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Deadline |
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March 2005
Editorial The news that eight subject librarians face redundancy at the University of Wales, Bangor (UWB), because the management believes students can find what they need on the internet has sent shockwaves through the information profession. However the University's argument that job cuts are justified because the role of librarians has been "substantially deskilled by online bibliographical resources", is hardly a new one for those of us who work in the media. Over the past 10 years hundreds of jobs have been lost because of the view that end-user access means that librarians are surplus to requirements. And so it continues, with the recent news that the BBC is to axe 140 posts in the Information & Archives department. If there is any advice we could pass on, it is surely that you should always try and stay in communication with your employers as well as users. Also, be flexible with your role and be prepared to change. This was the message that came out of the recent AUKML conference when several people spoke about how they had managed to survive several staff shake-ups. These though were the success stories and it was interesting to note that a lot of the delegates came from non-media organisations. We will have a full conference round-up in the next issue. In this one there is an article about stolen library material, we return to that old favourite of what do librarians call themselves these days and Joanne Playfoot tells us about a typical day at IPC. Journalist and broadcaster Jonathan Freedland does the questionnaire and there's information about how to take part in the Channel 4 programme, Faking It. Deadline is produced by Richard Nelsson, Alan Power, Katy Heslop and Linda MacDonald from the Guardian Research Department. Please send news, reviews and letters to: richard.nelsson@guardian.co.uk. The opinions expressed in Deadline are not necessarily those of the AUKML.
AUKML outside London AUKML wants to help you network in your local area, at events of any size from a drink in the pub to a day-long conference. Is there a collection you've always wanted to visit? Would you like to meet other people who do jobs like yours? AUKML can find appropriate contacts, advertise the meeting and even pay for a glass of wine. What AUKML can do:
What you can do:
Alternatively would you like to see a regional arm of AUKML, which meets outside of London and concerns itself with regional issues? We need your help to make AUKML matter outside London, please contact Katharine Schopflin with any meetings/social ideas or Elena Botterill with any issues/ideas about how to give AUKML a greater voice in the regions.
BBC JOB LOSSES UNIVERSITY OF WALES, BANGOR CILIP SALARY SURVEY A STAR IN THE FAKING
It fell off the back of a library Stealing from libraries is not a new thing. The grandmother of Guardian journalist John Sutherland did it. In 1994 Duncan Jevons did it - 42,000 times in Suffolk. And earlier this year Peter Bellwood did it, when he jumpered 50 ancient maps from the National Library of Wales. Just as the Newspaper Library in Colindale discovered during an audit a few years ago that 14 bound volumes of children's comics had vanished from its archive, media libraries around the world are finding unexplained gaps on their shelves, with missing items turning up on eBay, in car boot sales and among bric-a-brac market stalls. On a recent LIB posting, Dave Venezuela, library director from The Buffalo News, said he accidentally came across an old photo of Babe Ruth on sale for $100 on eBay. The photo was rubber-stamped from his paper's photo library. On the same conversation thread, a librarian at the American Society of Landscape Architects, Marlene Koenig, spoke of a photo she had taken being posted for sale on eBay. She promptly contacted the seller and the item was quickly removed from the auction. eBay, the