Spring 2009

In this issue

Bidding for success: gaining external fundingSarah Wilkie

Virtual CPD: professional development at a distanceLizz Jennings

Entering the world of special librariesChristopher Reeve

News from KatokeSheila Rudd

Transferable skills and the Information ProfessionalPaula Harvey

Spring 2009 Volume 12 Number 1

www.cilip.org.uk/cdg/impact

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Impact Spring 2009 1

CONTENTSBidding for success: gainingexternal funding / Sarah WilkieAnyone for coffee? Themes fromthe Public Library AuthoritiesConference / Jenny RidoutVirtual CPD: professionaldevelopment at a distance / LizzJenningsNew Professionals Conference:call for proposalsNotice of 114th AGMMinutes of 113th Session of AGMHonorary and Associate NationalOfficers listingDivisional Contacts listingCandidate Support OfficerslistingVote now for the 2009 MartinAward!Transferable skills and theInformation Professional: wherenext? / Paula HarveyEntering the world of speciallibraries / Christopher ReeveStudy tour to Malta / TraceyAinsleyNews from Katoke / Sheila RuddDatesBack Cover Annual Conferenceadvertisement

Joint Honorary EditorsCheney Gardner

Reading Development ManagerLB of Richmond Upon Thames

The Cottage, Little Green,Richmond, Surrey TW9 1QL


Victoria McAraCommunity Librarian

Bridge of Allan LibraryFountain Road, Bridge of Allan

FK9 4ATEmail: [email protected]

Printed in England by Headley Brothers LtdAshford, Kent

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EditorialWelcome to an extended edition of Impact to

start off 2009. After saying goodbye and ahuge thank you to hard working co-editorCharlotte Hobson at the end of last year, wewould like to introduce new co-editor VictoriaMcAra from the Scottish Division. Victoria andCheney will be working together during 2009to continue bringing you inspiring news andarticles addressing the current concerns ofinformation professionals in various sectors. In this edition we have helpful contacts forCDG Officers, Divisions and Candidate Sup-port Officers so you will always be able to trackdown the person you need, plus news on theupcoming business of the group and articlesfrom a host of contributors. Sarah Wilkie’sarticle on bidding for funding is very timely inthe current climate and if you are looking for achange of direction you will find PaulaHarvey’s advice on transferable skills veryuseful. We also have an update on the future ofpublic libraries from Jenny Ridout and adviceon working in special libraries from Christo-pher Reeve, former Head of Library and Infor-mation Services at Barnado’s. Lizz Jenningshas been listening to professional talks in herslippers and shares her tips on virtual CPDopportunities and we have the latest newsfrom our VSO Sheila Rudd in Katoke. Finally, please do vote in the Martin Awardsand help us to reward the people who havecontributed to Impact over the last two years.The journal depends on the efforts of peoplejust like you and we are always open to receiv-ing new ideas for submissions. If you havesomething in mind just contact the editors.

Cheney Gardner & Victoria McAra

Spring 2009Volume 12 No. 1


No publicly funded organisation ever be-lieves that it has sufficient in its budget torealise all its ambitions for service improve-ments, and that is even more true todaythan in the past. Libraries are certainly noexception to this. One popular solution is toconsider applying to the many additionalfunding streams that are available to you.But it is precisely because this is a popularsolution that it also appears at times to be arather difficult one. These funding streamsare not bottomless pots of gold, and compe-tition can be tough. So how do you ensurethat your bid is one of the successful ones?In the past I have submitted many bids, themajority successful, so I want to share withyou my own approach and some of my“secrets of success”.

I’ll be telling you what I’ve learnt aboutwhat works, and what doesn’t work; chal-lenging you a bit to consider just why you’rebidding for this money in the first place; andhelping you deal with the outcome, whetherpositive or not.

Ask for what you want – not what youdon’t want

Before you even start to apply for funding,you should ask yourself and your col-leagues some tough questions. Most im-portantly, do you really want/need thisfunding? What will it add to your servicethat you can’t achieve without it?

Consider whether the objectives of theprogramme align with your own. If not, itcould distract you from achieving whatyou’ve planned for the current year. Ask

yourself if it would help you do better some-thing you’ve planned to do anyway? If so,it is clearly an opportunity you should go for.On the other hand, could it place any addi-tional burden on the service? You may getfunding for the project, but will that cover allthe staff time involved in delivering it, and ifnot, what will they have to stop doing inorder to do this? Will a need for matchfunding divert resources from other impor-tant activity? And have you got the spaceand other facilities needed?

Ask yourself too what you will do when thefunding stops. In other words, think aboutyour exit strategy before you even start tofill out the form.

Give them what they want

Let us assume though that you’ve decidedto go ahead and bid. The single mostimportant thing to remember is that youhave little or no chance of success if you failto give the funders what they want. To dothis you have to demonstrate that you un-derstand what they are trying to achieve, soreflect their language in the language youuse, but don’t parrot it.

It is also important to demonstrate that theproject fits into your overall service goals,and that you are not bidding simply to getyour hands on extra cash. So quote fromyour corporate and service plans to showthat the objectives of this programme fit with

Bidding for success: gaining externalfunding

Sarah Wilkie

‘Demonstrate that you understandwhat they are trying to achieve’


your strategic direction of travel.

But it is not enough to believe that theproject is needed in your authority, youhave to have evidence. Make sure youinclude as much of this as you can: datarelating to deprivation if applicable, informa-tion about other service provision in thearea, results of surveys that demonstratethat the project is wanted by local people,etc. It should all add up to a picture thatclearly illustrates how the project will makea difference and meet identified needs.

The funders will also want to be confidentthat you can deliver what you promise. It isa fact of life that success breeds success,but this doesn’t necessarily mean that youhave to have been successful in deliveringexternally funded projects in the past.Those you have funded from core budgetscan demonstrate the same strong projectmanagement, awareness of needs, realisa-tion of outcomes, and so on.

Some funding streams stipulate that youmust be a particular type of organisation inorder to access them, such as voluntarysector. But that doesn’t necessarily meanthat these are closed to you. Perhaps youcan identify a voluntary sector partner whomight be the named lead for the bid, ifyou’re prepared to do most of the leg-workon their behalf. Or could you be the routeto some funding for a partner which wouldin turn help you meet some of your objec-tives?

And a final thought before you start to fill inthat form: if you can’t show that you meet allthe essential criteria, don’t waste your ownor their time.

There’s no such thing as a free lunch

Recognise from that start that you will cer-tainly have to make some contribution. Thismay be hard cash, funding “in kind”, or aless tangible but still significant contribution.

If there’s a requirement for hard cash, thinkcreatively. This need not necessarily comefrom your own budget; it can be partners’contributions. You can also combine sever-al funding streams, each providing thematch funding for another, although thisbrings complications in meeting differentsets of reporting requirements, followingdifferent timetables and more.

Match funding in kind again needn’t neces-sarily be your own; what about partners’time, for instance? And when costingmatch funding, remember to build in a costfor your own project management time aswell as any staff delivering the project, anddon’t forget basics like heating and lightinga building

But even when the funder doesn’t requireyou to be explicit about your contribution,don’t be fooled into thinking you don’t needto make one. Managing and delivering anyproject takes time, and time costs money.If you or your staff will be spending time onthis one, what will you and they not bedoing, and can you afford not to do it?

The bottom line is, if you know you can’tsupply whatever is asked for in terms ofmatch funding, don’t bother applying. Atbest you will not be successful and will havewasted your time, and at worst you will bestuck with responsibilities you cannot deliv-er.

