NEWS
FOI professionals need help from ICO
RESEARCH commissioned by the Infor- mation Commissioners Office has found that FOI practitioners in public bodies need support with spreadsheets and time management.
However it also found that they faced pressures from within their own organisa- tions: “FOI officers often faced unwarranted push-back from people about the release of information that they had no reason to withhold” and externally when FOI requesters didn’t accept that data could not be pro- vided and repeated “sometimes vexatious, requests”. The ICO said: “In recent years we have only been able to give limited at- tention to this work due to lack of resourc- es” but said funding is in place for a new “upstream regulation team who can focus on doing just that.”
Call for treasurer with K&IM Group
CILIP K&IM Group has a vacancy for honorary treasured, following the death of Andrew Hutchinson.
The role is an important part of the groups volunteer committee, administering the spe- cial interest groups finances and providing financial advice to the Chair and other committee members.
The role requires attendance at committee meetings, which can be done virtually. Being part of a CILIP committee can help you develop skills, expertise and experience, and build new professional networks. To apply visit
https://tinyurl.com/339v2tuc
PLR needs loan data revamp
THE Department for Culture, Media and Sport and the British Library are consult- ing about changes to the PLR Scheme which pays authors for book loans. The main focus of the consultation is getting reliable book loan data. Problems have emerged due to the response rate to CIPFA’s annual library stats from 92 per cent in 2013/14 to around 45 per cent in 2021/22 and a rise in the number of library consortia and the national LMS in Wales.
CILIP Partners event shines spotlight on AI use
CILIP held a Partners Knowledge Exchange, to help understand where sectors are in relation to the use of Artificial Intelligence systems. The event brought together a range
of library, information and knowledge professionals representing a variety of organisations and sectors. The aim was to bring together CILIP’s partner organ- isations (Employer Partners, Learning Partners and Supplier Partners) and create a forum where knowledge can be shared. There are a number of sectors that
have been leading the way on AI. Many academic, health and legal libraries have been using AI tools for years, imple- menting new technologies that support services. AI has been particularly use- ful for organisations working with large data sets to enhance decision making, as well as improving search and access. Often these AI technologies are baked into commercial software products, specifically designed for a sector. Elsewhere, there is a move towards experimentation with some of the freely available tools. CILIP’s report on the
event says: “Public libraries have also made forays into the AI sphere, but more on an individual level, such as using AI products to help with inspiration for social media posts, or as a basis for library activi- ties and discussion. “Representatives reported using gen- erative AI services such as ChatGPT for creating digital content, developing a voice on social media for consistent mes- saging, and using it as a way of thinking things through and exploring ideas, before creating something themselves.” There were also discussions about ethics and potential problems arising from the use of AI, particularly around accuracy and trust in the results. There are also question marks about how legit- imate work produced by AI is, especially in an education setting. The CILIP Partner Knowledge Exchange
is an annual event, and just one example of the opportunities available to CILIP partners. For more information on how your organisation can get involved and to find out more about the benefits visit
www.cilip.org.uk/organisations.
Is copyright anxiety harming innovation?
LIBRARIANS working in the higher edu- cation sector are being asked to help in a study looking at “copyright anxiety”. The joint research project from Bodle-
ian Libraries, University of Oxford, City, University of London and the University of Alberta, will gauge how confident HE librarians are working within the con- straints of current copyright legislation. Taking an international approach will allow researchers to judge whether legal and cultural differences have an impact on confidence.
8 INFORMATION PROFESSIONAL DIGITAL The survey will run until 18 August and
will focus on whether copyright legisla- tion is preventing or slowing inno vation in research and teaching. Organisers are keen for as many librarians as possible to take part and have asked for anyone taking the survey to share it with col- leagues. For more information about the project
visit To take part visit https://copyrightliteracy. org or email
chris.morrison@
bodleain.ox.ac.uk if you have any questions. To take part, visit
https://tinyurl.com/2uhncjxe.
July-August 2023
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