NEWS
Bodleian takes a no-show hardline
UNDER new regulations, if students miss four reading room bookings in a week or six bookings in a fortnight, they will be suspended from the Bodleian’s centralised booking system for a fixed period. Data shows that 1,214 readers (61 per cent) missed a reading room booking with- out cancelling in advance. This was during one week in its January-March term. It also found that 761 readers (37 per cent) failed to attend more than twice and 22 readers failed to attend 10 or more times in that week alone.
Facebook blocks Signal, claim
A SERIES of Instagram adverts run by the encrypted messaging service Signal, to highlight that “companies like Facebook aren’t building technology for you, they’re building technology for your data” were banned by Facebook – which owns Insta- gram – according to a blogpost by Signal. The ads show data used to target recip- ients like: “You got this ad because you’re a GP with a Master’s in art history. Also divorced…” and “You got this ad because you’re a certified public accountant in an open relationship…”
Signal said its ad account was disabled.
https://signal.org/blog/the-instagram-ads-you-will- never-see/
Banking services pop up in libraries
TSB is launching more than 40 pop-up bank services in libraries, town halls and community centres across Britain. Accord- ing to
www.tsb.co.uk/pop-up/ these include Prestatyn Library in Wales, and Ramsey Library in England.
The pop-up banks will operate one day a week and support customers with making payments, help with products, and help with bereavements. They were launched in April with more to follow by summer. The move follows announcements from the bank that 153 of its branches would be scheduled for closure in 2021.
8 INFORMATION PROFESSIONAL
CILIP Cymru Wales gets set for summer conference
CILIP Cymru Wales’ first virtual annual conference recognises and celebrates the impact of members and information professionals across Wales and beyond. This year’s conference, held on two half days on 20 and 21 May via Zoom, is all about taking a step back to reflect on a turbulent year, sharing remarkable stories, and looking towards an inclusive future with confidence. Delegates will be able to explore the future role of all information sectors – public, third, government and commercial – in the context of our community, profes- sional, political and digital impact. The 2021 conference features a packed list of exciting speakers to help inspire delegates to make a bigger impact. Speakers include Saskia Scheltjens (Head of Research Services, Rijksmuseum) on the transformative and global impact of open library collections; Sally Meecham (CEO, Welsh Government Centre for Digital Public Services); and Sam Hall (Welsh Government Local Government Chief Digital Officer) sharing library reflec- tions on the new, groundbreaking Welsh Government Digital Strategy for Wales. The CILIP Cymru Wales sponsored Tir na n-Og children’s book awards will be celebrated with an author Q&A, and the conference also sees the launch of the
Welsh Library Team of the Year Award for 2021.
Themes include “Shaping Modern Wales”, with insightful talks on inclusive community projects by Cardiff Libraries, NHS Wales and Aberystwyth University. There will also be a variety of speakers about the role of the profession in ampli- fying the voices of broad communities, with reflections on the recent WHELF Excluded Voices conference, and talks about the hidden voices in our historical collections and library activism. A session on “Digital Wales” will explore
the digital confidence of Wales with updates from the National Library of Wales; Books Council of Wales; a fasci- nating talk about Virtual Reality in public libraries in north Wales; and an update by CILIP Cymru Wales on the project with People’s Collection Wales and Artefacto to collect and archive the stories of infor- mation professionals in Covid-19 Wales. Prices have been kept low and there have been a number of bursary opportu- nities available. Recordings from sessions will be available after an embargo period. For more information contact Amy Staniforth
amy.staniforth@
cilip.org.uk or visit
https://bit.ly/3uCxZl5.
Children’s Laureates call for £100m school library fund
THE How to Train Your Dragon writer and Children’s Laureate Cressida Cowell has written an open letter to the prime minis- ter asking for £100m a year to help primary school libraries.
The letter has also been signed by a num- ber of former Children’s Laureates including Michael Rosen, Quentin Blake and Jacqueline Wilson – as well as many other authors and library supporters.
She wrote “I am writing – with the sup- port of former Laureates, literacy organisa- tions, and publishing industry leaders – to ask the Government to help reverse the spiralling inequality in education by put- ting primary school libraries at the heart of
our long term response to the pandemic with a ring-fenced, yearly investment of £100m.”
Her letter said: “The Government has committed to levelling up this country and so I know will be interested in this way of creating a fair playing field for all children.” She later told the BBC: “If you want to level up, libraries have to be a key part of that.”
The letter notes how the PE Premium
has helped children discover the benefits of physical exercise adding: “Surely the opportunity to become a reader for plea- sure is just as important?” Read the full letter here:
https://bit.ly/3fh6yqM
April-May 2021
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