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Deadline |
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May 2005
Editorial You get more information at the AUKML conference than a year of looking at websites and trade magazines - that was the conclusion of one of Deadline's correspondents in York. The weekend was certainly a success with a programme that struck the right balance between informative lectures and enjoyable social events. It was interesting to note though that a fair proportion of those attending were people who wouldn't necessarily call themselves media librarians. No doubt this is because the conference is such an attractive event for all who work in the information world but also an indication that the profession is changing. Almost every other week there is news of 'traditional' media librarian job losses and yet new jobs are being created that require the same skills that we have - the only difference being in the job title. The committee is aware of this and moves are afoot to widen the membership. Having said that, many of us work in departments where we are the only AUKML representatives so a spot of spreading the good word about the benefits of membership is also called for. The bulk of this edition of Deadline is about the conference. The success of the event was in part due to the support of the various sponsors and AUKML would like to sincerely thank:
LexisNexis Butterworths: http://www.lexisnexis.co.uk/index.htm 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.
If media librarians didn't exist would we need to invent them? was the theme of the keynote Justin Arundale Memorial Lecture given by Judith Dunn from News International. In response to questions such as "Why do you need a library when everyone has access to the internet?", Judith's answer was that library staff bring time, speed and economy to research; that we have the skills to create order out of the chaos that is caused by the sheer wealth of information out there; and that we know the different search techniques needed to get the best out of the different databases. A "one library for all the national newspapers" would involve enormous cost in scrapping the current systems and setting up one agreed system. Then there would be the problem of keeping scoops and exclusives from other users with access to the library. Media libraries are much more complex than they look at first sight. And what each of us needs to do is find out what we bring to the organisation we work for and then market that skill. This was a very interesting talk giving much food for thought. Paul Pedley from the Economist Intelligence Unit talked on legal issues for information professionals using the Freedom of Information Act 2000 as his base. Paul laid out the bare bones of what is covered and the implications it can have for the private sector as well as the public: what a publication scheme is, what it covers and where to find it; how much an answer under the act can cost before you can refuse it (£450); vexatious and repeat requests can be denied. Paul then looked at personal information that is covered under this act, which includes tape recordings and CCTV footage as well as written records, then at the eight Data Protection Principles that cover personal information: think before you supply information, and read the data protection clauses at the end of documents very carefully, as some are 'opt ins' and some are 'opt outs'. Paul's talks are always full of useful snippets about copyright and its problems; there were lots of questions after this session. After a quick coffee break, Roddy McLeod from Herriott Watt University gave a talk on keeping up to date with web and other online resources. He started off by telling us that this was not easy as it involves checking articles, books, websites, discussion sites and other sources. Roddy ended up explaining aggregators, RSS feeds and other such technical aids to the not so technically literate in the audience. The morning ended with Edward Wood, Director of Information Services at the House of Commons Library, talking about putting parliamentary information online. Edward started by giving us a brief outline of the library's purpose and how it has changed in recent years. He led on to the collections themselves and how they have been accessed in the past and what was happening now. Edward then explained how the library is going to move forward to offer this brave new world using their redesigned website and PIMS, the Parliamentary Information Management Services, that will be taking over from Polis. Though this was not about a media library it was a very interesting talk and it was good to hear of an organisation bringing in automatic indexing for other purposes than just to get rid of more staff. After a very good buffet lunch, including chocolate lumpy bumpy (I kid you not), it was back into the conference room for an interactive session: Copyright in VT and Stills given by Kate Reading from BBC London. This session was just right to get us back into the conference mood with Kate showing clips and delegates suggesting what problems they had caused. I think this was a real eye-opener for press-based members as they got an understanding of broadcast archive problems. Kate's run through of conversations she had had with journalists about copyright and their lack of understanding struck a cord with all of us. We were then in the right mood for Negotiating for Results by Mike Gardner of WMG Associates (http://www.wmgassociates.co.uk), who took us through the four steps of Prepare, Debate, Propose and Bargain. He explained the difference between principle negotiation and positional bargaining before taking us through some dirty tricks that have been used. I felt I was in a much better position