Editorial

Citation

Ashcroft, L. (2005), "Editorial", New Library World, Vol. 106 No. 11/12. https://doi.org/10.1108/nlw.2005.072106kaa.001

Editorial

The business consultancy PKF has delivered its report on public library efficiency earmarked in the Framework for the Future plan. While common processes are urged for efficiency and cost savings, MLA/DCMS will now work on the next steps with local councils, the Society of Chief Librarians, other government departments, the Local Government Association, etc. and there will be a project plan, followed by best practice road shows or conferences to publicise the report and involve local services, councils and suppliers (including library management system suppliers). Comments have been made that contents of the report are stale, some having been aired many times previously – “It cost a cool £150,000 (+ VAT), but the PKF report is flimsy” (PKF report on public library efficiency, 2005). Another aspect of economic efficiency in public libraries is presented in the article by Aabo, who reports on research into whether Norwegian public libraries are worth their price. One objective of this research was to explore whether or not citizens found that the benefits of libraries outweighed their costs, which was found to be the case.

The leadership programme for public libraries, Leading Modern Public Libraries, under the Framework for the Future plan is making a difference. Individuals and authorities are saying that it is leading to positive change. The programme is structured on three levels – heads of service, senior managers and future leaders. Framework for the Future funding has provided grants for one place at each of the three levels for all public library authorities in England, and 148 of the 149 authorities have taken up places. FPM (a provider of national leadership and management learning programmes for public services) won the contract to develop and deliver the programme, designed for participants to find challenging, relevant to their current situation and rewarding. McNicol's article focuses on academic libraries, reporting on the Outcomes Project which aimed to investigate strategic planning in UK academic libraries. Key issues in terms of strategic planning which need to be addressed by academic libraries are identified. However, the response to the various activities of the Outcomes Project indicate the lack of interest in outcomes assessment within the academic library sector.

A promotion named Blind Date, after Cilla Black's popular television show, is sending books into the hands of young people. A fun web site (www.whatareyouuptotonight.com/blinddate) uses the Blind Date formula to match 18-35 year olds with a book they fancy from descriptions such as “hot, steamy one-night stand” and “imaginative, mystical, needs commitment”. Like the television programme, readers choose from three offers, see what they have turned down, and then pick up their final unseen choice at their local library. The site, developed by Opening the Book, is publicised mainly by small, colourful business cards. Reader development forms part of the article by Nielsen. His paper is a short version of findings from his research on the Internet as a medium in libraries – particularly in the domain of imaginative literature. The paper is illustrated by the Danish library web site Litteratursiden.dk, produced by librarians to inspire readers of fiction among library patrons.

On considering speaker presentation and panel discussions at the E-Literacy Conference 2005 (www.elit-conf.org/elit2005/), it seems that there no consensus on terminology for what information professionals understand as “information literacy”. Different literacies were considered at this conference – social (the three Rs), traditional (IL) and digital (“e” or ICT). A further uncertainty emerged about who is responsible for teaching it in academia – librarians, academics or both. Many aspects were discussed, but delegates agreed that information literacy should be delivered at the time of need, build on prior student knowledge, recognise that students have different learning styles and are strategic learners and, ideally, be assessed. Korobili and Tilikidou report, in their article, on research into information literacy in Greek academic institutions. Both students and faculty were surveyed. Findings identified the need for an information literacy course integrated into the curriculum, tailored to the interests of students, provided at an appropriate time and designed to develop critical thinking skills.

The Progressive African Library and Information Activists' Group (PaliAct) is a new African librarians' organisation. This group believes that “current leaders” in the African information field have done little to break colonial and imperialist policies and practices in meeting the information needs of the people of Africa, or to make the profession more relevant to the needs of African librarians and information workers. The group plans to set up an alternative information service “run and managed by/on behalf of workers, peasants, pastoralists, fisher people and other marginalized individuals” in order to show “what our `official' libraries and information workers should be doing”. Community information services should, of course, be geared to the community which they serve. The paper by Khan and Bawden reports on the current status and future prospects for community informatics services in libraries in Pakistan. Their findings conclude that community information is widely provided by libraries, but only in the most traditional and reactive manner, with a low level of access to even the most basic ICT tools which could be used for community information purposes, with correspondingly low usage.

Recently, representatives from various Finnish library organisations considering unification visited Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals (CILIP) headquarters. They purpose was to find out about the unification of the Library Association and the Institute of Information Scientists to form CILIP. The process of unification and its benefits were discussed together with partnership, and certification and accreditation (including the new Framework of Qualifications). The key point was the vital importance of speaking with one voice in a clear way – particularly important when lobbying government and engaging in advocacy. Agee and Lilliard discuss, in their article, the various types of library associations. They aim to provide information that will guide a student's or new librarian's thinking about these associations, as many more professional associations exist and encourage student/ new librarian participation than those entering the profession may be aware of.

Linda Ashcroft

ReferencePKF report on public library efficiency (2005), Library+Information Update, Vol. 4 No. 9, 2 September.