Information Scotland The Journal of the Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals in Scotland ISSN 1743-5471 Issue contents | Journal contents | About the online edition of the journal June 2007 Volume 5(3)

President's perspective

Compare and contextualise

Christopher Phillips is learning a lot from his Presidential travels and relishes the exchange of ideas.

One of the privileges of being President of CILIP in Scotland is the opportunity to meet up with a wide range of information professionals and to visit so many libraries and information centres. I’m enjoying the chance to compare what I know with what others do and to challenge some of my complacent assumptions.

In my last column I wrote: “I’d like to see it as a requirement that each year we investigate practice elsewhere, in another library, another place or in another sector, and relate that back to the needs of our customers and institutions. Setting up such a systematic exchange of good practice and ideas should benefit us all and contribute to improving the quality of library experience for all our customers.” Since I wrote that the visits I’ve made have made it clearer than ever that this opportunity to compare is vital to us all.

It’s funny how things come together sometimes. In my day job we’re firming up on designs for four new libraries. At the same time my travels for CILIPS have given me the opportunity to see how others tackle library designs. During my travels I always have with me something to read and one happy night recently as I waited at Crewe Station to join the sleeper I came across the following passage.

Here’s a puzzle for you then – I wonder if you can date it and identify the author: “The library, at Windygates, was the largest and the handsomest room in the house. The two grand divisions under which Literature is usually arranged in these days, occupied the customary places in it. On the shelves which ran round the walls, were the books which humanity in general respects – and does not read. On the tables distributed over the floor, were the books which humanity in general reads – and does not respect. In the first class, the works of the wise ancients; and the Histories, Biographies, and Essays, of writers of more modern times – otherwise the Solid literature, which is universally respected, and occasionally read. In the second class, the Novels of our own day – otherwise the Light literature, which is universally read, and occasionally respected… While a row of luxurious armchairs, in the main thoroughfare of the room, invited the reader of solid literature to reveal himself in the act of cultivating a virtue, a row of snug little curtained recesses, opening at intervals out of one of the walls, enabled the reader of light literature to conceal himself in the act of indulging a vice.”

Does this not strike you as surprisingly modern? Do you not see ‘quick read’ collections and tables piled high with popular books drawing readers into the library as well as the comfortable seating café type approach to keep them there? This was written some time ago and it’s salutary to realise that some of our better new ideas have been around for a while. That’s why I find it so valuable to learn what is happening elsewhere and see how I can apply ideas in my local context.

The three Celtic nations exchange delegates to each others’ conferences. The first of these this year, the Irish Library Conference, was at Portlaoise. This is a combined conference of CILIP Ireland and Library Association of Ireland and has been running jointly throughout all the troubled period of the last 40 years and more. This is a remarkable achievement which reminds us all that library co-operation has always had a good history of crossing political divides. The theme of the conference was ‘Inspiring progress: good practice and new developments’ and the papers were wide-ranging and thought-provoking and gave opportunities to examine practice both in Ireland and further afield. I was envious to see how a national programme of investment in library buildings managed by An Chomairle Leabarlanna has stimulated local activity of an amazingly high quality. Of course much of the value of conferences lies in the opportunities for informal discussion and this was no exception. I learned much and am grateful for the warm and hospitable welcome.

More recently I went to Llandrindod Wells for the CILIP Cymru Conference. I say “I went” but this understates the journey. Planes could take me part of the way but not back until the next week and as I have not yet mastered the art of reading and taking notes as I drive I opted for the 12-hour train journey each way which gave me welcome time to work, think and read. This was also a joint conference with significant strands for Archives and Museums as well as Libraries. I really enjoyed this approach which gave the proceedings a good buzz for 280 or so delegates over the two days. There are many similarities in how we reach our customers (who are often the same) and it was good to explore the different approaches and to understand some of the different needs. It was stimulating to have not one but three boxes to think out of. The conference theme was ‘Building for the Future’ and partnerships and workforce development were recurring topics. Library buildings featured large, as they had in Ireland and there were fine examples of new builds and refurbishments. Once again company and conversation were as good as the welcome was warm.

In between Ireland and Wales I was lucky enough to go with a group of colleagues from Scotland to Finland and Estonia where four of us were presenting at the Twin Cities Forum. I’ll write about this another time but the biggest impression of their library buildings I came away with was the way space and light were used. If you read more of Man and Wife by Wilkie Collins (first published in serial form starting in 1870) you’ll find that this was already a key feature of the library at Windygates in Perthshire nearly 140 years ago!

Information Scotland Vol. 5(3) June 2007

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