Ian Snowley's blog

Gather under the Umbrella

Well its (almost) the eve of the CILIP Umbrella 2009 conference, and I'm looking forward to seeing the Programme I designed come alive.

All the groups and individuals involved have put a huge amount into the planning so I'm confident that it will be a great event.

No doubt I'll be rushing around, trying to take it all in - but if you're there do say hi.

I'm hoping the conference will have a good presence online, so even if you can't make it to Hatfield I hope you'll join in.

All Change

I'm modifying this blog, to reflect some changing professional interests. So 'regular readers' please bear with me whilst I make the changes and try to work out a design that will accommodate the information I want to share.

Books Change Lives

To the London Review of Books Bookshop last night for a event to launch Book Aid International's new strategic framework. The event was hosted by author Sebastian Faulks, and with Julian Fellowes spotted in the audience amongst a large turn out of publishers, librarians and BAI supporters,we were guaranteed an interesting evening.

The new strategy has three main elements: Supporting public, community and educational libraries; Supporting organisations working in development and human rights; and Supporting improvements to the quality of primary education in sub-Saharan Africa.

This is an ambitious increase to BAI's activities, particularly the move into supporting primary education and Director Clive Nettleton confirmed it will require the organisation to raise £5 million over the next three years. So they are working hard to find funding from all manner of sources (remember Government funding stopped last year).

Which makes it all the more important to join the excellent 'reverse book club' - pay £5 for four books which get sent to someone else who will really benefit from them!

What was really moving at the event was hearing the words of African children, beneficiaries of BAI's work, spoken by London schoolchildren - explaining how books really have changed their lives.

All in all a very inspiring event, and a reminder why organisations like BAI really do matter.

Where in the World?

London as it happens! Despite being very quiet I haven't been away - I've just been keeping my head down!

But in deference to my regular reader (thanks UC!) I'm planning to get back on the keyboard in earnest, soon.

In the meantime I've been taking quite a lot of photographs, so do check out the new albums - especially the Folkestone Triennial and Harbour Festival one.

Claire - you've been 'badgered'

Well the end of another compelling series of the Apprentice - and sadly once again Sir Alan has failed to appoint the best all-round candidate - Claire Young. All credit to Lee, but i just don't think Sir Alan is willing to take on a strong woman as his apprentice (cf Ruth Badger).

But despite that, great entertainment - and I will be on apprentice watch come September, to see if I can spot the next series in action.

City of Culture - City of (Mobile) Libraries

We're just back from a long weekend in Liverpool - where I was involved in the judging for the Branch and Mobile Group's Annual MobileMeet.

I enjoyed my experience at this event last year (in Wales) so much that I decided to inaugurate a new prize (for the best small mobile library); and attended this year to award it.

The event was held at Aintree race course, and a superb turnout saw well deserved victory for the entry from Shetland in the best small mobile category. You can see more photos of the event and the other winners in the Liverpool 08 photo album. Author and screenwriter Frank Cottrell Boyce spoke to delegates and together we awarded the prizes.

The rest of the weekend was spent enjoying some of the events organised to mark Liverpool's year as the European Capital of Culture. Including two plays, 'Running the Silk Road' at the Everyman a very thoughtful and highly recommended collaboration between Yellow Earth and Beijing Opera Theatre (it is touring and due at the Barbican at the end of June); and a Watermill production 'London Assurance' a witty look at society and social mores in the 1840's - again its on tour but not (yet) coming to London.

In addition to this we also caught some of the art on offer including 'Gustav Klimt: painting, design and modern live in Vienna 1900' at the Tate - which whilst very good, maybe overplays the coverage of Klimt in the show; Anthony Gormley's captivating 'Another Place' on the beach at Crosby; Richard Wilson's 'Turning the Place Over' a dramatic intervention to the facade of an office block in the City centre; and Ben Johnson's 'Liverpool Cityscape' an amazingly detailed photo-realistic panorama of the Liverpool of today at the Walker Gallery - a fascinating and intriguing 'portrait' of the modern city that is now beginning to emerge.

We had a wonderful time in Liverpool, and this report should make it clear that there is a great deal going on throughout this year of culture which makes it, I think, a perfect time to visit.

There are photos in the Album Liverpool 08.

Back on track?

I've been hoping (trying?) to get back into my blogging stride, and hopefully Lewis' win in Monaco will give me the impetus to do that. So look out for some more updates soon.

"no librarians were killed"*

In a fascinating, and inspiring, article in the Guardian on Thursday, Clarie Armitstead described how  libraries (and publishing projects) are helping to raise living standards in Colombia.

The article, which should be required reading for politicians in the UK (especially right now) explains how libraries are being developed across Colombia - 691 new libraries built since 2000, and quotes Minister of Culture Paula Marcela Moreno as saying "I believe there are minimum standards for quality of life, and access to a library is one of them."

Even though Colombia's total of 709 public libraries leaves it a long way short of the UK's c3,500, it feels a lot more encouraging to see a country (and its government) actively supporting their development, rather than the situation here where they are under threat.

*Quote from an article 'Colombia's Libraries: modernizing amidst a drug war' (American Libraries, v22 n7 p620-23 Jul-Aug 1991) by Ron Chepesiuk where he suggested that librarians were respected (and therefore not targeted) by the paramilitaries active in Colombia between 1986 and 1988.

Policy, Policy, Policy

That's what most members would argue CILIP needs to concentrate on, and after the first meeting of the new Policy Forum, held in Birmingham last week, I'm pleased to say that CILIP is definitely addressing that need.

The Policy Forum is the last piece of the new Governance framework to come into being, and I was pleased to see representatives from groups and branches, joined by Honorary Officers, staff and Trustees all working together openly to discuss the key issues facing CILIP and the Profession.

Of course this was the first meeting of the Forum, and it will take a lot more work to develop policy statements across the key areas we discussed. But I'm confident that under Vice-President Peter Griffiths' firm leadership and with the enthusiastic support of staff and members the Forum will deliver in the coming few months.

The energy in the meeting room, and the high level of consensus over the ideas put forward certainly encouraged me, and even made the journey back to London, on (yet again) an overcrowded Virgin train bearable.

New Chapter

Well as I've already mentioned I'm starting a new job next month, as Head of Higher Education at the British Library, you can read the formal announcement here.

I'm obviously excited to be joining the BL, which has been something of an ambition over the last few years, and I'm looking forward to involvement in a range of projects including the UK Research Reserve. Of course its a shame to be moving on from the University of London after just two years, and whilst the refurbishment project is still very much underway. I do hope to keep in touch with former colleagues both formally and informally and to see the results of the building work.

My new role will involve me in lots of liaison work so I do intend to take the opportunity to build on contacts made at UoL and as CILIP President. With the usual proviso about taking care to avoid any conflict with my responsibilities to my employer I'm sure I'll be commenting on my activities from time to time here.