Some common mistakes

When applications are unsuccessful theytend to fail for one of several common rea-sons:

� a lack of vision (or a vision unclearlycommunicated)

‘It is a fact of life that successbreeds success’


� too much operational detail (what youwant to do) and too little strategic think-ing (why you want to do it)

� lack of alignment with a bigger picture,whether that is the funder’s (fitting thecriteria) or broader (relating to govern-ment policies)

� the proposals aren’t properly thoughtthrough, with statements that can’t besupported

� the project seems to have been anafter-thought, added on in a hurry be-cause the funding was available, rath-er than as part of longer term objectives

Be careful what you wish for

Consider in advance what you will do ifyou’re successful: not just how you will runthe project, but how you will plan in the timeand capacity needed to meet the funder’srequirements. This is where any mismatchbetween their objectives and your own real-ly comes back to haunt you, as you couldfind yourself caught up in a lot of bureaucra-cy that is adding little or no value to yourservice. Yes, the reporting regime can beconsiderable, but do recognise that it istheir money and they have a right to knowhow it is being spent and what is beingachieved with it.

Pay attention to the details

So you are confident that you want andneed the funding, you‘ve thought throughyour proposal, and you’ve completed theform to the best of your ability. But whenyou think you’ve finished filling in the form,ask someone else to look through it to get afresh eye. By this point you will have readit so many times that you won’t be able tospot the errors, typos, or any muddledwording. Ideally this final check should be

by someone who has never seen it before,and preferably someone who doesn’t havea strong understanding of the field – if theyunderstand what you are driving at, so willthe assessor.

Finally:

� check the spelling, and don’t rely onspell-check for this (it can help to readit backwards, odd as that sounds)

� check the maths – too many bids failto add up correctly

� make sure it is signed – by the personor people asked for, and in all theplaces asked for; and if this is some-one very senior, get them lined up wellin advance rather than relying on thembeing at their desk when you needthem

� enclose all necessary documentation

� and get it to them on time – peoplehave wasted days of work by handingin an application for funding 30 min-utes after the deadline

When bids fail

But however good your application, thereare no guarantees. Almost all funding potsare finite and competition is tough. If youfail, please don’t see this as time wasted,but as a learning opportunity. Always askfor feedback and learn from it next time.You may find that you disagree with theassessment of your bid, but take it on thechin! The funder’s decision is final, and inthe end all you can do is accept that and putit down to experience

And remember that you may be able toadapt your proposal for future funding op-portunities, so file it safely and revisit it fromtime to time.


Conclusion

It is a sad fact of life, but the first steptowards external funding is the hardest.Funders are looking for a track record ofsuccessful delivery, so past experiencehelps. But think creatively, as this needn’tnecessarily mean an externally fundedproject. If you’ve managed any project withdiscreet funding (i.e. not part of your day today service delivery) you could use that asevidence.

If you’re struggling to find that first suc-cess, consider looking elsewhere for thecapacity you need to bid. This could meanbuying in external expertise (if successful,the benefits of the funding should outweighthe cost) or looking for expertise elsewherein your organisation – for instance somelocal authorities have generic funding seek-ers.

If you’ve already been able to appointsomeone to a role through external funding,why not consider making it part of their remitto source the funding for the continuation oftheir role. Keeping your job is a greatmotivator!

And finally

Celebrate your successes: thank anyonewho helped you, and mark the success insome way, while acknowledging that this isprobably just the start of a lot of hard work.

And learn from your failures: ask for feed-back and consider how you’ll be able toapply this to do better next time.

Sarah WilkieConsultant

[email protected] www.sarahwilkieconsulting.co.uk

Anyone for coffee? Themes from thePublic Library Authorities Conference

Jenny Ridout The day when public libraries worry overtheir choice of e-book format (Sony Reader,Kindle or ibook?) may seem very remote tosome, but this was just one of many forwardthinking topics at this year’s Public LibraryAuthorities (PLA) conference 2008 in Liver-pool. Personally I jumped on the ‘not in the nextten years’ band wagon but having given thesubject a bit of thought it is easy to seeJames Bond style ‘this book will self de-struct in 14 days’ loans being commonplace in the not too distant future. After all,20 years ago few would have fully predictedthe impact of the internet on library servicesor the role that mobile devices would play in

our everyday lives. Who are we, a genera-tion of (in the main) digital immigrants, tosecond guess what the public, with its everincreasing demographic of digital natives,will expect from their libraries. Pursuing new formats will invariably meanchoices which may or may not take usfurther from our traditional role of libraries.An e-book is, after all, still a book, thatsacred object at the core of all library serv-ices. Yet its existence as an electronicobject takes us further from the idea of alibrary as a physical place and closer to theidea of a virtual entity. It is up to us to takewhat chances we can to investigate newformats and this year’s conference present-


ed its fair share of opportunities. Finding,as I'm sure many do, that the rate of techno-logical change out paces my ability to keepabreast of all these developments, the con-ference was a welcome forum at which todiscuss them with peers. The difficulty ofcourse lies in the translation of the postdinner debates to our services but I at leastwas glad of the opportunity to talk aboutmore than the practical details that seem todominate day to day work in a library. Assomeone relatively new to the professionthe conference was an amazing chance tonetwork with more experienced colleagueswho have already seen great change in theservices but whom are not fazed by thefurther challenges that are constantly pre-sented.

The idea of choices, or at least the conse-quences of choices, leads me to one of themost tangible things I brought away fromthis years PLA conference. It was obviousthat many services were making some verydifficult choices. However the presentationsthat made up much of the formal itinerary atPLA seemed to be a showcase of all thepositives that have resulted from peoplemaking the right decisions. Services work-ing with banks to improve numeracy, volun-teer schemes to engage asylum seekersand true community engagement to deter-mine how best a refurbishment of a locallibrary might benefit its local residentsshowed positive outcomes that comple-mented rather than challenged reading asthe central role of the library service. Therewas also evidence of many authorities op-erating or merging with a variety of otherservices, something that was especiallyvaluable for me to see given the changestaking place in my own authority in Trafford.

It was gratifying to see that such mergesare just as much an opportunity to build andpromote traditional library values as theyare a challenge to them. It says a lot about the modern libraryservice that even in such financially darktimes we are resourceful enough to buildand improve our services. I took away a lotof ideas that I hope to use in the future andwas made to realise that there is a lot to besaid for colleagues who just go out and dothings when they have a good idea. Listen-ing to them was certainly an inspiring expe-rience and I hope that in the future I canshow similar resourcefulness. However, while it is natural that servicesshould want to celebrate their achieve-ments I wasn’t the only one who comment-ed that many speakers steered clear ofmore controversial issues. Who after allwants to rock the boat when there is somuch good to talk about and the real deci-sion makers, in the form of Elected Mem-bers, are present within the audience? Butwho would have thought it possible topresent on public-private partnerships andthe value of our buildings in prime locationswithout touching on that omnipresent andhighly contentious entity – the coffee chain.So noticeable was its absence from thediscussion that it was the one aspect of thesession we were still talking about thatevening.

