Inspire joining up libraries for learners Linking Libraries to Support Learners INSPIRE Seminar Belfast 16 January 2007

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Inspire joining up libraries for learners
Linking Libraries to Support LearnersINSPIRE
SeminarBelfast16 January 2007
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What is Inspire

• Inspire is a national access programme that
  seeks to support learning at all levels by
  providing easy access to libraries regardless of
  sector or of geography

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All Libraries

• Inspire was funded to work with public and HE as
  well as National Libraries but is keen to involve
  libraries from any other sector as their
  inclusion will strengthen and enrich the offer to
  learners

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Inspire England

• What Inspire is trying to achieve
• Inspire context why Inspire and why now
• Inspire background
• Benefits of joining Inspire
• for learners
• for libraries

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What are we trying to achieve

• Create a cross-sectoral access route to
  information and knowledge for learners
• Link 860 HE 4624 public 3 National Libraries
• Build on the current network of successful access
  partnerships to create a single pathway
  irrespective of geography and sector
• Reach non-users and those currently excluded from
  access to learning opportunities at all levels
• Widen horizons for learners and libraries

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Widening Participation
Raising learner aspirations
Knowledge Economy
DCMS Framework for the Future
BL Regional Programme
Inspire England
Health and Well-being agenda
Routes to Knowledge
Aimhigher Partnerships for Progression
Social Inclusion
LIS workforce development
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Empowering the Learning Community LIC 2000

• Public and educational libraries in any community
  or region should draw up access maps to enable
  users and learners to reach resources or
  assistance in other libraries on a managed basis
• Training of librarians resource managers and
  teachers should be coordinated and should include
  ways of developing mutual support
• Public and educational libraries in communities
  or defined geographic areas should establish
  co-operative arrangements to improve services to
  their users

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Aimhigher Partnerships for Progression

• Joint initiative of HEFCE and LSC
• Direct link to governments target of 50
  widening HE participation by 2010
• Encourage more and better-prepared students to
  stay in education post 16
• Raise attainment and participation among young
  people under-represented in HE
• Build on and encompass regional partnerships

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Framework for the Future DCMS 2003

• Strategic vision for Public Libraries 2013
• Any member of a public library can also access
  materials held in HE and FE libraries
• Anyone seeking opportunities for learning and
  training can be guided to a course through a
  public library
• F4F Action Plan (revised)
• Inspire improve access to resources in academic
  and public libraries 70k over 2004/5 and 2005/6
  for Inspire x 9 regions from MLA 70k from RLAG
  25k from BL

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Inspire Partners and Steering Group

• The British Library (BL)
• CILIP (Chartered Institute of Library and
  Information Professionals)
• MLA Partnership and regional MLAs
• SCONUL
• Society of Chief Librarians (SCL)
• Inspire Directors
• Andrew Green (SCL and Coventry City Council)
• Philip Payne (SCONUL and Birkbeck College)

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Achieving our aims - the Inspire Framework

• Provision of a set of kitemarked criteria in
  order to create a coherent national offer
• Enrolling all Public and HE libraries in England
  to these criteria and expansion of this group to
  include libraries from other sectors
• Managed referral between all libraries
• Support registering libraries by providing
• a training toolkit for all libraries/staff
  involved
• publicity materials for all participating
  libraries
• Findit! - an easy to use online collection
  discovery tool

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Inspire Kitemark criteria

• Libraries agree to the following
• To accept managed referrals
• As a minimum to give referred visitors reference
  access to hard copy materials
• To provide collection mapping information for
  Findit! web site
• To publicise Inspire throughout their library
  service and to the wider community
• To collect information to monitor the impact/
  usage of Inspire

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Inspire Kitemark criteria

• Libraries to ensure that
• An appropriate member of staff is nominated as
  Inspire key contact or activist
• Designated staff receive in-depth training
  (supported by Inspire) and cascade information
  about the scheme to other staff
• All staff are briefed on Inspire Programme
• Inspire is included in induction and on-going
  training programmes