online auction site, has very strict policies when it comes to stolen items for sale on its site. Their policy states that "eBay strongly supports law enforcement efforts to recover stolen property that is listed on its web site, and urges the prosecution of those responsible for knowingly attempting to sell such items on eBay". But as Venezuela from Buffalo News pointed out, there may be many more stolen items that he will never know about. So if you don't know about it, there's little you can do to prevent it. There is a famous example of someone stumbling across a batch of photographs from one newspaper's private library in Leather Lane Market near Farringdon, London. No amount of searching on online auction sites would have uncovered that one. But are those rapidly growing empty spaces in our media libraries really all down to fiendish library larcenists and bibliokleptomaniacs? Those who carry out the occasional "book raid" or "material recovery expedition" (however authoritarian you want your library to sound) can testify that most items usually turn up hidden innocently under a pile of papers on a library-user's desk or lying carelessly abandoned by a photocopier. Who would want to steal such material? Rare books and original photographs can undoubtedly fetch decent sums, but the items most treasured by media librarians and journalists such as cuttings files, that can never be replaced, are worth very little in the general market place. Collections that take decades to compile, using up thousands of scissor-hours, sadly only have value to a small number of people. Economists call it an 'oligopsony' ñ where a small amount of buyers control a market and drive the prices down. This will come as a disappointment to those who have rustled the odd cuttings file or to someone like the so-called "Human Google", Edda Tasiemka, who is putting her extensive cuttings library up for sale shortly. Who's going to buy it? If anyone does they will probably get it at a price that can never hope to equal its true worth. You only have to log onto eBay to snap up a collection of royal family cuttings dating back 36 years, including material from local papers, for a bargain £0.49. Or pay a mere £6 for a collection of old newspapers from between 1912 and 1937. Try auctioning a bound volume of the Guardian from 1890 and see how much you get for it. And the other way around, try re-compiling the same bound volume and see how impossible that would be. Stealthy figures wearing black and white stripy jumpers carrying big bags marked "swag". Are they tip-toeing our media libraries in the midnight hours? Probably not. It is more than likely that the microfilm from June 1987, Willings media directory and volume 17 of the Geri Halliwell cuttings file are all going mouldy at the bottom of some journalist's filing cabinet. Thankfully, on the whole, stealing from media libraries simply isn't worth it.
Jonathan Freedland has been a columnist for the Guardian since 1997. Before that, he served for four years as the paper's Washington correspondent. He has just published a new book, Jacob's Gift, a family memoir which tells the stories of three members of his own family and seeks to ask wider questions about the nature of identity and belonging. He is also the presenter of BBC Radio 4's contemporary history series, The Long View. In 2002 he was named Columnist of the Year in the What the Papers Say awards. http://www.jonathanfreedland.com/ CAN YOU REMEMBER WHEN YOU FIRST USED THE INTERNET? HOW OFTEN DO YOU GO ONLINE? WHICH SEARCH ENGINE DO YOU USUALLY USE? CAN YOU NAME ANY OTHER SEARCH ENGINES? NOW THAT YOU CAN SEARCH THE INTERNET YOURSELF, DO YOU THINK THERE IS STILL A ROLE FOR LIBRARIANS/INFORMATION PROFESSIONALS? NAME YOUR THREE FAVOURITE SITES ARE THERE ANY SITES THAT YOU FIND REALLY IRRITATING? HAVE YOU EVEN BEEN SO BORED THAT YOU'VE 'GOOGLED' YOURSELF? DO YOU STILL USE OLD MEDIA? WHAT HAS BEEN YOUR MOST PLEASURABLE EXPERIENCE WHILST SEARCHING ONLINE?
