Massive expansion for British Library business centres
THE British Library will increase its network of 14 library-based Busi- ness and IP Centres (BIPCs) to over 100 regional and local libraries across England. The move comes 10 years after the British Library piloted its first BIPC out- side of London in 2011 in Newcastle City Library – a scheme that has supported over 14,000 businesses over the decade. In the last three years the British
Library said the 14 centres had supported the creation of over 12,000 new busi- nesses and led to the creation of over 7,800 new jobs The huge growth in the network has
been enabled by a £13m investment from the government announced last year, and is set to be completed by 2023. Liz Jolly, Chief Librarian at the British Library, said: “Our mission is to put business support in every library, but we’re also learning lessons from the past year, by making sure more and more of our business and IP workshops, events and one-to-ones are open to everyone online.” The British Library said that accessi-
ble support had been invaluable for over 26,000 business owners supported by the BIPC during the Covid-19 pandemic. It said a quarter of users say the service helped them gain confidence and resil- ience to steer their business through the challenges of the past year. Over 3,600 business owners attended events as part of Reset. Restart, an emergency
British Library, London.
online programme launched by the British Library last year to provide new skills and resilience to all SMEs affected. Liz Jolly also said: “We’re delighted to mark this next chapter in the Network’s journey, growing from 14 to over 100 new regional and local Centres across England, with a longer term ambition to expand across the UK.” She adds: “At their heart, libraries are trusted spaces with professional staff who have a mission to connect people with information. From Glasgow to Brighton, our BIPC Network harnesses the power of libraries, bringing in expertise from the local community to help people from all walks of life turn an idea into a successful
business. Caroline Dinenage, Culture Minister,
said: “It is brilliant that small businesses and entrepreneurs will now be able to access invaluable support and resources in more parts of the country than ever before. I’m delighted that, thanks to our £13m in- vestment in the British Library’s Business and IP Centres, this important network is growing from strength to strength.” Nine of the new centres are set to open in libraries across the North West with another six in the Liverpool area, six more in the North East, and another six around Birmingham, with smaller allocations to many other regions. Only one is due to open in London.
Warning over impact on projects through lost knowledge and expertise in key roles
NEW Government guidance has high- lighted the importance of strong Knowl- edge Management protocols for major defence projects – especially in the early stages.
The guidance comes from a lessons learned report – Project Initiation: Lessons Learned Report and follows the Integrat- ed Review 2021. The guidance executive summary, written by Mike Baker MOD Chief Operating Officer; Nick Smallwood, IPA Chief Executive; and Paul Adamson, PA Consulting Global Head of Delivery, says: “Initiation is often the hardest stage for any project. These early stages have the most impact on outcomes. That is why it is
June 2021
essential that projects are set up for success right from the beginning. Whilst successful project initiation can take more time at the start, this will be repaid many times over later on in delivery.”
The guidance highlights key areas where project initiation can be improved, including leadership, overview, flexibility and Deliver- ing through People. The section on human resource recognises how crucial it is to be able to access knowledge and expertise, say- ing: “Bringing in the right talent to projects at the outset is only half of the equation. Complex projects require niche skills that are in high demand, which means they are difficult to access in the first place.”
It also highlights that in a defence setting turnover can be increased because of the way staff are deployed, and so capturing knowl- edge is even more important. The guidance sets out a number of recommendations to identify expertise and ensure there are effective succession plans in pace for key roles. It also adds that there should be “thor- ough onboarding and offboarding processes which help team members acclimatise rap- idly. Collate and record their feedback when they leave the team. Establish clear guidance on knowledge management and use collab- oration platforms like MS Teams to assist with information sharing.” Read the full report at
https://bit.ly/3xlHk1D.
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