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Concerns and reassurances

• This has not happened
• Borrower schemes can remain
• Visitors unlikely to create problems
• Handled through training and normal
  procedures
• Expectations managed via website and
  referral

• Overwhelming demand for
  scant resources
• Loss of income from external borrower schemes
• Security worries
• Extra demands on staff
• Unrealistic expectations amongst users

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Benefits for users and potential users

• Opening up access to resources previously
  unavailable to them
• Creation of a national service so the
  recognisable minimum standard of access will
  apply everywhere
• Enhanced knowledge and skills amongst library
  staff to
• direct people to the resources they need
• provide whatever form of referral is needed
• Provision of Findit! a user-friendly gateway to
  information
• Where subject specific resources can be found
• Access details such as location opening hours
  etc

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Benefits for users and potential users

• Opening up access to resources previously
  unavailable to them
• Creation of a national service so the
  recognisable minimum standard of access will
  apply everywhere
• Enhanced knowledge and skills amongst library
  staff to
• direct people to the resources they need
• provide whatever form of referral is needed
• Provision of Findit! a user-friendly gateway to
  information
• Where subject specific resources can be found
• Access details such as location opening hours
  etc

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Inspire 334 registered Library Institutions
England

• Public Libraries - 140 authorities 95
• Higher Education - 111 institutions 85
• Further Education - 67 colleges
• Special Libraries - 27 libraries
• Health Libraries - 39 NHS libraries
• Scotland - 2
• Wales - I
• Foyle Group - 10

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Achieving our aims - the Inspire Framework

• The kitemark criteria create a coherent national
  offer which brings a basic minimum standard for
  all
• Enrolling all public and HE libraries in England
  to these criteria and expanding this group to
  include libraries from other sectors
• Support registering libraries by providing
• publicity materials for all participating
  libraries
• a training toolkit for all staff involved
• an easy to use online resource discovery tool

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Making it work

• Expansion of the original HE/Public Library remit
  to include libraries from other sectors
• helped to raise the profile of the programme
• provided greater numbers of participants where
  public and academic libraries spread thinly
• brought in the Health sector

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Making it work

• The Kitemark Criteria
• made it as easy as possible for libraries to sign
  up by requiring permission for minimum access
  only
• enabled libraries to set their own access
  conditions
• gave the libraries control of the process
• gives potential users permission to visit

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Making it work

• Managed referral between all libraries
• Support for registering libraries
• Inspire website
• LIS-INSPIRE
• Information pack for all involved
• Publicity materials
• Findit!

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Findit! Homepage
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About Findit!
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Search History of Coventry
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Coventry and Warwickshire Collection
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Making it work

• National initiative - transparent/permeable
  boundaries
• HE has a national focus
• Helps to encourage sign up
• Focus on the needs of the user
• Inspire Directors and Steering Group

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Objectives become reality

• Inspire is becoming embedded in the library world
• Many new co-operative groups have emerged and
  others are being rejuvenated
• Milton Keynes Inspire Thames Valley Inspire
  Learn in Cheshire
• Recent launches planned or taken place including
  the East Midlands East of England the South
  West plus sub-regional groups e.g.
  Herefordshire Worcestershire Inspire group
  launch
• More details are being added to Findit! every week

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Key lessons from Inspire

• Participating libraries will have concerns that
  need to be addressed
• Timescale it will take longer than you think
• Need for a regional or sub-regional operational
  group to support development
• Importance of involving staff at an early stage
• Need for a marketing/awareness raising strategy
  both for providers of the service and for
  potential users

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• Questions Comments Observations

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Useful websites

• Inspire
• http//www.inspire.gov.uk
• Findit!
• http//www.findit.org.uk
• Example of regional scheme
• Inspire NorthEast
• http//www.mlanortheast.org.uk

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INSPIRE England contacts

• Andrew Green
• INSPIRE Co Director England
• Head of Libraries and Information Services
• Coventry City Council
• Tel [phone]
• E-mail andrew.green_at_coventry.gov.uk

• Philip Payne
• INSPIRE Co Director England
• Librarian
• Birkbeck College University of London
• Tel [phone]
• E-mail p.payne_at_bbk.ac.uk