Professor James Morton, Libraries NI Service Development Manager Julie Reid and Chief Executive Jim O’Hagan launch New Year New You at Holywood Arches Library.
‘New year, new you’ as Northern Irish library users get resolution boost
LIBRARIES in Northern Ireland have been helping people to stick to their New Year’s resolutions with a programme of events run ning throughout January and February. The New Year, New You campaign kicked
off on 2 February as Libraries re-opened for the new year and will run until 15 Feb-
ruary. More than 170 free events are being put on at Libraries NI’s 80 branches, fea- turing motivational talks, health advice, family history sessions and much more. Jim O’Hagan, Libraries NI Chief Executive,
said: “Libraries are places of learning, places of sharing with others in the heart of local communities. With such a varied programme
of events on offer, there is something for everyone. Libraries NI is inviting everyone to come along with a friend, or family mem- ber, and support and encourage each other to start to make positive, informed changes that will help achieve New Year’s resolutions and improve health and wellbeing.” l
www.librariesni.org.uk
Coding donation to boost Stem participation
THOUSANDS of mini computers to help children learn about coding have been donated to Scottish pub- lic libraries. The Micro:Bit Educational Foun- dation has donated 4,000 of its tiny computers to the Scottish Library and Information Council (Slic), which has distributed them to pub- lic libraries across Scotland. The donation is worth around £60,000 and the aim is to foster and encourage participation in science, technology, engineering and maths (Stem) subjects and careers. Many of the libraries will be working with local schools on out- reach programmes and others will be running drop-in sessions. Pamela Tulloch, chief executive at SLIC, said: “Library services have an important role to play in inspir-
January-February 2020
ing the workforce of the future. It is estimated that the number of people employed in tech roles in Scotland will grow by 13,000 each year, pro- viding excellent opportunities for the younger generation. “Extracurricular coding, particularly aimed at girls, has been identified as an area which will encourage more young people to pursue a career with- in the digital environment. The dona- tion of Micro:bits will allow libraries to expand the STEM provision cur- rently being offered.
“People are now using libraries to access a wide range of information, resources and entertainment. The provision of digital services is a strategic aim of the national strategy for public libraries and shows the commitment to increasing services beyond reading and literature.”
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