On Wed 18 Mar 2009 Falkirk Council marked the opening of a completely new library with the unveiling of a commemorative plaque before an audience of invited guests. Meadowbank Library was designed by Falkirk Council architects to a detailed specification prepared by Library Services. It combines the functions of a traditional library with more recent must-haves including an ICT suite, Wii and Playstation, wifi, coffee making facilities and large screen news broadcasts.
The 520 sq m. building is light and airy providing a warm and welcoming space and close to the local health and sports centres and primary school. The children at the local primary were instrumental in coming up with the library name. The Polmont area is one of expanding population and the need for static library provision has been acknowledged for some time. Public comment has been positive and enthusiastic, and it is encouraging that the library has maintained the level of use experienced during the first weeks of opening. For further information or to arrange a visit, please contact Irene McIntyre, Falkirk Council Libraries Manager on 01324 590943.
Added: 24 Mar
Residents, councillors, healthcare and library staff gathered on Thu 12 Mar to celebrate the launch of Books on Prescription, a joint initiative between Inverclyde Libraries and Inverclyde Community Health Partnership. The aim of the project is to provide support for individuals suffering from mild to moderate mental health issues by providing a collection of books and a list of websites recommended by health professionals.
The collection covers a wide range of issues such as anxiety, stress, and eating disorders, and advice for coping with life’s toughest times, such as bereavement or depression. The books are easy to read, have been written by therapists or service users who have experience of these types of problems, and can provide support for dealing with these issues. The collection will enable patients and/or their carers to be better informed of the conditions that may be affecting their wellbeing.
Sandra Macdougall, Libraries Manager said, "We are delighted to roll out this initiative in Inverclyde – and are grateful for the support and advice given by other authorities, who have already piloted the project. The partnership with the local CHP is very welcome and helps us to contribute to the Corporate Plan and Single Outcome objectives by improving the quality of life of people at risk of, or experiencing, mental health issues."Added: 20 Mar
Killin Library has reopened after a substantial refurbishment made possible by capital funding from Stirling Council and support from the Scottish Government Public Libraries Improvement Fund (PLQIF). The new look library features modern shelving and furnishings, a self-issue system and increased access to computers. An open afternoon was held on Sat 7 Mar, with entertainment provided by the Anna Massie Band.
Robert Ruthven, Library and Archives Services Manager at Stirling Council, said: “This is the most remote library in the Council area and one of the busiest. Surveys have consistently highlighted the need for longer opening hours and, by installing self-issue, this means that when the library is being used by the Breadalbane Virtual Learning Experience on a Thursday, library users can still borrow books. Without the funding from the Council and the Scottish Government Public Libraries Improvement Fund, we could not have achieved this.” Added: 20 Mar
First-time passport applicants in Moray can now attend their face-to-face interview with service officers in the library. A new videolink system installed in Elgin Library means applicants will not have to travel to Aberdeen or Inverness for their compulsory meeting with the Identity and Passport Service (IPS). Staff at the library have been specially trained to facilitate the interviews over a secure link with an IPS officer at one of five offices in Scotland and England.
The Elgin facility has the potential to conduct up to 600 interviews per year. Alistair Campbell, Libraries and Museums Manager, said: "This is an excellent example of people being able to access key services locally while being supported by skilled library staff. It further strengthens Elgin Library's role as an information centre and as a convenient location for a wide range of activities, including electronic service delivery." Added: 13 Mar
The third novel in Ann Cleeves’ Shetland Quartet was launched on Tues 10 Mar at the Shetland Library, where the winner of an online auction to feature in the author's next novel was also announced. Readers submitted bids through Ann’s website for the chance to appear in print, with proceeds going to a local cancer charity. The book, Red Bones, begins with an unusual discovery at an archaeological dig in Whalsay. Shetland Archaeologist Val Turner, who was consulted for advice and is a real-life character in the book, will present an illustrated talk on Murder and Archaeology at the launch.
Ann said: "I'm delighted to be coming back to Shetland to celebrate the launch of the book and look forward to another great evening in the library." Red Bones follows two successful Shetland crime novels, Raven Black, which won the Duncan Lawrie Dagger Award, and last year’s White Nights. Added: 10 Mar
Libraries, Information and Archives has became the first section in Dumfries and Galloway Council to successfully achieve the new Cabinet Office Customer Service Excellence standard. The standard tests in great depth those areas that research has indicated are a priority for customers, with particular focus on delivery, timeliness, information, professionalism and staff attitude. There is also emphasis placed on developing customer insight, understanding the user’s experience and robust measurement of service satisfaction.
As part of the rigorous assessment, staff had to demonstrate that services were designed around the needs of the public, that they worked in partnership successfully and that customer focus was embedded throughout the service.
Councillor Peter Duncan, Chair of the Council’s Resources Committee commented, “The new Customer Service Excellence Standard has raised the bar on customer focused service delivery. By embracing this new Standard, local libraries will continue to learn from customers and to provide even more effective service delivery and real improvements. In setting the recent budget the council acknowledged the importance of libraries by re-instating £158,000 to buy more library stock.”