That is not to say that the conference wascontroversy free. The DCMS review hascaused its own flurry of discussion, whileAndy Burnham's speech has generatedenough debate to keep the bloggers goingtill Christmas. The Guardian alone pub-lished three articles since the conference,each haranguing the Culture Secretary for

‘It was obvious that many serviceswere making some very difficult

choices’

‘Many speakers steered clear ofmore controversial issues’


suggesting there might be more to librariesthan books and reading. That one statesthat the conference was held in Blackpooland talks about ‘abandoning the rule ofsilence' should surely bring into questionwhether the author was paying attention towhat he was writing about or if he'd evenbeen to his local library recently. The closest my library has come to silencerecently was the two minutes held for Re-membrance Day and even that was brokenby a toddler tearing around in the children'sarea. For the average library providingcomputers, story times, play sessions, talksand coffee mornings, silence has long beena thing of the past. Andy Burnham willnever please everyone but when he sug-gests that there should be more to librariesthan books at least he is not dreaming of alibrary that has in the main already disap-peared. Indeed the PLA conference this yearproved that while reading is still pivotal toour library services there is already muchmore going on, whether or not it has a seal

of approval from the media. Although I didsometimes feel that the speakers werepreaching to the converted I can't imagine Iwas the only delegate who returned to myservice with a renewed sense of purposeand a determination to make some chang-es, however small they might be. I was alsomade to feel that despite the diversifying ofservices there is still value in following myown professional development within thelibrary sector, something that in the pastyear I had started to doubt.

Jenny RidoutInformation Services Librarian

Access Trafford

Jenny attended the PLA as this year’s Brit-ish Library and Society of Chief LibrariansSponsored delegate. The place also includ-ed a day at the British Library in Londonwhere Jenny had the opportunity to learnabout the role of the British Library and itswork with Public Libraries across the coun-try.

Virtual CPD: professional developmentat a distanceLizz Jennings

Web 2.0 has become the standard for newtechnologies on the Internet, and one of theareas in which technology has allowed theInternet to change the way people use it isthe realm of Virtual Worlds. Virtual Worldshave been defined in a number of ways,and one that I feel works is this:

“A Virtual World is a synchronous, per-sistent network of people, representedby avatars, facilitated by computers." (1)

This means that users can drop in and out,and it will continue regardless. This makesfor an environment which closely resemblesthe real world - a conference in another citywill take place, whether you attend or not.The big difference is that geography is notan issue, and events can attract worldwideaudiences. This has been an area originallydeveloped for games, and many people willhave heard of World of Warcraft as anonline gaming Virtual World. However,


more recently Virtual Worlds have movedaway from the gaming community and be-come more freeform.

Second Life is one of the most well knownVirtual Worlds which is not associated witha game. It is free to use, although you haveto subscribe (or earn in-world money) inorder to maintain a location of your own.You initially enter a training area in order tolearn to control your avatar (your represen-tation in the world) and then progress to themain world. At first this is very confusing,trying to work out what to do and where togo. However, I came across references toonline locations in articles and on websites,and eventually ended up visiting Informa-tion Architecture Island.

There was a clear central point, a modernlooking building, and I went in, pleased (foronce) to be able to look inside a building, asmany of the buildings I had seen beforewere private. I was able to click on links totheir website, drink a cup of virtual coffeeand sit down on the chairs upstairs. After acouple of visits, I noticed that a sign hadgone up outside, advertising some free SLversions of talks being given at the IA Sum-mit. This sounded very promising, so Istayed up late one Friday night (SL Time isbased on Pacific time), and gave it a go.

The first talk was about Communities ofPractice and my first challenge was how tosit down, whilst also facing the podium.After a bit of a hokey cokey dance, I man-aged it, and watched the talk. The "talk" wastyped, while virtual boards displayed the

Powerpoint presentation. However, thespeaker's avatar was on stage, and theaudience was seated around the stage, justas you would expect from a conference. Ifound the talk interesting, and decided toreturn the following week for the Peter Mor-ville talk about Information Architecture 3.0.

I was excited, as I'd read one of his books,so this was almost a celebrity talk for me.The talk lived up to my expectations, and ofthe three talks I attended, it was the one Ienjoyed the most. This time, I also took alittle more time to talk to the other attend-ees. This, I feel, was the biggest advantageof using a Virtual World interface, ratherthan merely downloading a video, or view-ing the slides: Networking. I felt able to chatto others about IA as a career, about thetalk, and generally. There were virtualdrinks and nibbles to enjoy, which encour-aged chatting to people, and because it wasa remote event, they were from variousdifferent countries.

The third talk was very much more techni-cal than the other two, and as a result I

found the networking side of the event moreinteresting. I made sure to arrive a littleearly to talk to people before the presenta-tion. I also looked up the slides after theevent, which helped me understand a littlemore about search engine optimisation.

The advantages of using virtual worlds toattend talks were great. There was nocharge for these events, which seems to be

‘Second Life is one of the most wellknown Virtual Worlds which is not

associated with gaming’

‘You are not physically present, sorelaxing in your slippers whileattending the presentation is notgoing to appear unprofessional’


because it is a new medium and thereforeencouraging use of the system is higherpriority than making money. Unlike justreading presentations or articles, there wasan opportunity to talk to the speaker and toother attendees, which both aided under-standing, and provided a chance to net-work. There was no geographical limit, soattending a talk where the speaker was onthe other side of the globe was as easy aspopping into the kitchen for a cup of tea!The talk was typed, so if part of it washarder to understand, you could spendsome time thinking about it before movingon to the next part (although you could getout of sync with the slides, as I found on thethird talk). You are not physically present,so relaxing in your slippers while attendingthe presentation is not going to appearunprofessional, although conversely if youravatar is dressed in a revealing bikini, youmight like to consider how that presents toother participants. Web links mentionedduring the talk could be followed immedi-ately, and remain in your web browserready to read after the talk, without inter-rupting the flow, or rudely turning to anotherdevice as would happen in real life.

There are also disadvantages. You needto be familiar with basic operation of thevirtual world controls, otherwise you couldspend the whole talk trying to move to the

venue! The time difference has also meantthat I have been unable to attend talksbecause they fell during working hours or atantisocial hours. Your Internet connectionneeds to be reliable, and fast, as the systemis visual and uses a lot of bandwidth. Youalso interact using avatars, which do nothave the operator's real name, so contactsmade online may be harder to track down inreal life.

Using Second Life as a medium for learn-ing was a really valuable experience, as itallowed me to attend talks on professionalinterests which fell outside what was rele-vant to my employment at the time. It al-lowed me to talk with people alreadypractising in the area I was interested in,and ask questions about their real experi-ences in Information Architecture. It wasmore engaging than simply reading an arti-cle, and stimulated my interest to explorefurther reading, as I was able to read men-tioned articles and web sites immediately,and save them for future use.

Lizz Jennings Information Librarian (E-Resources) University of Bath [email protected]

1) Bell, M. (2008, June). Definition and Taxonomy ofVirtual Worlds. Paper presented at New Digital Media(Audiovisual, Games And Music): Economic, SocialAnd Political Impacts, Sao Paulo, Brazil.

There is currently a vacancy on the Career Development Group nationalcommittee for the post of *Honorary Treasurer (National Account)*

You don’t need to be an accountant or an expert in maths; if you are seeking a new challengethen this is the post for you! Initial training and follow-up help would be provided along withassistance in compiling the end of year accounts. You will be required to attend our AGM and upto three Council meetings throughout the year; all expenses are covered.For initial queries contact former Honorary Treasurer Judith Smith: [email protected] you wish to nominate yourself for the post, please forward your details by Friday 10th April toKerry Benstead, CDG Honorary Secretary, [email protected]


New Professionals Conference:call for proposals

"What is it like to be a Library & InformationProfessional in the 21st Century? Forum and debate

from a New Professionals perspective"

Calling all new library and information professionals to submit presentationproposals for the New Professionals Conference on Monday, 6th July 2009,London Metropolitan University.

