Monthly Archives: April 2014

Elending landscape report

ALIA stralia Library and Information Association) has released the Elending Landscape Report 2014, which identifies worldwide public library initiatives to secure ebooks for borrowers. The report—prepared by Brussels-based Civic Agenda—is intended to help identify practical elending solutions for Australian public libraries.

This is the latest step in a project, delivered in collaboration with the National and State Libraries of Australasia (NSLA) and the Council of Australian University Librarians (CAUL), that has involved think tanks held around Australia; formal discussions with library leaders, including the ALIA ebooks and elending reference group, and the publication of a series of papers on the ALIA website.

These activities have helped move the conversation with other book industry stakeholders forward, but Australian public libraries continue to experience great difficulty in obtaining ebooks for elending and finding a platform that will meet the desired criteria.

  • A secure, trusted repository that contains ebooks from the big publishers, as well as from authors direct, and from local publishers
  • Content procured at a fair price
  • Providing access to local history content
  • Library branded
  • Providing content that can be accessed from all sorts of devices
  •  With a clever discovery layer
  • The options of loan or buy.

For more information about the ALIA ebooks and elending project, visit our website or email advocacy@alia.org.au.

Library spaces book

A new book on library spaces and equipment has been recently published (end of 2013) in Italy:
Vivarelli, Maurizio, ed., Lo spazio della biblioteca : Culture e pratiche del progetto tra architettura e biblioteconomia
[i.e., The library space : project cultures and practices between architecture and library science]
Milano : Editrice Bibliografica, 2013.
536 p. ISBN/EAN9788870757484
http://www.editricebibliografica.it/scheda-libro//lo-spazio-della-biblioteca-9788870757484-148188.html

I contributed to this work with an extended chapter (with colour pictures and references, too) on the school library as a space and place, a vital learning commons etc. (p. 299-334), plus a case study (p. 400-403), that are included for the first time ever in this kind of book (school library spaces have been only mentioned in the past). I’m grateful to the editor, Prof. Maurizio Vivarelli, University of Turin, for giving me the opportunity of “speaking aloud” of school libraries in a broader context. I’m also grateful to many colleagues of the IASL list-serv whose books or docs have inspired me (e.g., just to mention a few of them, Susan LaMarca, Rethinking School Libraries; David V. Loertscher and his works on the school library as a learning commons – “a revolution, not an evolution” -, Ontario School Library Association, Together  for  Learning: school libraries and the emergence of the learning commons, etc., plus the school library visits held within conferences and meetings).

Luisa Marquardt
Director Europe for IASL
IFLA SL member
AIB SL Chair

Hungarian School Librarians’ Association conference

The Hungarian School Librarians’ Association (KTE) Spring 2014 Conference has been dedicated to an actual field, an obligatory for all the teachers (including teacher librarians): how to create the teachers’ portfolio document. The conference was held on 3th April at the National Educational Library and Museum with about 130 participants from all over the country, especially from our capital city, Budapest.
After the words of welcome said by our president, Klára Szakmári, two main lectures were given by two pedagogical experts about the teachers’ portfolio document and the special aspects of the teacher librarians’ one. After a short coffee break, participants could choose of several practical workshops to help them on the way to create their own portfolio.
As the last point of our busy conference day, School Librarians’ Association  gladly presented the 7th volume of the book series “Little KTE Books.”Our association has been publishing books and publications since 1995, according to the mission and everyday work of the school libraries and teacher librarians. This 7th volume presents lesson plans for teaching library-use in the primary and secondary schools. supporting  the teaching methodology of library use, presenting work of outstanding libraries and addressing the history of our association.
We had a nice day together, hoping that many of our colleagues could have get effective support to their everyday work and especially in creating their portfolio document.
 
Veronika Kámán
Responsible for international relations
SLA Hungar

UNESCO publications

UNESCO has several new and forthcoming titles of interest to librarians:
UNESCO and Institute for Lifelong Learning. (2014). Action reseach to improve youth and adult literacy: Empowering learners in a multilingual world.
UNES0. (2014, May). Overview of information literacy resources worldwide.
UIL Policy Brief 3: Gender equality matters: Empowering women through literacy programmes (downloadable in English, French, Spanish)
UIL Policy Brief 4: Community matters: Fulfilling learning potentials for young men and women. This brief looks as the involved of youth in multipurpose community learning spaces and community development activities. (downloadable in English)
UIL compilation of 102 lifelong learning policy and strategy documents from national and international organizations

For more information, go to http://uil.unesco.org and http://www.unesco.org

Green library book

The Green Library – Die grüne Bibliothek : The challenge of environmental sustainability – Ökologische Nachhaltigkeit in der Praxis, Ed. by Hauke, Petra / Latimer, Karen / Werner, Klaus Ulrich

Series:IFLA Publications 161. DE GRUYTER SAUR.

http://www.degruyter.com/view/product/204586 . Ths aims and scope of the book are explained in the link.

Zimbabwe conference

The Zimbabwe Library Association (ZimLA) will hold its 48th AGM and Conference with the theme, ‘Working smarter and adding value: Library services in a new paradigm.’ The event will occur at Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe from June 24-27, 2014. Delegates will discuss opportunities for creating successful 21st century libraries that contribute to the most effective ways of information access and use in the Zimbabwean communities. Expected participants will be from all types of libraries within and outside of Zimbabwe. reservations@azambezi.co.zw

Venue: The A’Zambezi River Lodge, Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe. Tel: +263 – 013 – 44561