Monthly Archives: October 2014

Learning across boundaries – a call for papers

Planning by the two sections in Lyon

Planning by the two sections in Lyon

IFLA’s Continuing Professional Development and Workplace Learning and Public Libraries Sections invite you to consider submitting a proposal for the joint session being planned for the 81st IFLA General Conference and Assembly  to be held in Cape Town South Africa 15-21 August 2015. (Program dependent on acceptance of Joint Session proposal by IFLA)

Theme:   Learning across boundaries: a workshop
Date: 15-21 August 2015
Venue:  Cape Town South Africa
Web site: http://conference.ifla.org/ifla81

Session theme and focus
The session will be developed as an Idea Café (Workshop?). Although the planning team is interested in a broad range of concepts, preference will be given to papers that reflect one or more of the following themes:
1. Diversity and Inclusion:  Creating an effective learning and working environment for people from other cultures and people at risk with a focus on customers’ colleagues.
2. Cross Border Collaboration or Exchange:  Facilitating global partnerships to support projects and or ongoing work
3. Cross Sector Collaboration:  Facilitating strong relationships with different types of libraries
4. Engaging staff :  Creating rich learning and development opportunities for the wide spectrum of staff employed in 21st century libraries – both professional and non-professional.
5. New Roles:  Preparing the next generation of staff and managers for new skills and competencies
One spot is available for an emerging author who requires mentorship.

Submission Guidelines:
Proposals should include
• Title of the presentation
• Abstract of no more than 400 words
• Author(s) name, professional affiliation, postal address, e-mail address
• A brief biographical statement of no more than 50 words

Proposals should be sent before 22 November 2014 via email to:  ifla@orange.nsw.gov.au

Submissions will be reviewed by the Program Committee with successful proposals identified and announced by 22 January 2015. Successful applicants will have until 22 February 2015 to confirm acceptance of the offer.

To provide for dynamic content, full text papers in draft form should be submitted in a Word file by 22 May 2015. Papers should be 3-20 pages long and must include an abstract and an appendix with practical recommendations derived from the paper. Final versions of the paper, incorporating new insights gained during the presentation, must be submitted for publication shortly after the conference. These will be published on IFLA Library.  An abbreviated version of the paper will be published on the CPDWL and Public Libraries section websites.

The length of oral presentations will be 10minutes. Presenters should be prepared to pose discussion questions to engage the audience in their work as part of the Idea Cafe. The full written paper is not to be read.

Language for abstracts:  English.
Language for presentations: English

The planning team reserves the right to ask applicants to make small adjustments to the shape of their papers to support the needs of the program.
Key Dates:

 

Date Action
22 November 2014 Closing date for call for papers. Brief abstract required
22 January 1915 Applicants will be informed as to whether their paper has been accepted
22 February , 2015 Applicants to confirm their acceptance of the offer
22 May 2015 Full papers must be submitted to the planning team

 

Registration:
All expenses, including registration for the conference, travel, accommodation etc., are the responsibility of the authors/presenters.

The importance of public libraries for digital inclusion

The European Parliament Committee on Culture and Education (CULT) on March 18, 2014 adopted an own-initiative report on new technologies and open educational resources. The report was drafted by rapporteur Cătălin Sorin Ivan (S&D/RO) in response to the European Commission’s communication ‘Opening up Education’. Among others, the report (item 36) mentions the important role public libraries play in this field, both by providing free internet access and ICT skills training for citizens.

The Commission’s communication sets out a European agenda for stimulating high quality, innovative ways of learning and teaching through new technologies and digital content. The communication discusses in depth access to open education resources (OER) in general, including massive online open courses (MOOCs). As the report points out, many Europeans do not have the ICT skills or Internet access needed to take advantage of these new resources. By providing people with access to free Internet and opportunities to take ICT training classes, as well as helping individual visitors, public libraries contribute considerably to the EU 2020 objectives in digital inclusion.

 

Library Leadership Programs

Leadership 1

Arabella Advisors, a philanthropy consulting firm, is producing a study of library leadership programs for the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. The study seeks to identify key players and highlight opportunities in the field of library leadership in a report that can be shared broadly.

