NEWS


Ayub Khan looks to international role


PAST President Ayub Khan is up for nom- ination to become a member of IFLA’s Governing Board.


Ayub, who was CILIP President in 2018 is standing for election to the global library association’s board of governors. He is the only UK representative to make it on to the ballot and is joined by 21 others from around the world, including eight who are seeking a second term on the board.


The board will help IFLA deliver its new strategic framework, and voting closes on 19 April.


Libraries gone in


public asset sell-off AN investigation by The Bureau Local and Buzzfeed has revealed that 92 librar- ies have been sold by local councils since 2014/15.


The data come from council responses to Freedom of Information requests which found that 64 councils made £381m from property sales.


Before George Osborne changed the rules in 2016, money made from selling public assets could only be used to fund the cost of buying new ones. The report says almost a third of the money raised from selling properties was spent on making people redundant. To find out what has been sold by your local authority visit https://bit.ly/2SGHa09.


Library closures – change of heart


ABERDEEN Council has rowed back on plans to close all but one of its libraries. The reversal follows a public outcry over the plans that would have seen 16 librar- ies closed as part of the council’s wider cost-cutting exercise. CILIP Scotland wrote to the council ahead of a budget meeting to highlight the value and need for a well-run library service.


The council also agreed to raise council tax by 4.5 per cent.


The Conversation Café team receive their certificate. 4 INFORMATION PROFESSIONAL March 2019


Three winners in annual CDEG diversity award


CILIP’S Community, Diversity and Equality Group (CDEG) has named three highly commended services in its annual Diversity Awards. Created to recognise outstanding achievements in promoting diversity, the awards are a celebration of best prac- tice and highlight the good work that is going on in library and information ser- vices. David Percival, Chair of CDEG, said: “We were delighted to celebrate and acknowledge the impact of three particular entries for this year’s award, which demonstrate diversity and equality remains central to all library, knowledge and information services.” Jen Bayjou, founder of Diversity in the


Libraries of the North (Dilon) network, has seen her work singled out for praise in the awards. Dilon aims to ensure library and information professionals in the north of England who identify as BAME, POC, or non-white have a voice in the profession. The network provides a safe space for members to discuss issues and their experiences, while also providing a platform to advise conferences and events


about how to make sure speakers are diverse, and to showcase its members. The Learning Resources team at Bridge- water and Taunton College was also highly commended in the awards, with judges praising a weekly drop-in session to help users practice their English in an informal setting. The Conversation Café began life at the college, but has since expanded to Taunton’s public library helping to promote diversity and multi-cultural blending across the town. The final highly commended service at


the awards was made to Emily Macaulay, Centre Manager at Exeter Library. Emily was recognised for her commitment to ensuring the service is welcoming and inclusive. The award follows an MBE for Emily in 2015 for services to equality and diversity. Judges were particularly impressed with Emily’s efforts to keep the library open during heavy snowfall which saw many of Exeter’s public buildings close. By keeping the library open she was able to ensure the city’s most deprived and needy citizens had a warm and welcoming space to use.


News pp4-5.indd 2


07/03/2019 14:42


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44  |  Page 45  |  Page 46  |  Page 47  |  Page 48  |  Page 49  |  Page 50  |  Page 51  |  Page 52  |  Page 53  |  Page 54  |  Page 55  |  Page 56  |  Page 57  |  Page 58  |  Page 59  |  Page 60