The CLIC ‘Same but different: Working in different library sectors’ event took place on Friday 26thJune 2015 at the Welsh Government Building.
The morning’s programme covered the work and services of four very different library sectors; each one demonstrating the wide range of information work and those recurring core tasks present in each of them.
The first speaker, Marlize Palmer, was from our host venue, the Welsh Government Library, and she presented “Supporting law making and policy development”. The Welsh Government Library oversees areas from law making support, policy support, CPD, Copyright and digital continuity. The 20 members of staff in Library and Archive Services based at Cathays Park provide support to all Welsh Government locations including Merthyr and Llandudno Junction. The range of query work ranges from CPD, for staff learning and development; legal services, EU legislation, including specific work to support the regional restructure in Wales and Organ Donation legislation and Record Management especially where there differences between England and Scotland to Wales. The Library also responses to queries about historical ministerial decisions, many of these have now been digitised and can be accessed.
The Library and Archive Librarians have allocated policy areas but often find themselves working with other colleagues to meet deadlines for their clients. The service always works within CILIP’s code of ethics to ensure they provide a balanced response for information. This is an important quality when meeting the demands of 625 literature searches & specific information searches in 2014-15. Other queries relate to copyright, this is an area that the library has seen a growing number of questions about.
Other services provided are, access to publications that have been removed from the website and disseminating information to their clients via their Current Awareness Blog. The Library staff run training sessions on databases like Lexis Nexis for those needing law resources as well as general library introductions.
Fun Fact – Current Awareness Blog has had 22,000+ views!!
 |
| Rhian, Sarah and Catty |
The following session was presented by Catty Bennett from the Office for National Statistics, who is based in Titchfield, Hampshire and works with the office in Newport, South Wales.
Catty discussed her role in “supporting the information needs of the ONS” through the library service. The ONS is probably best known for the
Census,
Consumer Prices Index and
Top 100 Baby Names in England and Wales; what is less known perhaps is the work that the ONS Library and Information Services does to support the ONS field staff working across the country, by working with the Knowledge & Information Management Group, assisting with staff development and providing access to their collection of statistical and other ONS publications. This covers both current and historical data and the collection is complemented with free publications and inter-library loan provision. A select number of databases and journals are available to staff online. Queries from the public are directed initially to the Customer Contact Centre, where information can then be sent out or a visit arranged where appropriate.
Like many other sectors the Library services faces the challenge of increasing demand and a decreasing budget to provide service and resources. The service has been looking for ways to continue to support staff by initiatives such as training for catalogue, databases and Google searching and providing broadband access to help with the business needs of staff, for tasks such as downloading videos or larger data in a quicker time to meet deadlines.
Fun Fact – The most popular first names given to babies born in England and Wales in 2013 were Oliver and Amelia. Baby Names, England and Wales, 2013 (ONS)
Starting the second half of the morning’s event was Sarah Davies from the Health Promotion Library, who gave a captivating account of the tasks and responsibilities that she and her colleagues undertake each week. As part of Public Health Wales the library serves users, some visit in person though the vast majority access the library’s service as distance users; users from across all sectors, mainly in Wales but also from any part of the world that send enquiries! The range of users include NHS Wales staff, Local Government, Academics, Nursing and Health & Social Care students, Voluntary sector workers, Health Visitors and high school students all with a range of enquiries relating to health promotion – facts on smoking cessation to weaning advice leaflets in ethnic languages and anything in between. The library keeps in touch with its users via twitter and a Library Newsletter. In addition to this information is available about Health Promotion events via the Health Events Calendar. To promote their services and Public Health Wales Library staff regularly put on marketing events at various health conferences and events.While the Health Promotion Library does not give health advice (please contact your local health professionals!) Sarah and her colleagues do work continuously to promote health initiatives and current awareness of health events and campaigns for example Health Info4Life and British Heart Foundation’s
stair-climb challenge where people are encouraged to increase the amount of steps they take each day by undertaking a ‘virtual climb’ of a mountain or tall building. This challenge has been enthusiastically accepted by the staff working in Churchill House offices where the Library is currently located on the 4
thfloor.
Other work areas include supporting the Book Prescription Wales scheme that helps people access high quality self-help books that have been selected by health professionals working in Wales. Sarah also outlined her work at Shire Hall Care Home, where she participates in the Read Aloud Reading Group with the residents there to support their mental health and well-being by enjoying shared reading.
This scope of work is of course in addition to the day to day library tasks such as book selection and processing, information and statistics done by the three staff answering 1,666 queries each, serving their 2,400 library members!
Fun Fact – Virtual Mountain – Mount Snowdon is 7,120 steps or 475 flights of stairs!
The presentations were concluded by Rhian Date, a school librarian working at Bryntirion Comprehensive School in Bridgend. Rhian gave a great insight into “A ‘normal’ day in the life of the school librarian”, where in reality no two days are the same! The school library is open lunch time and breaks but there is also an often call for help with toner for the printers and emergency stationery pleas at other times too. The library is used by the teaching staff for booked lessons and throughout the day for quiet study for 6th form students.
A major part of the school librarian role is to support the reading of staff and students at the school; working with the English teacher, Rhian supports the
Accelerated Reader system, the library PCs are used for the STAR reading tests and the books including in the scheme in the library are identified by stickers indicating the book level and age range. In addition to the Accelerated Reader work, Rhian also supports the BTEC lessons, online PC quizzes and offers an after school Challenge and Puzzle Club, where students can use resources from the library; these include a range of educational games.
One way the library encourages reading and literacy is by the teachers putting up notices of the current book they are reading on their classroom doors. This is encouraged by Rhian as she also has a “I’m currently reading…” notice. As a lone worker Rhian is helped by a few volunteer library assistants to help with queries in the library. But if you think this means that a school librarian has long holidays, not necessarily – Rhian’s contract means that she works in the Public Library whilst the students are on vacation!!
Librarian recommends ARBookFinder
The event was completed by tour of the Welsh Government Library as discussed by our first speaker Malize Palmer. Apologies for no live tweets from this event due to unavailability of wi-fi.
Rebecca Evans, Cardiff Met
CLIC: Cardiff Libraries in Cooperation 