This is a joint conference, organised as a forum for New Professionals, by theCareer Development Group and the Diversity Group, two special interest groupsof CILIP: The Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals, inpartnership with London Metropolitan University's Department of Applied SocialSciences (as part of their consultation for the Library Skills for a Globalised WorldProject, funded by the Linking London Lifelong Learning Network).

We invite proposals for contributions from colleagues who have joined theprofession, either through work or study, in the last 5 years. First-time presenters,current LIS students and individuals from diverse backgrounds are especiallyencouraged to apply.

There will be a prize for the best paper, as voted for by delegates on the day. Aselection of papers will be published in the professional journals.

Help preparing the presentations and standard travel and accommodationexpenses can be provided on request, so consider taking advantage of thisexcellent opportunity for continuous professional development!

Deadlines

· Proposals (no longer than 300 words) must be submitted by 5pm onFriday 3rd April, 2009.

· Authors of accepted proposals will be contacted by Friday 17th April.

· Full proposals must be submitted by Monday 1st June, 2009.


Conference Themes and Focus

We welcome papers sharing experiences and exploring issues relevant to theoverall theme: What is it like to be a Library & Information Professional in the 21stCentury, including:

� What attracts New Professionals into the Library & Information world?

� What are New Professionals bringing to the changing world of librariesand information?

� How can New Professionals revolutionise the 21st century profession?

� How can New Professionals market themselves?

� What are the current barriers for New Professionals?

� How can New Professionals from diverse backgrounds come into andenrich the profession?

Questions / Comments

The organisers are happy to receive and respond to questions or comments. Forfurther information please contact:

David PercivalLibrarian - Young Adults and Looked After Children, Portsea Library, JohnPounds Community Centre, 23 Queen Street, Portsmouth PO1 3HNE-mail: [email protected]

Chris RhodesHouse of Commons Library, Statistical Resource UnitE-mail: [email protected]

Registered charity 313014


Notice is hereby given that the CareerDevelopment Group Annual General Meet-ing will be held at G01 Theatre, John FosterBuilding, 98 Mount Pleasant, LiverpoolJohn Moores University, Liverpool, L3 5UZon Monday 20th April 2009 at 4.15pm.

Any motion of which notice is received bythe Honorary Secretary in accordance withRule 17 of the Group Rules will be placedon the agenda.

“Rule 17 – A statement shall appear on thenotice that, if a member wishes to put amotion to the meeting, notice of the motionshall be made in writing, signed by themember, and shall be served on the GroupSecretary not less than twenty-one cleardays before the date of the meeting.”

The AGM is open to all Career Develop-ment Group members. Free refreshmentswill be available from 4.00pm and time fornetworking in a local pub is planned for afterthe meeting. Please use the below contactdetails to notify your attendance at the AGMby Monday 6th April.

The group’s National Conference “Yourwish is my command: Improving the cus-tomer experience” will precede the AGM.See back page for further details.

Kerry BensteadHonorary SecretaryLG75, Library ServicesHMRC, 100 Parliament StreetLondon SW1A 2BQTel: 020 7417 0848Email: [email protected]

Notice of 114th Annual General Meeting

Minutes of 113th Annual General Meetingof the Career Development Group

Held at Cardiff City Hall on Monday 28th

April 2008 at 3.30pm with 20 memberspresent.

1. Apologies for absence were receivedfrom Tracey Ainsley and Maria Cotera.

2. The minutes of the previous AGM heldat the De Havilland Campus, Universityof Hertfordshire on 29th June 2007 wereaccepted as a true and accurate record.

Proposed: Isabel Hood. Seconded: Amanda Quick.

3. Matters arising – there were no mattersarising.

4. The President for 2007/8, Rowena Mac-rae-Gibson, presented the Annual Re-port of the group for the period April2007 – March 2008.

The year had been a very successfulone with a great deal of activity at bothnational and divisional level.

The 12 divisions held more than 90courses, social events and visits to li-braries between them over the year(including Essential Skills seminars, theDeep Web and visits to prison libraries),allowing access to CPD opportunitiesacross the country for members.

The network of 19 Candidate Support Of-ficers (CSOs) sent almost 3000 emails,


made and received nearly 400 telephonecalls, read 98 draft submissions from can-didates, delivered 39 training courses,and had 55 meetings with individual can-didates – around 2000 hours of their timeover the year which is an enormous con-tribution to the profession.

The Group continued to publish its journal,Impact, on a quarterly basis – one editionwas online only due to financial con-straints and may have to be repeated infuture years.

An email bulletin was launched very suc-cessfully in June 07, providing details ofevents, news and information to mem-bers. Currently there are over 250 sub-scribers and this number is growing daily.

The President visited a number of divi-sions during the year to make presenta-tions and help out at courses.

A new leaflet has been produced to show-case our great efforts in international workand to help divisions with fundraising ac-tivities, and a new general promotionalleaflet was also produced.

Significant effort has gone into reducinggroup costs, including experimenting witha virtual officers’ meeting in Septemberwhich was unfortunately not a great suc-cess.

Following difficulties with our website wemoved to a new host for a 12 month trial,and will be comparing this with the CILIPCMS before making a final decision on theway forward.

National Conference was held in Brightonwith the theme of ‘Engaging Communities’and brought together speakers and dele-gates from a variety of sectors.

We ran five successful sessions at Um-brella last year, working in partnership withother Special Interest Groups.

A full version of the Annual Report isavailable on the Files Area ofCDGDIVISIONS.

Proposed: Tayo AjibadeSeconded: Viki Lagus.

5. The Honorary Treasurer, Martin Ed-wards, presented the audited Statementof Accounts for the year ending 31 De-cember 2007. A breakdown of incomeand expenditure over the year was giv-en included the balances held by Divi-sions.

The shortfall between income and ex-penditure was questioned, and theTreasurer was asked to indicate howmuch was in the deposit account(£11,306.76 which is £3,000 less thanin the previous year). Clearly we cannotsustain using this amount from the de-posit account for many more years, andthe incoming President (AmandaQuick) explained that the financial sus-tainability of the group was under dis-cussion at National Council in Maywhere difficult decisions would have tobe taken.

The accounts were accepted as a trueand accurate record by the meeting.

Proposed: Isabel Hood.Seconded: Alison Dyer.

6. Amanda Quick was installed as the newgroup President, and will serve fromApril –December 2008. This is a shorteryear as we align the group’s govern-ance year with that of CILIP.

7. Any other business – any other motionthat is received in accordance with rule17 of the General Rules of the Organi-sation. There was no other business.

There being no other questions, themeeting was closed at 4pm.