to get what I wanted out of a situation after this session. After a quick break for tea and chocolate eclair for those who were feeling peckish it was time for Colin Hunt from the Liverpool Echo to give us his views on regional news libraries. Colin started his talk by mentioning Geoffrey Whatmore, who had written the only book about news libraries in the late 1970s (http://digbig.com/4deky). Colin then gave us three events that had happened in the last week to prove that "news is the king" of newspapers is no more. He took us through the problems of the 1970s' automatic retrieval technology that constantly broke down, and how the library took on other jobs that other parts of the paper did not want to do such as running exhibitions, doing photo sales etc. Colin continued up through the 1980s when text retrieval systems came in and on through the 1990s and the information explosion when newspapers began adding supplements, magazines and more feature pieces to their pages, and with it the growth of background material needed. Then today with less local content, homogenised stories to appeal to a wider audience and re-sale value built into stories from the start. Colin ended with the fact that library staff had decided to use the family album style in the supplements to celebrate the 150 years of the paper and how it had added 10% growth in sales. The last session of the day was Alkarim Jivani, a journalist from Time Out, talking about What You Need to Know About Journalists. Alkarim started by explaining the different sources that are available to journalists such as press releases, trade magazines, reference books, press conferences, the web, overseas newspapers and his/her own previous interviews and stories. All of these sources have minuses as well as pluses. He suggested before doing any work for a journalist we need to ask the following questions:
All in all another very interesting conference and I get more ideas and information here than I come across in a year of reading websites, trade magazines etc. Lindsey Sellors is a Research Guide at research.gateway, BBC Information & Archives.
So another AUKML Conference becomes the stuff of legend - the gossip, the late night drinking and the unseemly haste to see what goodies are in our delegate packs...But what are the real reasons for attending such an event, and what benefits are there for those of us working outside London? I'm pretty lucky when it comes to attending events like this. My editor is quite sympathetic to the cause and agreed to me being a full delegate with no fuss at all. For those of you out there not so fortunate but feeling that it would be good to go then here are my thoughts on why it is such a good use of a weekend and a couple of hundred quid of your employer's money. I believe there is a misguided belief that the sessions are all geared around the larger London based media organisations that spend their time negotiating deals with information providers. And whilst there is an element of this, it is by no means a dominating feature of proceedings. All of the conference sessions were useful to a greater or lesser degree and there is something extremely comforting in being able to nod in agreement with the delivering speaker, or to be able to write a sentence in your notebook to follow up at a later date. Paul Pedley gave us an extremely useful look at both the Freedom of Information Act and the Data Protection Act - two pieces with potentially huge implications for information professionals and an area that has equal relevance for the large national or the more humble regional media organisations. Roddy MacLeod gave us an exhaustive look at what is available via the web and other online resources. Much of the information given featured free services that impoverished librarians can make the most of. Subscribing to some of the featured sites such as Freepint (http://www.freepint.co.uk), Resource Shelf (http://www.resourceshelf.com) or Roddy's own Internet Resource Newsletter can make the sole practitioner feel more a part of things and is an invaluable way of keeping up-to-date. After lunch Kate Reading from the BBC gave a hugely enlightening talk on what it takes to get all the footage cleared for use on a regional news programme. Ooohs and aaahs of amazement as we discover the hoops which have to be negotiated and a vague squirming from me as I realise how close I sometimes sail to the winds of copyright infringement. A session from a fellow regional librarian and a look at what is needed from a media library from a journalist's perspective end the formal proceedings for the day. But of course it isn't just the formal element that is so important. Networking is equally, if not more, important, and if you do work in isolation, the chance to meet others doing similar work and to swap ideas and experiences really is invaluable. After some extremely enjoyable social events and a final talk from Jacky Berry of TFPL on her long and varied experiences in information work it was time to depart. So what did I take with me from the conference? Well...in addition to a notebook full of ideas for the future and my winnings from the silent auction...a greatly heightened sense of what it means to work in this profession and an inflated sense of my worth to my organisation. I returned to my desk the following Monday believing I really could add something to my newspaper and that I was a valuable asset to be cherished...well maybe not...but an enhanced sense of professional worth and a renewed enthusiasm for what we do are elements which cannot be measured and are the reasons, in my opinion, why attendance is so important for all of us working in this area, regardless of our geographical location. Elena Botterill is Librarian at the Nottingham Evening Post.