Fans of the US Special Librarians Association News Division listserv will know that a recent posting about job titles almost sent the system into meltdown. A question about what news librarians now call themselves led to just about every member wanting to have their say. If you're thinking of changing your title, have a look at some of the titles listed below. Bear in mind though that while Librarian may (for some at least) have a terrible image, it is a lot better than something vague such as Information Specialist. Annabel Colley made a good point at the 2002 AUKML Liverpool conference (deadmay02.htm#art1) when she said that one of the keys to success is to adopt different titles when speaking to different people. Titles One person said, "We're called the Information Center - although some reporters still call us the morgue (groan)." However, another had this to say: "I wish we were still called the 'morgue'...we're currently called the News Information Center." Or what about, "I've found that it's much easier to tell people I'm a librarian than an information resources specialist." Newslib information: http://parklibrary.jomc.unc.edu/newsliblyris.html
Information professionals are becoming increasingly reliant on content in digital form such as databases, news feeds, e-books, electronic reference materials or e-journals; or they may wish to digitise content that they hold in hard copy format. This book is a practical guide to the use of digital content. It deals with the question of how electronic information can be used legitimately, outlining the issues to be considered, and suggests practical ways in which copyright clearance can be obtained whilst keeping the administration at a manageable level. Paul Pedley, the editor of the book, is an AUKML committee member and it includes a chapter by former Chair, Ian Watson. http://digbig.com/4dacs
Now in its 16th year, the Library + information Show (LiS) is the event where the library and information community comes together. LiS caters for all sectors of the library profession, bringing the sector together to share key industry developments, the latest technology, exchange ideas and debate current issues. The event features over 120 suppliers of electronic information, subscription services, online information, library management systems, security & self-service systems, special needs services and publishers amongst others. For a full exhibitor list visit: http://www.lishow.co.uk/cgi-events/exhibitors.pl?exhibition_id=71 AUKML will also be at the event in the Workplace Association Showcase which will provide a practical forum where visitors can meet with relevant associations, discuss membership, network and share best practice with library and information professionals in the workplace libraries sector. A programme of free seminars is available on the show floor with full days dedicated to the four library sectors: workplace, academic, public and school. Presented by senior librarians and industry experts from across the UK, the emphasis of the programme is on providing practical help rather than theory. Of particular interest to AUKML Members, the following sessions are aimed at the workplace sector. Justifying Your Information Service Library Online: The Future of Access to Library Resources Building a Digital Library: The World at Your Fingertips e-Libraries - The Future Without Walls Transferable Skills - Identifying Your Worth and Maintaining Your Employment Value In a changing world we need to think laterally and strategically about our skills and ability. Continuing development is vital if we are to continue to succeed. Sue Hill, Director, Sue Hill Recruitment Author presentations will also be talking place from novelist Helen Cross, children's novelist Bali Rai, and poet and novelist Benjamin Zephaniah who will be presenting the CILIP Libraries Change Lives Awards 2005. The full seminar programme is available at: http://www.lishow.co.uk/li2005/vis_seminars.html The Library + information Show is running alongside MUREX, the UK's national exhibition for museum resources, addressing similar challenges faced by museums and public libraries such as the upkeep of public buildings, preservation of heritage and governmental administrative and legislative issues. Joanne McKeirnan
A Demonstration of the TV Times archive 1955-85 Funded by the Arts and Humanities Research Board (AHRB), the project aimed to create a digital database of the TV Times schedules from 1955 - 1985. The initial challenge for the team was trying to get hold of a complete set. Only one exists, in the British Library. The Radio Times can be readily found in libraries, posing the question that perhaps librarians have been somewhat snooty in their choice of TV schedules. Even IPC, the current publisher, does not have an archive. Matt Holland gave a brief history of the TV Times from when it was first produced by the Daily Mail in 1955. It is important to consider that both the Radio Times and the TV Times were huge money spinners (combined readerships of 12 million or eight million copies sold) and until the Broadcasting Act of 1990 had a complete duopoly. As such, they are the only complete source for knowing what was broadcast at a particular time or date pre-1990. With only ten people manually inputting, the sheer scale of the project has put limits on how much detail each record holds. Full programme descriptions exist for only 80,000 of the 300,000 records as the task become too time consuming. In all, the time taken to complete the project has been calculated at 11,000 days. One