Career Development Group114th Session: 1st January - 31st December 2009

Honorary and Associate National OfficersPresidentMaria CoteraCataloguer, Library Services, University CollegeLondon, Gower Street, London WC1E 6BT Tel:020 7679 2302Email: [email protected]

Vice PresidentJon ScownLibraries West Development Officer, Cultural Serv-ices Admin Centre, Mount Street, Bridgwater,Somerset TA6 3ES Tel: 01278 451201Email: [email protected]

Past PresidentAmanda Quick6 Clair Wood Place, Cupar, Fife KY15 4GZ Tel:01334 659116Email: [email protected]

Honorary SecretaryKerry BensteadInformation Manager, Library Services, KAI Strate-gic Analysis & Coordination,HM Revenue & Customs, LG 75, 100 ParliamentStreet, London Tel: 020 7147 0848Email: [email protected]

Honorary Treasurer (National Account)Vacant

Honorary Treasurer (Divisional Co-ordinator)Helen ThomasLlandaff Learning Centre, University of Wales In-stitute, Cardiff, Llandaff Campus, Western Ave-nue, CARDIFF, CF5 2YB Tel: 029 2041 7315Email: [email protected]

Honorary Publications OfficerJudith SmithInformation & Archives Officer, Barnabas Fund,The Old Rectory, River Street, Pewsey, WiltshireSN9 5DB Tel: 01672 565039Email: [email protected]

Honorary Events CoordinatorViki LagusCommunity Development Librarian, Jarrow Li-brary, Cambrian Street, Jarrow NE32 3QN Tel:0191 4282318Email: [email protected]

Honorary EditorsCheney GardnerReading Development Manager, LB of RichmondUpon Thames, The Cottage, Little Green,Richmond, Surrey TW9 1QL Tel: 020 8734 3302Email: [email protected]

Victoria McAraCommunity Librarian, Bridge of Allan Library,Fountain Road, Bridge of Allan, FK9 4ATTel:01786 833680Email: [email protected]

Honorary Advertising OfficerStella WisdomProject Manager Collection Storage North, TheBritish Library, Boston Spa, Wetherby, West York-shire, LS23 7BQ Tel: 01937 546873Email: [email protected]

Honorary International Relations OfficerTracey AinsleyInformation Specialist, Subject and Liaison, Uni-versity Library and Learning Services, Northum-bria University, Ellison Place, Newcastle UponTyne, NE1 8ST Tel: 0191 2437707Email: [email protected]

Honorary Membership & Marketing OfficerPaul TovellLibrarian, Worksop Library, Memorial Avenue,Worksop, Nottinghamshire, S80 2BP Tel: 01909472408Email: [email protected]

Honorary Learning CoordinatorLiz EdwardsNewark Library, Beaumond Gardens, Balderton-


gate, Newark, Nottinghamshire NG24 1UW Tel:01636 703966/676367Email: [email protected]

Honorary Web CoordinatorTameem J. AliEmail: [email protected]

New Professionals Co-ordinatorChris RhodesEmail: [email protected]

Associate Subscriptions OfficerJanice McQuilkinThe Library, University of Ulster, Magee College,Northland Road, Londonderry BT48 7JL Tel: 028

7137 5299 Fax: 028 7137 5626Email: [email protected]

PTEG RepresentativeCarol BrooksOperations Manager (South), Libraries & HeritageDivision, Cultural & Community Services Depart-ment, Chatsworth Hall, Chesterfield Road, Mat-lock, DE4 3FW Tel: 01629 585135Email: [email protected]

Affiliated Members RepresentativeVijay ChopraCity College, St Mary Street, Southampton, SO141AREmail: [email protected]

Divisional ContactsDevon & CornwallBeatrice Coveney, ChairEmail: [email protected]

EasternJenny Cefai, ChairEmail: [email protected]

East MidlandsIan Hardcastle, ChairEmail: [email protected]

London & South EastEdwina Wontner, ChairEmail: [email protected]

North EasternLouise Gordon, SecretaryEmail: [email protected]

North WestCarol Wurcbacher, ChairEmail: [email protected]

Northern IrelandAlex McIIroy, SecretaryEmail: [email protected]

ScottishCeclia Jenkins, ChairEmail: [email protected]

WalesEmma Rye, SecretaryEmail: [email protected]

West CountryBridget Knutson, ChairEmail: [email protected]

West MidlandsGeorgina Hardy, ChairEmail: [email protected]

Yorkshire & HumbersideJames Kay, ChairEmail: [email protected]

Candidate Support OfficersHonorary Learning CoordinatorLiz EdwardsTel: 01636 703966/676367Email: [email protected]: [email protected]

Associate Learning CoordinatorVacant

Devon & CornwallMartin KiddsTel: 01392 884850Email: [email protected]

EasternJenni Lecky-ThompsonTel: 01223 331889Email: [email protected]


The Martin Award was established in the 1950s in honour of previous Hon. JointEducation Officers Mr. and Mrs. Martin. It is awarded every other year to the writer of thebest article in Impact. We particularly look to encourage new professional voices. Thisyear’s award encompasses articles published in 2007 and 2008, and I am pleased toannounce the shortlist as follows:Autumn 2007 J. Findlay Wiki-ing for ChartershipAutumn 2007 D. Park The Comedy tie of redundancy: your guide to spotting the danger signsWinter 2007 A. Crawford Getting back in: returning to libraries after a career breakWinter 2008 A. Grigson P for Professional

East Midlands DivisionLiz EdwardsTel: 01636 703966/676367Email: [email protected]

London and South EastAnna GrigsonTel: 020 7911 5000 x3813Email: [email protected]

Franko KowalczukTel: 0207 848 6765Email: [email protected]

Karen PooleTel: 020 7572 2298Email: [email protected]

North EasternVacant - for information please contact:Viki LagusTel: 0191 428 2318Email: [email protected]

Northern Ireland and Republic of IrelandMarion KhorshidianTel: 028 9026 7269Email: [email protected]

North WestShân AnnisTel: 01942 482 584 direct lineEmail: [email protected]

Scottish DivisionMolly Magee (Certification)Tel: 01698 454512


Liz McPartlin (Chartership)Tel: 01786 432391Email: [email protected]

Tom Oliver Email: [email protected](support/shadowing Chartership Officer)

Amanda Quick (Revalidation)Tel: 01382 308858Email: [email protected]

WalesVacant

West CountryBridget KnutsonTel: 01934 745327Email: [email protected]

West MidlandsPreeti PuligariTel: 01902 321965Email: [email protected]

Yorkshire & HumbersideLyn Hopson (Certification)Tel: 01302 781528 ext. 511Email: [email protected]

Caroline Savage (Chartership)Email: [email protected]

Julie Smith (Revalidation)Tel: 0113 284 7331Email: [email protected]

Vote now for the 2009 Martin Award!


The idea of a ‘job for life’ where you’dsteadily climb the career ladder and receivea carriage clock to mark your well-deservedretirement is long gone. Now, more thanever, library and information professionalsoften need to look wider than one specialistarea, in order to enhance their career. Sowhat do you do if you’ve had enough of yourcurrent job or your current career and youfeel it’s time for a change? The problem formany people comes when they begin tothink about the valuable experience andknowledge they’ve been stockpiling whiletoiling away at their job. Does it mean youhave to start from scratch and work yourway back up? The answer is no, that'swhere transferable skills come in. So what exactly are transferable skills?These are skills you've gained through for-mal education, various jobs, volunteerwork, hobbies or other life experiences, thatcould potentially be used in your next job ornew career. These skills can be generic,

what most employers look for in their staffor they could be ‘professional’ skills, specif-ic to the information and library profession. Generic skills can be applied to manydifferent jobs and include areas such as:ICT skills, decision making, communicatingeffectively and management skills. Specifictransferable skills, relevant to the libraryand information professional, might include:research and enquiry skills, managing andorganising resources and knowledge man-agement. The question many people may ask, how-ever, is do transferable skills really count inthe job market or is it experience that winsevery time? From my own personal experi-ence I feel I have been able to make effec-tive use of transferable skills to helpdevelop my career. This ranges from takingmy first step on the career ladder to mycurrent position, leading a multi-disciplinaryteam covering a whole range of services.

Transferable skills and the InformationProfessional: where next?

