Sharjah Library.
ing digital inclusion through access to information and communication technol- ogy and aiding research and continuous learning.
We will continue our virtual presence even as we ease back into our physical op- erations. Digital has played a huge role in our successful outreach plans, and we are very proud of having acquired an interna- tional audience.
Victoria Varley is Senior Library Officer, Oldham Library & Lifelong Learning Centre. Here she looks at how and why the library service has been forging links with libraries in Germany.
Information Professional (IP): You are involved in the Building Bridges project, working with libraries in Cologne, Hamburg & Bremen – can you tell us more about that project, and why the connection with Ger- man libraries?
Victoria Varley (VV): We connected with libraries in Cologne, Hamburg and Bremen because we wanted to enhance the work we do with Refugees and Asylum seekers. We had been working towards Libraries of Sanctuary status in 2019 and received some funding from the Controlling Migra- tion fund to do this. Many of the people we engaged with had migrated to the UK via other countries and had family and friends spread across many countries. It got us thinking about how libraries in
28 INFORMATION PROFESSIONAL
other countries engage with their migrant communities, how we could connect these communities and our library services and how we could engage people using the common issues that they face. We had heard about work that library services like Cologne had done in this space, and felt we could learn a lot from their experience. Our migration patterns in Oldham seemed to have similarities with those in Germany and so I asked CILIP to help me to connect with library services in those areas.
IP: What benefits have you seen from having an international perspective to Oldham libraries?
VV: An international perspective has
brought many benefits to our service – Colleagues in Germany have shared their vast experience of their work with the communities we are trying to reach and engage with. Their enthusiasm and knowledge of climate change, one of the key themes of our work, has opened up the opportunity for us to work with artists and the community on a creative programme we would never have consid- ered before. They gave us the confi- dence to approach this subject with our migrant communities by sharing their previous experience and introducing us to enthused community members with refugee backgrounds.
Our German colleagues have taught me a lot personally about patience and the importance of attention to detail when planning events for communities who might be difficult to engage. They will be speaking at our mini conference in May, ‘Libraries as Spaces of Connection and Integration’ bringing an international perspective to other library services too.
IP: How has the project engaged library users – both in Oldham and in some of the partner libraries in Germany.
Victoria Varley is Senior Library Officer, Oldham Library & Lifelong Learning Centre.
VV: Because of Covid we were unable to connect our groups as planned. Although we have been able to move our conversation classes online using Zoom, our partners haven’t chosen this route and none of us are hosting physical events in libraries yet.
April-May 2021
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
