Awards for libraries that improve economic wellbeing

EIFL (Electronic Information for Libraries) has launched its first Public Library Innovation Programme (EIFL-PLIP) Innovation Award call – for libraries offering services that use information and communication technology (ICT) to improve economic wellbeing of the community.

The award is the first of four EIFL-PLIP Innovation Awards for public and community libraries in developing and transition countries.

EIFL-PLIP is accepting written applications in four languages – English, Russian, French and Spanish. To encourage greater participation, libraries also have the opportunity to tell their stories in their own language through video. However, the video must have subtitles in English.

The deadline is May 31, 2012.

Winners will receive a prize of US$1,500, and the opportunity to showcase their winning service at an international conference or event.  In addition, EIFL-PLIP will publicize their services widely.

For full details of this award, and future awards, click here: English, French, Spanish, Russian.

Source: ElFL-PLIP
Author: Jean Fairbarn, EIFL-PLIP Communications

Education Workshops on Using New Library resources for Classrooms

For this post we are collecting the information from the Irish web page: Library Services for Young People.

A series of workshops on using online library resources has been developed for teachers of both primary and post primary pupils and is being delivered in the regional education centres throughout the spring of 2012. The workshop covers:

•     Using www.askaboutireland.ie resources in your classroom
•     Services and support from your local library
•     Useful reference resources for free online access

Librarians from each local library service where a workshop is running are invited to participate in order to provide an additional opportunity for teachers to connect with their local service, learn about the services provided to schools and to develop links and further contacts to provide additional services for schools.

Source of this information: http://www.library.ie/youngpeople/.

IFLA’s 2012 Metropolitan Libraries Conference

For this post we are collecting the information from metlib2012. IFLA’s 2012 Metropolitan Libraries Conference will take place between Sunday 20th and Friday 25th May 2012 in Barcelona.

Under the heading “The Never-ending story: adapting public libraries in an ever-changing society”, two topics will be the starting point for debate, first, related to professionals profiles and, second, how to manage in difficult times.

It’s already possible to register for the conference and to consult the provisional agenda on his page.

The first Human Library in Moscow

The Human Library took place at the Russian State Library for Young Adults on 5th and 6th November 2011. The group of volunteers has taken the lead in this project in Moscow with the assistance of our library.

A Living Book is a person who is ready to share his life experience and to answer any question. This person has chosen to be a public representative of a certain group. In the “catalogue” one could find a feminist, a homeless, a Buddhist monk, a HIV positive, a chemist, etc. There were 35 Living Books in all. Everyone could become a “reader” of this unusual library. After getting to know with the rules, everyone could choose an interesting Living Book or a few from the “catalogue”. It was available to “read” it not more than 30 minutes and then you had to “return” the book to the “library”. If the book was not ordered by someone else, you were able to get a 30 minute extension. The “book” was allowed not to answer awkward questions or to close the conversation ahead of the time in case of insult.

More than 350 people have visited the Human Library during these two days. The most popular “books” were: “Homeless”, “Girl, who has adopted Islam”, “Transsexual”, “Traveller-loner” and “Mother from the same-sex family”. The least needed “book” was “Mother of many children”.

The youngest “reader” was 10, and the oldest – 80. But the majority of “readers” were students and young adults up to 30. There were more female than male among visitors (as it was expected according to the preliminary survey).

The organizers hope that the Human Library project has helped people to get rid of their wrong stereotypes and prejudices.

Note:
The first Human Library project was organized in Denmark in 2000. And than such events took place all over the world. Today more than 50 countries take part in this project.

Maria Evseeva
International Relations Department
Russian State Library for Young Adults

Application for augmented reality: 8,215 Spanish libraries on your mobile phone.

The Subdirectorate General of Library Coordination of the Ministry of Culture presents an application for mobile phones that offers a free service of geo-referenced augmented reality in real time about Spanish libraries, for Smartphones ANDROID, IPHONE or SYMBIAN.

Through Layar, it offers a layer of digital information about national and regional libraries, public libraries, academic libraries and special libraries locations in the Spanish territory and abroad, overall 8,215 libraries.

Once you have selected the layer and maintaining the mobile phone in front of you, the view of the camera will appear with overlaid information about libraries on a 5 km radius. Turning around, you can point the mobile phone towards the interest points. If you click on a specific library, basic information as name, address, e-mail, web, videos, etc. will appear in your screen.