As part of the initial research, Arabella is building an inventory of library leadership programs outside the US. If you are familiar with any leadership training program outside the US (either because you are running a program, have considered attending one or attended one in the past) please let them know via email at kheira.mansouri@arabellaadvisors. The goal is to build a wide-ranging list of leadership programs around the world so that the field can have an overview of how leadership training is done in various regions of the world.
The definition of  library leadership program is any program that is covering some or all of the following themes: advocacy, collaboration and partnerships, innovation, impact measurement, community engagement, change management, strategic planning and risk taking. Please feel free to share this message with anyone who might know of leadership programs in their region.

Opportunity for EU Public Libraries

EU Public Libraries

Throughout the implementation of the Public Libraries 2020 programme, the Reading & Writing Foundation calls on public libraries and associated organisations to apply for advocacy grants.

These grants are aimed at supporting advocacy projects at any level (local, national or international) that highlight the services that public libraries provide in the areas of social inclusion, digital inclusion or lifelong learning. We will fund newly developed projects or ongoing initiatives tailored specifically to this programme.

Public libraries, public library associations and other organisations working with public libraries in one or more of the 28 EU countries are invited to apply. Grants will amount to up to 15,000 euros, although joint proposals for a larger budget will be considered as well.

The call for proposals will have a rolling deadline with a 6-month cycle. The first date to keep in mind is October 17, 2014, 18:00 CET. The second deadline closes on April 17, 2015, 18:00 CET. The third and last deadline for applications is October 16, 2015, 18:00 CET. Please keep in mind that all projects will have to be to be implemented and their results delivered by April 15, 2016.

 

Libraries as a Safe Heaven in Times of Conflict

The ideas box launched at IFLA in Lyon. A possible solution for conflict situations.

The ideas box launched at IFLA in Lyon. A possible solution for conflict situations.

You still have time to register for Libraries as a Safe Heaven in Times of Conflict an online event part of the Library 2.0 Worldwide Virtual Conference Virtual which will be held on October 9 at 1:00 p.m. EST. This is a free event though the organisers would appreciate it if you registered.

The moderator is  Loida Garcia-Febo, Chair ALA International Relations Committee, President, Information New Wave
Co-Presenters:

  • Dr. Roberto Delgadillo, Humanities, Social Sciences and Government Information Services Resources Manager at University Library, UC Davis http://ucdavis.academia.edu/RobertoDelgadillo
  • Scott Bonner, Director, Ferguson Municipal Public Library, MO http://www.ferguson.lib.mo.us/
  • Natalia Tkachova, Librarian of Kherson City Library, Ukraine
  • Gonzalo Oyarzun, Subdirector, Sistema Nacional de Bibliotecas Publicas de Chile / Subdirector, National System of Public Libraries, Chile http://www.bibliotecaspublicas.cl/Vistas_Publicas/publicHome/homePu…

Session Description:
Libraries are helping people in cities experiencing conflict around the globe by providing shelter, basic needs and books. They are liaising with organizations to bring services into their communities. In times of armed conflicts, crises and natural disasters, libraries are playing a key role in the recovery process helping to keep families together and rebuild communities. Libraries are saving lives and providing hope in uncertain times.

Click here for information on how to attend this online event and how to check your computer for it.

A bibliography will be provided during the event.

Children eReading

ebook
The UK’s  National Literacy Trust has published a literature review summing up The Impact of eBooks on the Reading Motivation and Reading Skills of Children and Young People. In 2012, for the first time ever, the National Literacy Trust’s annual literacy survey reported that the number of children ‘reading on screen outside school outnumbered those reading in print’. This paper explores what such a dramatic shift in reading patterns means for young people’s literacy levels, by systematically reviewing the current thinking on the subject. The review addresses the negative concerns that screen reading detrimentally effects comprehension and recall, as well as the positive claims that eReading motivates typically reluctant readers  (such as boys or those from less advantaged backgrounds).

The paper pools together an intriguing and useful collection of easy to understand statistics on the matter, for example:
– Scholastic US research found that of children who had read an eBook, 26% of boys and 16% of girls said they were reading more books as a result.

  •  A 2012 study of 36 struggling readers at KS3 found ‘substantial gains in both accuracy and comprehension’ following an intervention involving both print and enhanced eBooks.
  • A 2013 study of 103 US high school students with dyslexia found that students offered texts on an iPod touch showed significantly improved reading speed and comprehension compared with reading on paper.