of the key challenges has been placing work with third party providers. This has included using a consultant from the Higher Education Digitisation Service (HEDS) to write a technical specification for the digitisation process. The work itself was outsourced to a commercial company. The data management of the project, including the design of the database, harvesting the data and eventually making it available on the web, has been contracted to the British Universities Film and Video Council (BUFVC). As the university entered into a non-commercial rights agreement with IPC the database is intended solely for academic research and cannot be accessed externally. There are plans to release the schedules database to all in higher and further education from the BUFVC website. Another objective in the future is to tie in viewing data from BARB figures and the team are working on a listing section which would show what was broadcast on a particular day or week. Matt Holland's paper on the TV Times Digital Archive, originally presented at the 2003 Digital Resources in the Humanities, can be found on the AUKML website: http://www.aukml.org.uk/TV_Times.htm Matt Holland, Bournemouth University
The Infocentre provides a research and information service for IPC Media (http://www.ipcmedia.com/), the leading publisher of consumer magazines in the U.K. The in-house library was established over fifty years ago and has become one of the most extensive archive and media libraries in the publishing business. We hold around 30,000 files on-site which include over 3,500 subjects and thousands of articles on celebrities and leading figures. Aside from our cuttings library, we also maintain an archive of IPC's magazine titles and those of our competitors, some of the collections going back over five years. As there is no database of magazines available this is helpful for the journalists if they have a rough idea of when an article may have been in a publication. IPC Media publishes some of the most successful magazines aimed at men and women, Woman, Marie Claire, Loaded and Nuts being amongst the most well-known titles in the U.K. As well as popular music and television magazines like NME and Uncut, TV Times and What's on TV? - which has an ABC of 1,587,578 - IPC also publishes specialist magazines such as Cage and Aviary Birds, Angler's Mail and Model Collector. The Infocentre provides research for each of these magazines - just over eighty at present, as well as offering services to other departments that enable IPC to operate as a successful publishing house. No one day is ever the same in the library as the subjects and sources that we use vary for every request we receive. A usual day (March 8 2005 in fact), I get in at around 9:30am after the delights of the South Eastern rail network and clear away the returned files from my desk. There are four of us in the library and we are each responsible for different areas of the cuttings archive. Part of my job is to sort and return files to the shelves that focus on public figures. The range is vast; from Blair to Saddam Hussein to Jordan to Peter Stringfellow to Boris Yeltsin, with many others in between. Subject areas under my wing are sport, royalty and crime. I could bore you with the crime section that I am particularly obsessed with, but maybe I should save that for another time. Once the files have been sorted and I can see my desk again it is time for me to front the main enquiry desk for a few hours. Today's enquiry range is varied but mainly switching between entertainment and celebrity gossip, natural history and miscarriages of justice. A significant number of journalists use the Infocentre to source background information on articles that are yet to be written or for facts and titbits that are needed for the finished piece. The first searches are of the celeb kind. I need to find information on a celebrity hairdresser that was a particular favourite of the Royals, interviews with a popular soap star and the birth dates of a singer's sons. Then I have an unusual query for a television magazine asking me to find out who produced a programme entitled Hairy Women for Channel 5 - it was Landmark Films in 2002, if anyone is interested. The next enquiry is about a man in America who was wrongly imprisoned for 25 years. He was released in 2004, after nearly 22 years in prison for a crime he did not commit. These are the sort of searches that I find most interesting, especially looking through our archives to see if we have any original cuts from the first trial. Unfortunately this time we are unlucky but there is plenty of reliable information online to help. There is just time to do one more search before I have to return to my own desk. One of the television magazines needs background information on a 5,000-year-old mummy named Otzi that was found on the Tyrolean Alps in the early 1990s. All very interesting until I discover that I have "Otzi the Iceman, he was found in '91" to the tune of 'Frosty the Snowman' stuck in my head ...there are some downsides to this job. Once my shift has finished on the enquiry desk and after lunch, I settle down to some of the other tasks that take up my day/week/year. We have a database that been set up to cover major events that have happened since 1900. It is still in working format but we will eventually make it accessible to the journalists once we are happy with the content and layout. The database is searchable by subject, date and actual event and can be cross-referenced using any or all of these criteria. I have alerts set up with