LocScot > Ethos

To provide an infrastructure for the dissemination of up-to-date knowledge of good practice in library local studies services in Scotland by:
• reviewing professional literature, both printed and electronic, to keep in touch with the latest developments in this field worldwide
• monitoring best practice in the UK especially through links with the CILIP Local Studies Group, our parent body
• maintaining full involvement in the Scottish library community through links with CILIPS and SLIC
• maintaining professional links with the archive and museum professions and enjoying a shared experience of initiatives of common relevance.
• proactive involvement in the broad base of historical research and development through links with local and family history societies and other organisations, such as the Scottish Local History Forum and the Scottish Association of Family History Societies

To actively promote the development of best practice in library local studies services throughout Scotland by:
• publishing authoritative articles on good practice in our journal on a regular basis
• publishing news items in our journal describing noteworthy initiatives across Scotland
• organising day-schools and seminars with an emphasis on current developments in local studies practice
• organising visits to libraries and other institutions to inspect new initiatives at first hand
• providing up-to-date advice on local studies practice for library staff across Scotland

To promote co-operation between libraries across Scotland on matters relating to local studies by:
• sharing experience of good practice
• organising the redistribution of local studies materials to appropriate parts of the country
• investigating options for co-operation on projects, such as the digitisation of resources and newspaper preservation
• organising events, such as Local History Week, that provide an opportunity for co-operation in local studies promotion across Scotland

To contribute to the development of a worldwide library of local digital resources by:
• helping to assess the value of local collections in Scotland to the worldwide library
• providing guidance on joint cataloguing/metadata/digitisation projects
• helping to monitor standards and good practice

To facilitate the development of professional standards in local studies by
• contributing to the development of formal standards and guidelines for UK local studies
• providing advice to CILIPS and SLIC to facilitate the inclusion of local studies in mainstream professional development in Scotland
• maintaining links with organisations, such as the Centre for Digital Library Research, that are geared to the provision of development opportunities for library standards in Scotland
• involvement in the training and continuous professional development of library staff in Scotland to ensure that a local studies dimension is maintained in those activities

Don Martin e: don.martin@eastdunbarton.gov.uk Assistant Manager, Information & Archives, East Dunbartonshire Council