Paula Harvey

This selection was decided by a small panel, and you can read the panellists’ supportingstatements for each article on our website. We hope you’ll agree they are all worthwhile,well-written pieces on important topics, highly relevant to the interests of the Group. Since 2005, the award has been generously sponsored by Intellident Ltd.(http://www.intellident.co.uk/). It currently consists of £50 prize money, a day pass toCILIP’s Umbrella conference and travel expenses to Umbrella. A far cry from the originalaward of £5! We hope to formally present this year’s award at the Umbrella conference.Over to you!You can read the shortlisted articles and vote online at: http://www.cilip.org.uk/specialinterestgroups/bysubject/careerdevelopment/whatwedo/martinawardshortlist.htmPlease do join in, so that the final outcome reflects the views of as many members aspossible. Voting will close on April 10th and I look forward to announcing the winner at ournational AGM in Liverpool on April 20th.

Amanda Quick Past President


So what can you do to make the most ofyour transferable skills? Entering the job market as a graduate inInformation and library management I wasinterested in working in the school librarysector, however, as anyone trying to findwork in this sector will be aware, jobs on therelevant professional scale can be difficultto find, especially if you have little or noexperience.

To add to this I was slightly older than mostgraduates, with a young family and unableto re-locate, therefore I felt my options werelimited. As a starting point I decided to usemy new found skills to get a job and then Iwould try to find something more relevant. Iapplied for a position as an AdministrationOfficer within a private college – it wasn’texactly what I wanted but I thought I had theskills and it would give me experience ofworking in an educational setting and man-aging a small team. At the interview I wasable to ‘sell’ myself on having excellent ICTskills (newly acquired on my course), beingable to organise myself and my workload,communicate effectively (demonstratedthrough past voluntary work) …. Does thissound familiar? Within the next year I saw an advert for aLibrary and Learning Resources Managerwithin a school, exactly what I wanted. Theadvert asked for previous experience andqualifications and although I lacked experi-ence I remembered the advice given to meby one of my previous lecturers ‘the only jobyou will definitely not get is the one youdon’t apply for’, so I decided to go for it. I was invited for interview and was able to‘sell’ myself on having a professional quali-fication, by demonstrating I could work todeadlines, organise, communicate effec-

tively and manage a team. I was also ableto use the knowledge I had from the collegeto show I had an understanding of workingwithin an educational setting and under-stood the needs of teachers and students.Although I had no direct experience withinthis area I was offered the position overmore experienced colleagues and gainedmy first professional post. In addition to taking on my new role I alsodecided to join the local Career Develop-ment Group (CDG) committee, as I wasconcerned I might get isolated within mynew role. As well as networking this helpedme gain key skills through working as partof a committee, setting agendas, takingminutes, organising courses and in somecases delivering training. It was also veryuseful in helping to ensure I had a goodoverall knowledge of the wider informationand library sector. Being part of this type ofgroup also helped me with the Chartershipprocess – another way you can illustrateyour skills and demonstrate you are able toput these into practice.

Over the next five years I was able to builda small team and widen the original role,which in turn helped me gain further skills. Ialso studied part-time for an MSc in compu-ter based information systems, another wayto highlight your time management and or-ganisational skills. I was then in a positionmany people working within a small organi-sation can face – where next? I decided tolook wider, at other sectors, to see if therewere any opportunities for development.The public library sector interested me andI applied for the post of senior library andinformation officer with Newcastle libraries. When completing the job application I triedto match my current skills to the person

‘I decided to join the local CareerDevelopment Group committee’

‘The only job you will definitely notget is the one you don’t apply for’


profile, using both work experience andexperience gained through voluntary workand academic study. I was invited for inter-view and was asked to give a presentationon what I could bring to the position. Mypresentation outlined what I had achievedin my current role and how I could apply thesame skills to this position. Of course if youwant to change sectors you will also needto convince the interview panel you areenthusiastic about working in this sectorand demonstrate you are aware of keydevelopments and organisational goals.This is where you can put your researchskills to excellent use.

I was successful in gaining the positiondespite having no direct experience withinthis sector. This was largely down to show-ing I had the relevant transferable skills,providing practical examples of how I hadused these skills and how I could applythem in the new role. I really enjoyed the challenge of workingwithin the public library sector and wantedto be involved in helping to shape futureservices. After just over a year I was fortu-nate to see a position advertised with theLibraries and Museums management teamin North Tyneside. I sent for the applicationpack and after reading through the personalprofile and job outline I felt I could match myown skills to those highlighted. This positionwould also give me the opportunity to helpshape services and take my career to thenext level. As well as being able to demon-strate I had the key skills required for thepost I was also able to demonstrate I wasadaptable, by outlining how I had alreadysuccessfully changed sectors. After a rigor-ous interview process I was offered theposition of Heritage and Service Develop-ment Manager, with responsibility for the

museums element of the service and avariety of other responsibilities across thewider service. Within just over two years in post, theLibraries and Museums service within NorthTyneside became part of a large re-struc-ture. The museums element of the servicewas retained within Cultural services andlibraries became part of a new servicecalled Serving Communities. As part of thenewly created Serving Communities Deliv-ery Team, libraries amalgamated with cus-tomer services, community centres andtourist information centres, to provide a newservice covering all sectors of information,advice and guidance within the council. Thestructure of the new team was developedon an area basis, which meant managerswould be responsible for generic serviceswithin their geographic area. Again transfer-able skills, being able to show you canmotivate, lead and manage change, allcame into force. After demonstrating at interview I had thenecessary skills to take on one of the newarea manager’s posts I was appointed tomanage a multi-disciplinary team in theNorth West of the borough. Responsibilitiesof the new role include some key communi-ty facilities under the new joint service cen-tre banner, the Council’s telephone contactcentre and ICT across the delivery team.The wider management team are also in-volved in key projects within the council,transforming the way services are deliveredto customers.

I hope my experience demonstrates that itis possible to use transferable skills to gainemployment and to help develop your ca-

‘This was largely down to showing Ihad the relevant transferable skills’

‘I was also able to demonstrate thatI was adaptable, by outlining how Ihad already successfully changed

sectors’


Entering the world of special librariesChristopher Reeve

Impact is about developing your career inlibrary and information services, which isgood for those who wish to exercise theirskills in more challenging ways. Mostbudding librarians begin their careers ineither public or academic libraries, but thereis a third sector which has its own specialrewards and challenges. It is the realm ofthe ‘special’ library. ‘Special’ is really rather a meaninglessword in this context. The phrase is a catch-all for libraries that are owned by and servespecific organisations. These come in allshapes and sizes: large corporations orsmall professional associations, profitmaking or voluntary bodies. What they allhave in common is that you, the librarian willbe working, not with other librarians (exceptyour own team), but with people who areprofessionals in their own fields ofexpertise, who probably do not know muchabout what librarians do, and either regardyou with a mystical awe (“I don’t know howI would manage without you”) or as a drain

on the company’s resources (“Why do weneed a librarian when we’ve got Google?”). Clearly, to succeed in this sort ofenvironment you need some rather specialskills, some of which are not usually taughtat library school. Here I shall enumerateand explain five of them, but I am sure thatyou can think of more.