a number of online news websites which let me know when major world events occur and I scan these daily to see if there is anything of interest that can then be catalogued and inputted into the database. The Infocentre has recently been liaising with LexisNexis to create a specialised end-user interface for IPC. The new search screen is customised for use with the majority of our magazines and the types of enquiries they research. Search strings behind the scenes enable the journalists to undertake specialised searches that focus on the subjects appropriate for IPC. Part of my job is to arrange training sessions for the end-users which can be fitted around busy schedules. Talking to human resources, LexisNexis and the journalists to try and book suitable times and places can be surprisingly time consuming ñ especially with over 200 Nexis users. Finally, near the end of the day it's time for one of the most enjoyable parts of my job. On a regular basis I try and update our reference section, making sure that we have the most recent and accurate chronologies, guides and directories available, as well as other publications essential for a publishing library. Having a browse on Amazon to choose the books that we need is a nice end to my day. It's great seeing what will come in useful for the Infocentre and its users. Also, I can pretend that the books are mine - all mine - until I have to put them back on the shelves, that is. Once I have chosen the books I send off the list to be ordered and get ready to go home. I'm not quite sure what I will be doing tomorrow, I just hope whatever it is doesn't leave me singing any more annoying songs. Joanne Playfoot is an Information Officer at IPC Media
Following last issue's mention of the hidden vaults beneath the New York Public Library (in The Librarian: Quest for the Spear - http://www.tnt.tv/Title/Display/0,5918,543783,00.html - in case you've forgotten), our roving reporter paid a visit on a recent trip to the city, but failed to locate any hidden staircases or revolving bookshelves. They do have a lovely digital gallery, though (http://digitalgallery.nypl.org/nypldigital/index.cfm). She's also disappointed to have missed the Library Bar (http://www.librarybarnyc.com) in the East Village, "home of bad grammar and good music". Try to avoid the "Grab Bag o' Beers" every Tuesday if you visit though - not at all librarianlike. If you're feeling rebellious after a bottle of Killian's Red, the (almost) full text of Revolting Librarians is available here: http://owen.massey.net/libraries/revolting. No, not a list of librarians who disgust us (though I'm sure we could all name a few), rather a "lasting monument of the library underground" - a collection of poems, prose and articles on librarians who rebel against the system, from 1972. A sequel, Revolting Librarians Redux (http://librarian.net/revolting), was published in 2003. A review may be forthcoming in a later issue. Finally, while you're in a revolting mood, the Anarchist Librarians Web (http://www.infoshop.org/alibrarians/public_html) might also be worth a look. As they say, the revolution will be catalogued...
Since teaming up with the Industrial and Commercial Libraries Group (ICLG) in 2001 the event has become increasingly comprehensive, offering speakers from a wider variety of industry sectors each year. The effect of this shift is echoed in the attendance of the event with trainees representing firms as wide-ranging as Freshfields law firm, Royal Botanical Gardens, Department of Health, Royal Institute of British Architects and the Guardian Media Group. The meeting, therefore, was a good opportunity for trainees to talkwith their peers about what was involved in other realms of information work, helping us all to become less blinkered and open our eyes to the wider scheme of things. However, there were apparent pitfalls to this ever more encompassing format. For one, Nicola Franklin from Sue Hill recruitment seemed flustered by the scope of the audience and gave only rudimentary information on producing CVs and attending interviews. Sue Hill recruitment is an agency specialising in information and library related work. Somewhat disappointingly, Nicola chose not to talk exclusively about these kinds of jobs. In the past Sue Hill representatives have given more tailored and practical information at these events, such as what types of role are available, what salaries to expect and the importance of networking in information work, especially within the media sector. Instead, what we received was a talk geared towards a school class, giving us basic careers advice. The talk focused on the finer points warning us not to be late for interviews, not to give yes/no answers and not to stare at the floor. Another downside of the increasingly deviant scope of this event was that Richard Nelsson from the Guardian was the only media ambassador speaking on the day, which left those of us with ambitions in this area feeling slightly cheated when last year attendees heard speakers from News International, the BBC and the Guardian. Generally speaking though, we are sure that all the trainees benefited from such a grand mixture of speakers, especially at this early stage in their careers. David Nicholas for University College London (UCL) gave an informative talk on choosing a postgraduate library and information course. Does it matter whether our chosen course is an MA or an MSc?; is the course title important?; and what does the course actually cover? He did a great job of promoting UCL's courses, emphasising that as the