#ARLG16 part 1: Presenting

Recently, I have been lucky enough to present a workshop at the ARLG 2016 conference. This came about as a result of my winning ARLG’s Alison Northover Bursary, which I used to attend the 2014 ARLG conference.  I had such an amazing experience attending the conference that I was determined to contribute to the next one.

I kept my eyes open for the call for papers, submitted a proposal in December 2015 and in January 2016 found out it had been accepted. I was thrilled! The proposal was based around a book folding workshop, to be co-presented with an ex-colleague, Fran Heap. In the past, Fran and I had both used book folding to lead various library initiatives to engage users and raise the profile of the library. We felt we could share these experiences in the hope that other library staff may be interested.

MCLIP revalidation

Last week I received an email telling me my chartership revalidation was successful. I originally chartered in 2010 and this was the first time I had revalidated. I attempted to do so back in 2012/13 but it didn’t get off the ground. Gathering evidence was time-consuming and knowing it was optional meant I didn’t prioritise it.

The new regulations are far more user-friendly and an online portfolio is much easier to maintain. I originally found CILIP’s VLE difficult to use but with perseverance I now have no trouble navigating it. Since submitting my revalidation I have continued to log CPD activities online in preparation for my next revalidation. I much prefer this new way, the process is less hassle and as a result I aim to revalidate annually.

Folded book art lives on!

I've spent the past six months working in two separate FE colleges. Last summer a college restructuring activity deemed that my role should become a shared role between the college and its partner college. Such a change was implemented to many staff, and working in such a way was not without challenges. However, there were also positives... such as the saving of time by recycling various projects.

For the college's Green Week 2014, I (along with a library assistant) spent numerous hours creating an extensive display of folded book art. It was very popular and an enjoyable thing to be a part of. (I blogged about it here. It also featured as 'letter of the month' in the October issue of CILIP Update and the May issue of the CoLRiC Newsletter.) For Green Week 2015, we were able to recreate the display in the partner college I had recently started working in. The concept of folded book art was entirely new to this college so we were able to recreate the display without any additional work. It was well received by both staff and learners, and it was a lovely opportunity to re-live the buzz created by the book art. Here is a photo of the Green Week 2015 display...

A selection of my folded book art

Upcycling old library stock

One of the displays of folded book art

Folded book art

Our discarded library books are routinely given to BetterWorld Books, but this year we held on to several and instead used them to create a display. We felt the college’s annual Green Week initiative was the ideal time to demonstrate ways in which old books can be reused. Two members of the library team (Fran Heap and myself) turned once-loved books into creative book sculptures. Permission was sought to position displays in the reception areas of the college’s two largest campuses, and almost 50 individual pieces were created.