NEWS
Libraries to boost NHS App use
NHS England has announced a new initi- ative to use public libraries to help more people access online health services and use the NHS App.
NHS England will contact public librar- ies and NHS libraries to provide toolkits and information and the scheme will offi- cially launch in October. Louise Goswami, chief knowledge officer for the NHS in England, said: “We are delighted to see this development with libraries where we have trained 178 health literacy trainers in NHS libraries and run health literacy pilots at 14 public library sites.”
ICO reprimands Labour Party
THE Information Commissioner’s Office has issued a reprimand to the Labour Party for repeatedly failing to respond to subject access requests (SARs) when people ask organisations what personal information they hold on them. The ICO said the backlog developed fol- lowing a cyber-attack on the Labour Party in October 2021, which led to an increase in requests from the public and over 150 complaints about handling of SARs from November 2021 to November 2022. The Labour Party has taken steps to address the backlog, including assigning three temporary members of staff to solely tackle the outstanding requests, allocating extra funds and implementing an action plan.
Unison warns of council collapse
RESEARCH by Unison based on freedom of information requests and council financial forecasts shows a much bigger hole in local government finances than any previous esti- mates, hitting £4bn in the coming financial year.
The report, Councils on the Brink, says that failure to rectify the growing problem soon risks “the widespread collapse of local government” and the five councils with the biggest predicted shortfalls (Hampshire, Bradford, Birmingham, Somerset and Leices- ter City) account for a £500m funding gap.
6 INFORMATION PROFESSIONAL
New award for library reading projects
A LIBRARY of the Year Award has been introduced by The Bookseller and The Reading Agency to recog- nise innovation in the public library sector for reaching new readers and strengthening community ties through their reading projects and campaigns.
The award will be open to statutory pub- lic library services delivered by a UK or Ireland-based library and is sponsored by publisher DK. It will be delivered in associa tion with The Reading Agency. The focus will be on reading related projects and campaigns implemented between January and December 2024 with more details about criteria to be released in the autumn, when awards submissions open. Chris Bryant, the minister who holds the libraries brief, commented on the awards and the value of libraries, saying: “Public libraries are our cultural diamonds. They enable readers’ imaginations to sparkle, they support thousands of local groups, they provide advice to businesses and charities, enabling them to flourish, they give individuals who might otherwise be lonely or cold a space to open up. We lose them at our peril. So it is beyond brilliant that The Bookseller is creating a new Library of the Year Award, which will help give recognition to vital projects striving to put libraries back at the heart of the communities they serve.”
The award is a new category for British Book Awards and The Bookseller said it “reflects a growing recognition of the crucial role that libraries play as vital
community hubs promoting literacy and fostering a love of reading and building social connections. By highlighting suc- cessful campaigns and innovative reading approaches, The Bookseller, DK and The Reading Agency aim to shine a light on the fantastic work and best practice happen- ing in the library sector.” The Bookseller added that the publish- ing industry continues to evolve and that this award will be “a testament to the enduring importance of libraries in con- necting readers with books and building stronger, more engaged reading commu- nities. The addition of the Library of the Year to the British Book Awards promises to bring well-deserved attention to the tireless efforts of library staff across the UK and Ireland”. “Libraries are at the heart of commu- nities,” said Philip Jones, editor of The Bookseller and chair of the judges at The British Book Awards. “We want to shine a spotlight on the creativity of library staff in delivering reading innovation that is effectively engaging new communities of reading and library users, and encouraging greater interaction with books and library spaces both physically and digitally.” Paul Kelly, CEO, DK said: “At DK, we believe in the power of libraries to transform lives through knowledge and imagination. We’re proud to sponsor the new Library of the Year Award, celebrating the innovative projects that inspire communities with the joy of reading. This award recognises the vital role libraries play in fostering literacy, curiosity, and lifelong learning.”
Opening up Open Access A FREE conference for librarians in all
sectors will look at how to leverage the power of communities to get Open Access content and technology working for the public good. The British Library’s Open and Engaged 2024: Empowering Communities to Thrive in Open Scholarship will run online and in person on Monday 21 October. Supported by the Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC) and Research
Libraries UK (RLUK) the programme looks at open scholarship, open infra- structure, emerging technologies, collec- tions as data, equity and integrity, skills development and sustainable models. The physical part of this hybrid event
will take place at the British Library in London, St Pancras but it will be streamed online for those unable to attend. For the programme and a link to the registration visit:
https://tinyurl.com/5cj4um3h
September 2024
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