course is London based, it is in close contact with major media bodies in the city and frequently has external lecturers. He was by no means biased, however, as he had recently left City University for UCL, and so was able to give a good view of the various courses the two institutions have to offer and to exploit his wide knowledge of his field of learning for our benefit. The talk also discussed how to get the most out of the postgraduate course during its year by meeting and talking to as many people that have already qualified as possible. He stressed that the dissertation project that the students complete could be a vital opportunity to make contact with people already working within the profession. He advised against distance learning as it is a lot more beneficial to have all necessary resources on your doorstep and to make the most of face to face advice from a personal tutor. We were also informed that it is important to check whether the course is specifically geared towards postgraduates without undergraduates being taught in the same lectures. The event also included a tour of the British Library. Reminiscent of a school trip we walked in a large group from Friends House to the library. We were guided behind the scenes for a brief look at their system for circulating books, which, we were told, is not unlike the system used in Argos. The tour finished in the treasures room, which contained documents including some of the Lindisfarne gospels and a copy of the Magna Carta. Here we were introduced to a new way of looking at rare books on site and on the internet. They have available a touch screen facility by which you can turn the pages of books within their collection, viewed from a computer screen. Gertrud Erbach adds: Jill Halford, Charles Taylor & Co Ltd, demonstrated that not only is it possible to have a flexible career changing between sectors but to fit it in to a lifestyle that includes managing a family and a career. Jill started her career working in public libraries for Hampshire County Council, had a child, accompanied her husband to Dubai and on her return home has been working in the engineering sector. Her current job is as a solo Information Officer with Charles Taylor & Co Ltd, a P&I Club (protection and indemnity) for ship owners and operators. Jill explained that working as a solo means working in isolation but she sees this as an advantage as it means she does not have to get involved in staff management. It is important, though, to make your own alliances within the company and to realise that there is a limit to what you can achieve. It is important to raise your profile within the organisation and this means you have to ensure you are reporting to the right person. You need to rely on outside contacts. Therefore email lists and active involvement in professional groups such as ICLG are very important. Marianne Bradnock from Dulwich College Libraries provided an insight into working with young people. Most school libraries are run by small teams or even as a solo. This means one gets involved in all aspects of library work from preparing budgets, selecting resources to marketing. Pay and conditions in school libraries are gradually changing from being very low. There is an enormous variation in school librarians' salaries. There is no statutory requirement for school libraries and salaries are based on local government salaries. Salaries in the independent school sector are higher. Marianne pointed out that CILIP has helped to raise the profile of school libraries. Jackie Fishley from Payne, Hicks and Beach explained the diverse employment opportunities for law librarians which range from professional bodies and societies to government organisations and law firms. For Jackie, law is not a dry subject area. Lawyers can be very demanding but it is satisfying if as a librarian you can save them time and money by providing a customer focused service. Large law firms provide good training opportunities and deal with a diverse range of areas. Susan Doe, Chair of The British and Irish Association of Law Librarians (BIALL), talked about the advantages of joining a professional organisation. Among other things, BIALL offers a Legal Foundations Course which is intended to provide a grounding in legal concepts for librarians and information workers. James Denmead, Senior Librarian London at the Department of Health Library, gave an overview of the diverse range of libraries in central government and the variety of roles for librarians and information workers. James finds that the three most positive aspects of working in central government libraries are that one can move around in or between government departments; there are opportunities to help implement government policy through information provision; and libraries are at the cutting edge of new technology in government. The final presentation was by Susan Henry, a researcher for CIRIS based at the Institute of Radiographers. CIRIS is the first web-based solution for governance that puts chief executives, clinical directors and service managers back in control of the clinical governance agenda. Having recently completed her course at City University Susan explained how she was able to put theory into practice by relating the course modules to various aspects of her job. Julia Banks, Caroline Duggan, Jennifer Ford and Louise Smith are graduate trainees at the Guardian research department Gertrud Erbach is Senior Editorial Services Manager at News International Newspapers Ltd
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