NEWS
US library cuts prison population
PROJECTS to improve the legal system in the US state of Missouri – following the 2018 Ferguson riots – include one to reduce the number of people going to prison for missing court appearances. One is an experimental “Tap in Center” at the Florissant Valley Branch of the St Louis County Library, which has about 300 residents served with warrants. Its success led to another Tap in Center being opened earlier this year. However, a sticking point was that no one from the target audience believed they could access the service without getting arrested, a problem solved when the library service offered to help. For details read
https://bit.ly/3RJka0c.
Become a Pathways assessor
If you hold CILIP Chartership status and are interested in becoming an assessor for CILIP Pathways apprenticeships, we are recruiting now.
End Point Assessors are responsible for evidencing the knowledge, skills and behaviours of an apprentice at the end of their apprenticeship through the assess- ment of an apprentice’s submitted work and presentation and through the facilitation of a professional discussion. If you’d like to get involved in building the future of the library and information profession through the apprenticeship please contact
claire.laybats@
cilip.org.uk for more information.
Green libraries in Gloucestershire
GLOUCESTERSHIRE Libraries has launched a new green-focused five-year strategy, which includes encouraging wild- life and tree planting in library gardens, installing electric vehicle charge points in library car parks, promoting recycling opportunities and raising awareness of initiatives to help the environment. The draft strategy, which will also include an extensive catalogue of e-books and e-magazines, is now out for consultation.
Information Commissioner’s three-year plan launched
THE INFORMATION Commissioner’s Office (ICO) has published a three- year plan which prioritises the infor- mation needs of vulnerable groups, as well as business and which will take an experimental approach to improving the Freedom of Informa- tion Act. John Edwards, who has been in post since
January, said: “My office will focus our re- sources where we see data protection issues are disproportionately affecting already vulnerable or disadvantaged groups. The impact that we can have on people’s lives is the measure of our success. This is what modern data protection looks like, and it is what modern regulation looks like.” This will include looking at:
l the impact of predatory marketing calls;
l the use of algorithms within the benefits system;
l the impact the use of AI in recruit- ment could be having on neurodiverse people or ethnic minorities, who weren’t part of the testing for this software; and
l ongoing support of children’s privacy.
Another aim is to improve the effective- ness of the Freedom of Information Act.
The Commissioner said: “There are few regulators who can say their work is of fundamental importance to the democ- racy on which society exists. But that is the value of the Freedom of Information Act. My role is to ensure the adminis- tration of that law is fit for the modern world.
“The proposals I set out today involve trying different approaches. Some may work well, some may not work, some may need tweaking. But it is absolutely clear to me that in a world of increasing demand, and shrinking resources, we simply can- not keep doing what we’ve been doing and expect the system to improve.” The plan aims to improve data handling in the public sector, including a revised approach to public sector fines. The commissioner said: “I am not con- vinced large fines on their own are as effective a deterrent within the public sector. They do not impact shareholders or individual directors in the same way as they do in the private sector,” adding that “for the next two years the ICO will also be trialling an approach that will see a greater use of my discretion to reduce the impact of fines on the public”.
UKeiG call for nominations
THE UK e-information Group (UKeiG) has called for nominations for its Jason Farradane Award 2022, which recog- nises outstanding contributions to the library and information profession. Individuals or teams anywhere across the world can be nominated for exemplary and innovative practice and this could be for a specific project, a piece of research or the development of a service or resource. Nominations should include a suc- cinct description of the work in question (maximum three A4 pages) and meet a number of criteria:
l Contributing to the creation, promo- tion and exploitation of digital resources and services;
l Raising the profile of library and infor- mation services across the organisation;
6 INFORMATION PROFESSIONAL DIGITAL
l Raising awareness of the value and impact of library and information ser- vices internally and/or externally;
l Evidencing a significant contribution to organisational goals and strategies through internal and/or external collaborative partnerships and cross team working;
l Demonstrating excellence in library and information science education and teaching;
l Making a significant contribution to the theory and practice of library and information science.
The judging panel will also look for innovation, initiative, originality and practicality. The deadline for nomina- tions is Friday 21 October. For more details visit
https://bit.ly/3aSlZHB
July-August 2022
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