Added: 4 MarScotland’s university researchers are to benefit from an online shared initiative that will give academics easier access to more than 1500 specialist publications. The Scottish Higher Education Digital Library (SHEDL) has been backed by all of Scotland’s HEIs, who say that easier access to more journals will stimulate better research and support learning and teaching. It is the first scheme of its kind in the United Kingdom. Three leading academic publishers – Cambridge University Press, the American Chemical Society and Springer – have signed up for the pilot scheme, negotiated by JISC Collections and led by the Scottish Confederation of University and Research Libraries (SCURL).
Sheila Cannell, the chair of SCURL, who is Director of Library Services at the University of Edinburgh, said: “Differential access to journals has been a problem for some researchers but with the advent of SHEDL we are now providing them with a level playing field.It not only provides universities with a greater range of materials, but will also encourage collaboration between institutions as it gives researchers access to journals on the fringes of their chosen disciplines.” Added: 4 Mar
Three of Scotland’s colleges recently celebrated the official opening of new campuses, with Her Royal Highness, The Princess Royal and First Minister, Alex Salmond MSP both playing a part in the ceremonies. On 11 Feb, the First Minister opened Dumfries and Galloway College’s new building at the Crichton Campus which it shares with the Universities of the West of Scotland and Glasgow. Then on 18 Feb, South Lanarkshire welcomed Princess Anne to East Kilbride where she opened South Lanarkshire College’s new £34 million building, which coincided with the College’s 60th Anniversary Celebrations. The following day, Princess Anne was welcomed at Springburn to North Glasgow College. The new building boasts a fully equipped games hall, conference facilities, multi-media open plan libraries and music rooms. Added: 4 March
Information Scotland is the journal of CILIPS, which is published six times a year. The online version is usually made available around three weeks after the printed publication.
Dec edition now online.
Read the main features from the last edition of Information Scotland:
Coming soon: Feb 2009 edition
Information Scotland is published bi-monthly and distributed to over 2300 CILIPS members as well as an international subscription base. Download a copy of our media pack to find out more about advertising opportunities.
Good discipline in schools, regular communication with parents and a well-stocked library are more important than academic standards, according to an Ipsos MORI survey of parents' views of what makes an ideal education published in the Guardian. Added: 24 Mar
Scottish Premier League footballers are supporting a new project to encourage families to improve their reading skills, launched on Mon 16 Mar by the Scottish Government, the Scottish Premier League and the National Literacy Trust. With one in five Scots struggling with literacy skills, Reading Stars aims to inspire a love of reading in people of all ages and to encourage families to connect with reading and understand the relevance of reading to both players' lives and their own. Added: 18 Mar
Volume 7, Issue 1 of WIDWISAWN (Who is Doing What in Scotland and What's Needed) is now available. The articles are based on presentations made at the second annual seminar on Metadata issues and Web2.0 services. The seminar was organised by the Cataloguing and Indexing Group in Scotland and took place on 30 Jan 2009 at the National Library of Scotland (NLS) in Edinburgh. Added: 18 Mar
SLIC and CILIPS have published a joint response to the DCMS and BERR interim report on Digital Britain.Added: 17 Mar
Themes for Information Scotland 2009 have been published, visit the IS website for further details.Added: 11 Mar
On Wed 4 Mar Stirling Council, Carnegie College and the Scottish Prison Service launched a partnership library service within the women's prison. The library service to the prison sits within Stirling Council’s access services and the philosophy behind delivery is to replicate community libraries elsewhere in the area. Stock is provided by the Council as part of a service level agreement and a range of activities including book groups, reader development, author visits and a reader in residence project are located there. Added: 10 Mar
The UK Joint Forum comprises membership from the strategic bodies in England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales for libraries, museums and archives. Download the job description and application form. Closing date, 31 Mar.Added: 5 Mar
Inspiring excellence, yourself, your service, our future. For details on speakers and topics, visit the Conference homepage. Booking form now available. For general enquiries and information on exhibiting contact e: cilips@slainte.org.ukAdded: 5 Mar
CILIP Council is organising an open session on how CILIP UK should be using Web2 technologies to engage with both members and non-members in the LIS community. It is expected that the ideas generated will feed into the overall CILIP communications framework (due in July) and will be used for a pilot period until then. The session may also have simultaneous Twitter and blog posts, to keep those who can't be there in person up-to-date with the discussion. Added: 4 Mar
SLIC is pleased to announce 2009 funding call for Innovation and Development now open. Further details and information pack available from the IDF website. Added: 2 Mar
Scotland's Information
Research Collections Online
Scottish Library and Information Resources
Scottish Distributed Digital Library
Scottish Collections Network
Co-operative Information Retrieval Network for Scotland
© Send comments, suggestions and queries about SLAINTE to Gillian Hanlon. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 2.5 UK: Scotland License 12-Sep-2011
