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May 4, 2008
Too many conferences, not enough work
5 years ago in a letter to The Bookseller I listed the waste of public money that goes on in the public library service. One of the items was the number of conferences and committee meetings attended by managers that take them away from their job. You would think it was trivial to say such things- except that it is true. Officers in the public library sections of local government have long paid holidays, they do take a lot of time off work for other reasons and in addition they do attend, at public expense, an awful lot of conferences. It means that their time spent actually opening libraries for the public to visit, which is what we pay them for, is probably only half the year.
This morning another one pops up ungrammatically on the radar:
"**Apologies for cross-posting**
Learning Our Future Today - Joint BMLG and PLG Conference
13-15 June 2008, Wyboston Lakes, Bedfordshire
A forward look for librarianship and libraries.
The theme of the conference is to stand back today and project into the future - the future for public libraries, the future for librarians and for all those who work in public libraries.
The conference will have much to offer anyone working in public libraries at every level. The programme includes the speakers - Roy Clare, Chief Executive, MLA, Tom Forrest who is well known to many librarians for his work on leadership and James Dearnley from Loughborough University.
If you haven't already booked a place make sure you do it now! It really will be a weekend well spent - for more information go to: www.cilip.org.uk/plg2008
Posted by Angie Weatherhead PLG website co-ordinator"
I don't know what BMLG stands for but PLG stands for the public library group of CILIP, the Chartered Institute of Library Information Professionals.
Roy Clare spoke to librarians three weeks ago at the Library and Information Show, in March at the meeting of the Society of Chief Librarians, last November at the Talis conference, last September at the Librarians' annual conference, and will doubtless be talking to them again if and when the MLA decides what its latest action plan is likely to be. Running public libraries is not a democratic forum- it is a management job that requires clear pupose and effective communication.
The MLA is a long overrun joke that cannot even do the one job with which it was tasked which is to close itself down. Previously it failed to move to Birmingham, which is what Tony Blair asked it to do. It is a year since Roy Clare was appointed and he has done nothing so far. As for CILIP...well - honestly who would pay a membership fee for CILIP?
(Perkins has not been invited to the jolly in Bedfordshire)
Posted by Perkins at May 4, 2008 9:51 AM
Comments
It all sounds like the shehanigans familiar from David Lodge novels.
Posted by: Christopher Hawtree at May 4, 2008 11:25 AM
I rarely disagree with my favourite feline, but on this one occasion I feel I must put you right!
Firstly, BMLG means the Branch and Mobile Libraries Group of CILIP - so CILIP ARE saving money, by apparently amalgating 2 conferences...
Also, according to the snail mail info I have received, Roy Clare will be giving 'a view of public libraries and where they are heading over the next ten years or so'. This info is vital to the future of library professionals: if I were a librarian, I'd willing require my employers to pay at least 10 times the nominal cost of this conference, to attend - indeed, so important is this information, I would even consider making a nominal personal contribution, so desperate are we all to hear something new!!
Retrack your claws on this one, Perkins!
Posted by: Charlie Main at May 5, 2008 11:49 AM
Charlie, you old dog, I am sorry to report that not one council in the whole country has expressed an interest in what was done in Hillingdon. You were very kind about it, but it has sparked no inquiries. I suppose they all think that they are already doing what was done there. It's surprising, then, that no one produces the same kind of results.
Posted by: perkins at May 5, 2008 10:15 PM