Conference diary A commentator recently noted that a diarist who "hasn't vomited or been issued a writ is doing something wrong". Well, the conference diary has no recollection of the former and has skilfully avoided the latter. Of course AUKML conferences are sedate, learned affairs where the height of bad behaviour is bitching about who has the best hotel bathroom. Or more specifically at York, which lucky delegates had a spa bath in their room. The topic surfaced throughout the weekend and developed into a competition as to whether you had a one or two person tub. When you would find the time to use such a thing on such an action-packed conference is beyond the diary's comprehension. After all those lectures, most delegates just wanted to be tucked up in bed with their goody bag. One person though complained about being kept up all the night by the noise in the room next to hers. Apparently the thin walls meant that she could hear everything although the worst bit was discovering that they were in fact from the conference. Still, those copyright discussions can get a bit heated... Of course our sleep deprived delegate could easily have changed room as due to a little misunderstanding at the British embassy in Nigeria, there were a few extra rooms booked in the name of AUKML. The story goes that several Nigerian librarians were keen to attend the conference but their visas were refused at the last minute for the bizarre reason that the event wasn't confirmed. Very strange and no doubt a certain amount was lost in translation, but the upshot was that their were several unoccupied boudoirs at the very much confirmed conference. As our dear beloved leader would say, let us draw a line in the sand and move on. Yes, move on and talk about that brilliant masterstroke of the organisers in getting representatives from Dialog, Factiva and LexisNexis to attend. It was worth the price of the conference fees alone just to see their faces as they realised that their rivals were also sniffing around for business. Of course we're all grown ups and everyone got on very well, although at 3am a few little misunderstandings did arise. Naturally that grand old conference tradition of the (well paid) trainer dropping out at the very last minute was maintained when the chappie booked to talk about negotiating called to say that unfortunately he couldn't make it to York. Again, as tradition dictates, a 'not quite what we wanted, but they'll do' trainer was found. Actually Mike Gardner had some useful advice as well as introducing the novel concept of the "win-win solution" to the delegates. His handout out was very impressive. Finally, it was most interesting to discover at Jorvik (http://www.jorvik-viking-centre.co.uk/trialsplash2.htm) that those marauding Vikings were in fact sophisticated foodies who liked nothing better than to swap media tittle-tattle over exquisite mouthfuls of nut loaf or herring canapes. It beggars belief though that they actually drank the rancid bear-bile that someone tried to pass off as Viking wine. Pass the bucket...
1 - Media organisations need their content managed 2 - We can save our organisations time and money 3 - Technology requires better information skills 4 - A good manager will understand technology's limitations 5 - Journalists like the library even if they don't understand what we do 6 - Journalists' judgement is often clouded 7 - Get yourself known... 8 - ...but know the right people 9 - Think about the future 10 - Stay positive Katharine Schopflin is Researcher, BBC Heritage and AUKML Chair elect.
"Once Upon a Time...there were three students who went to Loughborough University...and they were each engaged in very laborious studies... but I took them away from all that...and now they work for me...my name is Charles." After agonising deliberations regarding the packing of weekend capsule wardrobes, the fab four, Charles and his illustrious angels, headed off in the Ford Focus on the start of their AUKML mission. Jen's mobile rang. A Scottish voice spoke, "Welcome to York. Your first mission as sponsored delegates, if you wish to accept it, is to buy a birthday cake for one of our speakers." The phone went dead - bring on the chocolate shopping! This provided us with a perfect chance to explore. York was a beautiful location with its architecture ranging from the Medieval to the Victorian. Our first trail through the cobbled streets admiring the fudge kitchens and chocolate shops provided the perfect answer to Mission numero uno! - the notorious Betty's Tea Room. Betty's gained a few visits from us over the weekend and admittedly caused some drooling when staring at the splendid Easter eggs window display, some of which were made with 1.5kg of chocolate, as we were entertained by the outside pianist. We then went and checked in. The hotel was a stylish combination of the old - with its low beams - and the new - with its gleaming conference facilities, and of course a well-stocked bar. [Top Secret: There were spa baths in our rooms] First on the conference agenda was the archives of York's National Railway Museum (http://www.nrm.org.uk/html/home_pb/menu.asp), which revealed a stash of interesting memorabilia and iconic 1930s rail posters. After restraining ourselves from tidying the shelves, we successfully managed to infiltrate the workshops to see the Flying Scotsman. It seems that a little insider knowledge goes a long way in York! The wine, mead, and aptly named Battleaxe beer flowed aplenty during Friday night's entertainment at Jorvik. This proved to be as potent