue: Seven Stories Collections Dept (N.B. this is not based at the Ouseburn Visitor Centre!)

Access: W: Venue with un-stepped access via main or side door, wheelchair spaces and

adapted toilet. Please make us aware of any access requirements.

Address: Design Works, William Street, Felling, Gateshead NE10 0JP

Free car parking on site or 5 minutes from Felling Metro station.

Booking: Only 11 places available!

Please contact Jennie Hillyard on [email protected] to book your place.

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Forthcoming events

Portfolio Building workshop City Library, Newcastle-upon-Tyne; Tuesday 24th November 9.30-12.30

The event will cover everything candidates need to know to compile and submit their portfolios under the current

regulations, with practical hints and tips for portfolio building, an overview of the regulations, and opportunity for

networking and peer support from fellow candidates.

The programme will include:

Overview of Professional Registration regulations and the portfolio building process

Overview and demonstration of the CILIP VLE and online portfolio system

Information on support available, from your Regional Member Network, Candidate Support Officer and

Mentor

Reflective writing exercise - encouraging candidates to think reflectively about a potential piece of evidence

Networking opportunities for candidates

The event will be facilitated by the North East Candidate Support Officer. This event is free of charge and suitable

for candidates undertaking all levels of professional registration.

To book your place email Patricia Crosier on [email protected]

Mentor Training—CILIP Scotland

If you’re thinking of becoming a mentor for CILIP Professional Registration and missed our recent mentor training

day in Newcastle, there is another opportunity to attend and Introduction to CILIP mentoring course as CILIP

Scotland are running this workshop on Friday 6th November in Glasgow. More information is at: http://

www.cilip.org.uk/cilip-scotland/events/introduction-cilip-mentoring-0

For experienced CILIP mentors CILIP Scotland are holding a half day Exchange of Experience session on Thursday

5th November in Dundee. More information at: http://www.cilip.org.uk/cilip-scotland/events/cilip-mentor-

exchange-experience-session

How can museums and libraries respond to the 21st century? Discovery Museum, Newcastle-upon-Tyne; Tuesday 3rd November, 6pm

The old age rift between science and design stems from outdated views about culture and the role of making in

society. But as times change and innovations in technology allow design to be increasingly accessible and

sustainable, the do-it-yourself approach means we're no longer a society reliant on traditional manufacturing

methods. This leads us to ask; should our museums, libraries and community centres also become places of

collaborative design and making? More information at: https://www.northumbria.ac.uk/about-us/news-events/

events/2015/11/how-can-museums-and-libraries-respond-to-the-21st-century/

Northern Children’s Book Festival gala day Durham Town Hall; Saturday 21st November, 10:00-15:00

Gala Day 2015 will take place in the historic setting of Durham Town Hall. There will be a full programme of sessions

with some of your favourite authors and illustrators; creative writing, illustration and craft workshops; story telling

for all ages, and lots of fun and entertainment! More information at: http://

www.northernchildrensbookfestival.org.uk/events/event/gala-day/