The first skill you will need is to master thepurpose for which your organisation exists.It is generally taught that a librarian’s skills– information gathering, sorting anddisseminating – are transferable from onediscipline to another. That is true to a point,but in a special library it is important to knowand understand the information needs ofyour organisation. When I began workingfor Barnardo’s I set myself two immediate

‘To succeed in this sort ofenvironment you need some rather

special skills’

reer or change sectors. If you’re planning tochange sectors, or even go for a total ca-reer change, consider the key skills high-lighted in job adverts as a starting point. Ifyou decide to apply ensure you refer tothese skills and be prepared to give practi-cal examples of how you have demonstrat-ed these at the interview stage, ensuringyou are able to relate these to the goals ofthe organisation. What you will certainly need to consider isthat it won’t be easy changing sectors orcareers. You need to work twice as hard tobuild the knowledge base that many of yourcolleagues may take for granted, and to beaccepted by colleagues who may think they

have more ‘relevant’ experience than you.Don’t be disheartened though as what youwill be able to bring to a new sector orcareer is enthusiasm, some fresh ideas,optimism, a lack of pre-conceived ideas andhopefully some new skills and experience. Iwould also offer the same advice given tome by one of my lecturers in the past ‘theonly job you won’t get is the one you don’tapply for….’

Paula Harvey Serving Communities Delivery Team Area Manager (North West) North Tyneside Council [email protected]


goals. One was to become familiar with allaspects of childcare and children’sservices, and the other was to know indetail the history of the organisation – whoThomas Barnardo was and how and why hecame to set up the homes for which he isfamous. The same is true if you work for,say, a pharmaceutical company like GlaxoSmith Kline, or a professional associationlike the Law Society. Your second skill will be management.You will definitely be in a “the buck stopshere” situation. In my case I had several linemanagers who admitted they knew nothingabout running a library and so my contactwith them tended to be limited to the annualappraisal and attendance at departmentalmeetings. I had to manage my team myself,select a suitable library managementsystem, and maintain and spend my budgetprudently – all with an awareness of shiftsin the organisation’s immediate objectivesand long term policy.

Thirdly, and this is the aspect that I foundmost exciting, you will need to becompetent in all aspects of librarianship. Itwon’t be a case of reader services ORacquisitions OR serials, etc. The librarian incharge of a special library will need to knowall about stock selection (of stock relevantto the organisation’s needs), all aboutserials management – what journals tosubscribe to, whether to go for printed oronline versions and whether to do it yourselfor rely on a subscription agent. You willneed to relate to many different types ofpeople as you will be serving the wholeorganisation. You will also need tounderstand all about computerisedsystems, all about Web 2.0, and all aboutcopyright, and be able to explain these to

others. With regard to the latter, you may bethe only person in the organisation who canpoint out to the CEO that what they aredoing with their copying is in fact illegal andneeds to be changed. It takes guts, but ifapproached in the right way your views willbe appreciated and your standing willincrease.

Fourthly, you would be advised to developyour networking skills. Being a speciallibrarian can become rather a lonelyexistence. Meeting with your professionalcolleagues in other organisations can helpyou realise that you are not the only onewith your problems. You can learn fromthem how they managed similar issues, andgive them the benefit of your experience inhandling some other problem. AtBarnardo’s I regularly had very beneficialmeetings with the librarians of the four othermajor children’s organisations in the U.K. Finally, you will need a marketing ability. Inyour organisation you will meet two types ofpeople – those who appreciate what you doand make as much use of your services aspossible, and those who never use yourservices and wonder why you are there.Unfortunately it seems to be a rule thatmost of the directors and those who are onthe senior management team fall into thesecond group. The caricatured librarianwould never succeed under thesecircumstances! You need to be able todemonstrate clearly and succinctly howyour services benefit the organisation.Don’t be an invisible librarian! Write reportsand circulate them. Keep statistics.Manoeuver yourself onto key boards andinto policy making meetings, and make sureyou have something valuable to contribute.It isn’t difficult, because they are aware of

‘You will definitely be in a “the buckstops here” situation’

‘Don’t be an invisible librarian!Write reports and circulate them’


News from KatokeSheila Rudd

It is all quiet on the campus at the moment.All but eighteen students are still away forthe long Christmas break, but are expectedback in the last week of January. They willbe back at college for two busy weeks ofreturning and borrowing books, before theyleave for one months teaching practice.

Before Christmas I travelled to Dar esSalaam for VSOs Annual Volunteers Con-

ference (AVC). Its great getting togetherwith all the other volunteers both sociallyand for exchanging ideas and asking ad-vice. I made the most of the opportunity forICT advice from the ICT volunteers. It alsogives me the opportunity to visit the book-shops and publishers based there. At the College, there have been a numberof changes in the teaching staff. Eight tutorsleft last summer to study for first degrees,upgrading from the diploma. So far, six newtutors, who have all recently graduated fromthe University of Dar es Salaam, havejoined the staff and are making a very posi-

Study Tour to MaltaTracey Ainsley

Our study tour to Malta is almost upon usand all our visits are now planned. We arevisiting the National Library and NationalArchives, Libraries of the University. Mal-tese College of Science & Technology andthe School library Service. Whilst we are there we would like yourhelp. In order to support good causes suchas above we are doing a sponsored walkalong the Maltese coast. To sponsor us youcan either donate online via our web pages

and Charity choice or send donations to meat the address below (cheques payable to‘Career Development Group International). If you would like to find out what we areup to when we are there, follow our blogonline via our web pages.

Tracey Ainsley Library & Learning Services Northumbria University Newcastle, NE1 8ST www.cilip.org.uk/cdg/international

‘The book stock has received anexcellent boost by way of eleven

boxes of books from the UK’

their need for accurate, up to the minuteinformation. What they don’t always realiseis that you are the person to provide it. Special libraries are not for the newlyqualified librarian. You need to hone anddevelop your professional skills first.Thereafter you can find yourself meetingtop people within business and governmentand helping to formulate key policydecisions within your organisation. I hope

that some of you will find this a stimulatingand challenging opportunity for which toprepare yourselves. Christopher Reeve Bibliographic Services Manager Richmond upon Thames Libraries

Prior to his current post Christopher spentover 12 years as Head of Library andInformation Services at Barnardo’s.


tive difference. There has been more progress in improv-ing the book stock in the library. I have beenable to buy textbooks published by the Tan-zania Institute of Education, Dar es Salaamand this provides essential reading, whichis directly course related. Fortunately, amember of staff was visiting Dar es Salaamand was able to go to the Institute in person,collect the books and bring them back toKatoke via plane and ferry. Delivery sys-tems here are either very expensive, com-plicated or unreliable, EMS or bus are theusual options.

In addition, the book stock has received anexcellent boost by way of eleven boxes ofbooks from the UK via the book charityRead International http://www.readInternational.org.uk/ . The books are in very goodcondition and relatively up to date, provid-ing much needed supplementary, widerreading. Many of the GCSE and advancedlevel texts included in the collection aredirectly relevant to the syllabus here andhave been much appreciated by the stu-dents who are doing further studies or seek-ing to improve their examination grades, byre-sitting the ordinary level examinations.Much of the Christmas break has beenspent on processing and cataloguing, sothe books will be available on the shelveswhen the students return. The books from Read International weredistributed by students from Liverpool andManchester Universities and most of thebooks were from schools in the North Westof England. As the books were all properlystamped I was able to write to the schoolsto thank them. As a result of this, one of theschools in the Manchester area has re-

sponded very positively and theHeadteacher wants to form a partnershipwith Katoke T C, which the College Princi-pal is very excited and enthusiastic about. Ihave sent a CD with a collection of photo-graphs showing something of the life atKatoke and when the students return afterthe holiday, they will be writing to the schoolthemselves and seeing how we can allco-operate and work together. One of VSOs key objectives in Tanzania isto mainstream gender issues and all volun-teers are expected to promote genderawareness in our placements. Here at Ka-toke, we held a workshop on gender aware-ness for the students and staff, which waswell attended and participation was verylively. It certainly highlighted the issueswhich face boys and girls in Tanzania. Asthe statistics show, girls certainly do lesswell academically and are not representedproportionately in many educational institu-tions. This is partly because girls spendmuch more time on household chores andin some cases, there can be lower expecta-tions of girls. It is necessary to use positiveaction to ensure both boys and girls arecompeting fairly and have equal opportunityin education. One of the objectives of theworkshop was to encourage the monitoringof gender awareness in schools and putinto practice the strategies discussed whenthe students begin their careers as teach-ers. We are hoping to train some of theteaching staff at the college to use the toolkit for the workshop, with the remainingstudents at the college.