as the smell permeating from the reconstructed Viking dwellings and consequently, all present were soon engaged in conversation. It was a good opportunity to get to know a few friendly faces ahead of Saturday's busy schedule and the setting - complete with skeletons - was certainly memorable! Kate Reading's interactive session on copyright in VT and stills was highly entertaining and informative. Not least to mention the most expensive...surely those video clips racked up a bill of at least £100,000 in copyright fees! The charismatic Alkarim Jivani, from Time Out, had the difficult task of taking centre stage at the end of the day's presentations. However, his serene, commanding presence was engaging and he ended the day on a positive note. His perspective from a journalist viewpoint was enlightening and encouraging, especially when he said he could not do his job without the help of media librarians. Paul Pedley successfully achieved his task in guiding us through the minefield of laws applicable to media librarians. However, we failed to achieve our task in extracting relevant information from him for our law assignments, due for him the following week. [Top Secret: Note for diary, must try harder] Edward Wood showed the progress the House of Commons had made in switching information to an electronic format and explained their difficulties - including teaching some MPs how to use a search engine! - and strategies to overcome them. A behind-the-scenes glance of their new information portal was an absolute delight. The day culminated with a three-course meal at the Monkbar hotel providing us newcomers with a chance to give our brains a rest after attempting to digest all the information imparted by the speakers. The socialising spilled over into the bar where it continued into the early hours. Having retired to bed leaving the festivities still in full swing at 4am, we students were well and truly put to shame! A guided tour of York on Sunday morning cleared the cobwebs following the excesses of the previous night and was an opportunity to delve into the often bizarre history of the city. Protests were raised from the Scottish contingency as the guide announced that it is legal to shoot those from north of the boarder with a bow and arrow after dark within the city walls! As the tale of one young plumber's supernatural encounter with a legion of Roman soldiers was narrated a few shivers reverberated through the group. These, however, resulted from the chill breeze and not a ghostly presence! The House of Laymen was a welcoming sight for those needing to defrost after the York City Walk. Here Jacky Berry gave the final presentation of the AUKML 2005 conference. Her talk on maximising and diversifying information skills using transferable soft skills was encouraging and positive. Particularly heartening advice for library students coming to the profession with a vast array of work experience from areas outside of librarianship. Mission accomplished, Charles rounded up his angels and they waved goodbye to what they thought was a very successful conference. We would like to extend our thanks and appreciation to everyone who made it possible for us to attend the AUKML Conference 2005. Hope to see you in Paris next year, wink, wink, nudge, nudge. Jen Marsden is in her final year of a BA in Publishing with English and Charlotte Greasley and Claire Wadsworth are MA Library and Information students, at Loughborough University.
Feedback from the Conference was extremely positive with nearly 100% of questionnaires returning the top marks on the overall enjoyment scale. The delegates found the majority of the speakers relevant and felt that they portrayed a clear and informative message, perfectly timed. Several speakers even gave thought-provoking, inspirational sessions, notably Edward Wood, Judith Dunn and Kate Reading. One valid point which could be incorporated for the next Conference is that contact details for the speakers should be at the end of the biographies in case delegates would like to get in touch with them directly. Everyone enjoyed the social networking activities with the evening drinks reception at Fairfax House taking top marks. Sunday's lunch took the best food accolade and delegates liked the hotel for its value for money and friendly staff. Delegates and sponsors found mingling with one another in an informal setting beneficial and enjoyable. We were delighted that all the sponsors found the event a worthwhile experience and are extremely grateful for their support and generosity. Popular venue choices (in no particular order) for the 2006 Conference are Bath, Manchester, Leeds, Birmingham, Edinburgh or Glasgow. Copyright law, professional development and marketing skills were suggested as possible future sessions. If anyone would like to organise the 2006 Conference please contact either Jill Tulip or Katharine Schopflin. Fiona Sanson is Information Manager at Granada (London).
The Sun fell back on old cliches this week in their story to accompany a rather unflattering picture of Katie Holmes, reporting that she "looked geeky in librarian's specs and greasy hair". Snogging Tom Cruise is obviously a painful experience. Meanwhile over at the Daily Record, the subeditors excelled themselves with the ever so clever headline, 'I'm about as excited as a lapdancer in a library about this election'. Well at least that gives us an excuse to wheel out the Bellydancing Librarian site again: http://www.sonic.net/~erisw/bdlib.html.
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