Moreover, the geo-referencing characteristic places the user’s position via GPS and gives him the best path to the library by foot, public transport or car.

Subdirectorate General for Libraries Coordination
Ministry of Culture
Spain

Libraries of Barcelona: 10 more years. New challenges, new opportunities

Libraries of Barcelona: 10 more years. New challenges, new opportunities is not only a revision and updating of the Libraries Plan 1998-2010. Even though a balance is made, in general terms more than positive, of the deployment of the Plan during these years, the fundamental aim is to look at how the library services, professionals and facilities should respond to a new social reality, and to a context with new challenges and opportunities.

This document aims to be more an orientational guide than a new guide. And it has been elaborated with the conviction that it is fundamental to maintain the political commitment so as to be able to continue improving the network of facilities, to widen the services maintaining the quality achieved (a distinctive feature of the Libraries of Barcelona), and to improve these services so that the Libraries continue to be close, open and aware of the new demands of the citizens.

More information: https://elsfutursdelabibliotecapublica.wordpress.com/

Mercè Muñoz Creus
Biblioteques de Barcelona, Spain

OKNA, “About the Library Activities”

SKIP (Association of Library and Information Professionals of the Czech Republic) and its Association of Children Libraries with financial support of Ministry of culture and the company Skanska prepared the new competition in librarians work with children. The organizers hope to make the new tradition.

The competition was named OKNA, an acronym for “About the Library Activities”. In Czech it is a pun as well, a substantive standing for “windows”. Competitors´ task is to demonstrate their programmes intended for children. Little patrons are this time present as partners in performance for adult audience and the jury. This year´s competition with the serial number 0 took place in the town Jičín (http://www.jicin.org/en), the scene of highly popular original fairy tales by the writer Václav Čtvrtek (1911-1976). The jubilee of this writer was the topic of the competition.

Photos from the competition:

http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10150161561748614.303005.144848383613&amp

Basic info about the writer Václav Čtvrtek:

 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/V%C3%A1clav_%C4%8Ctvrtek

(Sources:

http://www.svkhk.cz/Pro-knihovny/Zpravodaj-U-nas/Clanek.aspx?id=20110220, http://www.kdk.munovapaka.cz )

State Public Libraries in Spain: Ciudad Real

This gallery contains 30 photos.

Ciudad Real is a city of 75,000 inhabitants situated in the region of Castilla-La Mancha, approximately 200 Km south of Madrid. The State Public Library of Ciudad Real is one of the existing 52 State Public Libraries in Spain. It … Continue reading →

Our Friend Library (Kamarádka knihovna) 2010

It is a competition of children libraries. At the beginning children certify their library and these “school” reports make the major criterion: the declared satisfaction. Other criteria, e.g.: opening hours, WWW presentation, or percentage of registered readers among the children population in the community, are evaluated by the jury. For the first time the competition took place in 2007. The evaluation starts in autumn and the winner is announced in the end of school year the next year. The Friend Library 2010 is the City Library in Chrudim. The library was commended for the pleasant room, rich collection, and mainly for rich and superior offer of activities for children. Library collaborates with libraries in Poland and Slovakia. The competition is organized by the SKIP – Association of Library and Information Professionals of the Czech Republic, Ministry of Culture and the firm 3M.
Source: http://www.kamaradkaknihovna.cz/
Related links:
City Library in Chrudim – WWW and Facebook

Eva Bartunkova
Department Head of Information Centre for Librarianship
Czech Republic

Interesting Activities: Čtení pomáhá (The Reading Is Helpful)

The reading is helpful is a campaign and promotion of reading together with a sort of moral education. Children read books nominated by a jury (taking account of an enquiry in public libraries) and choose the best book. List of books are prepared in three categories: junior classes of elementary school, senior classes of elementary school or junior classes of gymnasium (grammar school) and secondary school. Each child has to show an acquaintance with selected books in a quick test to get a valid vote. The correct answers are rewarded by credits as virtual money. Children offer their credits for any charity project instead of keeping them. On average about 10 million Kč is distributed. Champaignis a co-project of more organizations funded by the private-sector donator.

(Sources: http://skip.nkp.cz/Bulletin/Bull11_215.htm#ti )

Eva Bartunkova
Department Head of Information Centre for Librarianship
Czech Republic