Since my last update, we have takendelivery of one hundred new chairs for thelibrary, thanks to a generous donation fromEngland. This means there is now a seat foreveryone in the library most of the time. The

‘One of VSOs key objectives inTanzania is to mainstream gender

issues’

‘There is now a seat for everyone inthe library most of the time’


chairs are wooden and were made in Bu-koba by local carpenters. The next job is totackle the tables. I need two to three tablesrefurbishing to use in the IT area, which wehave identified in the library. This will in-volve refurbishing and resurfacing someexisting tables. This work is being held up,because the materials had to come by ferryto Bukoba from Mwanza and as the collegepick-up is away being serviced and repaired(this takes about two weeks) the materialsare still at the port awaiting collection.Hopefully, we will be able to start on thiswork soon.

We have also now received the switch boxwhich will make it possible for the library tobe connected to the internet, so in a smallerway we should be able to further our con-nection with WaKute. Following advice fromthe ICT volunteers at the AVC about equip-ment, I think we will add thin clients toconnect to the file server as used in the ITtraining room. We will also add to the stand-alone machines which can be used as suchwith or without the file server. Following a successful proposal to theVSO Tanzania Red Ribbon Small Grantsfund, I am developing an information / re-source area within the library on HIV / AIDS.The proposal involved providing shelvingand display equipment, which will be madelocally, as well as extending the collectionof resources. This means I will be able toadd more resources in Kiswahili and Eng-

lish appropriate for the young people fromthe nearby villages, who attend the commu-nity English classes and who have joinedthe library. The rainy season will hopefully be comingto an end soon. We have had the worststorms and heaviest rainfall since I camehere. This really can disrupt work as it usu-ally means the power will be off for a timeand even if we do have power, we cannotrisk connecting the internet during a stormin case the equipment is damaged. Ilearned very early to make sure my lap-topis always kept fully charged not only forwork, but as my entertainment centre! I will have completed two years in myplacement next month in February. I haveopted to stay for a further twelve months,because I want to see a number of tasksfully completed and in place. Also a co-worker will be joining me soon and I will beable to train her to work in the library on aday to day basis. One of the new tutors willbe allocated the post of academic liaisonand library manager. Apparently, there hasbeen more interest recently from possiblepartners in Tanzania for librarian / informa-tion work placements and I would certainlyrecommend this life-changing experience.There is definitely a great need and oppor-tunity for development workers in the librarysector and if anyone wants to discuss life asa volunteer, I look forward to hearing fromyou!

Sheila RuddVSO

Katoke, Tanzania [email protected]

The Career Development Group have had the pleasure of sponsoring Sheila Rudd onher placement for the last two years and the article above is an update on what has beenhappening in Katoke. I want to take this opportunity to thank Sheila for her regularupdates and wish her luck for the rest of her time in Katoke. I am sure we will hear morefrom her in the future.

‘I would certainly recommend thislife changing experience’


Dates Date: Monday 16th March 2009Event: East Midlands AGM and Tour ofLincoln Cathedral LibraryDivision: East MidlandsTime: 1.15pm-5pmVenue: Lincoln Central Library, LN2 1EZCost: Free but voluntary donation of £3 toCDG International Projects is suggested.Further information: AGM will start at1:15pm followed by the tour at 3pmContact: Paul TovellEmail: [email protected]

Date: Monday 30th March 2009Event: Managing your Career and East ofEngland AGMDivision: East of EnglandTime: All dayVenue: Cambridge University LibraryFurther information: http://www.careerdevelopmentgroup.org.uk/divisions/eastern.htmContact: Suzanne GriffithsEmail: [email protected]

Date: Tuesday 31st March 2009Event: Your Guide to Chartership andCertificationDivision: East of EnglandTime: 10am-1pmVenue: Schools Library Service Building,New Barnfield, Travellers Lane, HatfieldCost: Free (book by 25th March)

Further information: With Michael MartinContact: Jenni Lecky-ThompsonEmail: [email protected]

Date: Tuesday 7th April 2009Event: Web 2.0 / Deep Web courseDivision: Yorkshire and HumbersideTime: 9.15am-12.45pmVenue: York Central Library, YO1 7DSCost: CDG Members £45+VAT, Non-Mem-bers £50+VAT, Students/Unwaged 20% offFurther information: Delivered by PaulaYounger, Electronic Resources Librarian atExeter Health Library. Topics include RSS,Wikis, Blogs, online calendars, bibliograph-ic databases and library catalogues.Contact: Suzanne RhodesEmail: [email protected]

Date: Wednesday 8th April 2009Event: AGM, International Projects Talkand Tour of Edinburgh Central LibraryDivision: ScottishTime: 2.15pm-4.15pmVenue: Washington Browne Room,Edinburgh Central LibraryCost: Free but voluntary donation of £3 toCDG International Projects is suggested.Further information: http://www.slainte.org.uk/events/evntcalendarsummary.cfmContact: Jennifer HosieEmail: [email protected]

Whilst Sheila’s sponsorship is now complete we continue our partnership with VSO andhave a new VSO already in place, Vincent McDonald. He is working as a Communicationand Documentation Adviser for the Network of Maharashtra by People Living with HIVand AIDS (a non-governmental organisation based in Maharashtra State, India). We willhear more about Vincent in our next issue.

Tracey Ainsley Honorary International Relations Officer


To make a booking please contact Viki Lagus by Monday 6th April 2009:

Viki Lagus, Jarrow Library, Cambrian Street,Jarrow, Tyne and Wear, NE32 3QN

Tel 0191 428 2318Email [email protected]

Your wish is my command: Improving thecustomer experience

Career Development Group UK National Conference 2009

Liverpool John Moores UniversityMonday 20th April 2009, 10.00 am - 4.00 pm

Delegate ratesCDG members - £75 + 15% VAT = £86.25Non members - £95 + 15% VAT = £109.25

Students & Unwaged - £45 + 15% VAT = £51.75 (limited places available)Delegate rate includes refreshments and buffet lunch.

Artsline access code: W

Programme for the day

Morning: plenary presentations� Us and them? Shaping a customer service culture in libraries – Maxine

Melling, Liverpool John Moores University� A reader-friendly library service – Rachel Van Riel, Opening the Book� Connecting with your online users: they won’t come just because you

build it – Richard Wallis, Talis

Afternoon: choose two out of four parallel sessions:� How we do things in the North East: developing customer focus and

standards – Mark Freeman, South Tyneside MBC� Better by design: a guide to planning new libraries or major remodelling

of library spaces – Ayub Khan, Warwickshire County Council� Web 2.0. British Library 2.0 – Adrian Arthur, The British Library� From knowledge to health: the implementation of the National Service

framework for quality assurance of NHS Libraries - Tricia Ellis, ActingHead of KM & e-learning, NHS SW

Spring 2009

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