About the Public Library Networking Focus
The Public Library Networking Focus was a national post working in
collaboration with MLA,
the British Library and the higher and further education communities.
The aims of the Focus were to contribute to strategic, policy-making, awareness raising
and development activities in the area of public library networking and lifelong
learning.
The original post holder was Sarah Ormes who was followed by Penny Garrod.
Following Penny's departure in August 2004 it was agreed with the funders that
the post should be merged with UKOLN's Interoperability Focus team. This area of
the Web site will no longer be developed, but will be kept for historical purposes.
Focus Activities
Networked Services Policy Taskgroup
- The NSPTG
started in 1996 as a partnership between EARL (a public library networking
consortium, now disbanded),
the Library Association (LA) and UKOLN.
During this period the NSPTG produced a series of
Issue Papers on
aspects of policy relating to networked service provision.
- The NSPTG was relaunched in November 2001 as an expert partnership forum
comprising MLA,
CILIP
(the Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals) and UKOLN
(EARL was closed down in September 2001).
- The role of the NSPTG is to promote best practice in the formation of
networked services policy and inform the strategic development of networked
services.
- The NSPTG is in process of commissioning further issue papers on a range of
topics surrounding the implementation of
the People's Network and will
take account of feedback from the People's Network programme of events which
took place between March and June 2002.
Reader development: Web-based projects for children
- Stories From the Web:
Stories from the Web is a Reader Development Programme managed by Birmingham
Library and Information Services. It was originally funded through a Library
and Information Commission research grant. The site and the clubs aim to
develop both traditional literacy skills and Internet -based skills in
children, through reading and interacting with the web site.
Note: There are now two web sites: one for readers aged 8-11 and one for
readers aged 11-14.
- Treasure Island: a
1997 pilot project for Stories from the Web. The site won a number of 'site of
the week' awards and remains popular with children from the UK, USA and
Australia who regularly submit designs for pirates under the 'things to do'
section.
Ebooks 2003
The following projects have received funding to trial and evaluate several
ebook models in public libraries.
"Electronic
books in public libraries - a feasibility study"
- The Laser
foundation has awarded Loughborough University and Co-East library consortium funding to
deliver and evaluate various models for the delivery of ebooks in Essex
libraries.
- The Project Advisory Board convened for the first time in May 2003 - the
Focus is a member of the board and public libraries that are already involved
in ebook services are also represented.
- Higher education is represented by The
Joint Information Systems Committee(JISC) Working Group on ebooks.
London
Borough of Richmond upon Thames ebooks service:
The London Borough of Richmond launched an ebooks service in March 2003.
Dissemination
Resources
Useful links for Public Library staff
Previous projects
- CIRCE:
Resource organisation and discovery in subject-based services
- People Flows:
Exploring why and when people use different types of libraries
