Bibliotheca Moraviana

Yesterday, I had the great pleasure of doing a 'Meet the President' with staff from Moray Libraries. This was a particularly enjoyable event since this is my 'home' library service. I was first introduced to the whole notion of the library as a very small child and had such fondness for it (and, indeed, the library assitant who ran it) that my love of libraries has enduring over the intervening years. The local heritage service has been something of a second home in particular.

Yesterday, I met with the senior staff at Elgin Library and outlined what I've done over the course of my presidential year, the places I've been and the things that I have seen. I spoke about the things that have particularly impressed me during my travels like the Macmillan partnership in North Ayrshire, the newly-refitted library in Bridge of Allan, the John Gray Centre, the 120th birthday party for Aberdeen Central Library, the Crime Fiction Festival in Orkney and the Heritage Hub in Hawick. I also spoke particularly about the capacity that libraries have for changing lives and how we as librarians are central to this. I know I was preaching to the converted but I think there was enthusiasm for and agreement with the things I was saying.

We had a good discussion about branding and marketing of libraries and why it is sometimes difficult for us to get the message out to the people who need to hear (i.e. policy- and decision-makers). I mentioned something which most of us are familiar with, the elevator pitch, the fifteen seconds of soundbite that we should have stored to use when we are with someone who "needs to know" or is in a position to help or influence on our behalf.

Being in Elgin Library as President of CILIP Scotland was a strange phenomenon for me because, as a student, I did my placement there and little did I imagine that I was return, years later, as the bearer of the presidential chain. Now, obviously, dear readers, you will consider me very slightly biased in my opinions of Moray Libraries because I have grown up with them and still use them. So, forgive me as I launch into a paean of praise.

I have to say Moray has an excellent library service which has, over all the years I've known it, continued to innovative and to look really creatively at how to enhance and expand the service provision. The Learning Centre is one obvious example of this and the range of learning and educational opportunities available through the library is excellent. I love the feel of Elgin Library, the range of stock and resources and I have to say I love the Mobiles too and love seeing them with their distinctive images trundling round the byways of Moray. Even doing right back into the early days of automation, the creation of the service's online Local Studies Index LIBINDX was a considerable innovation and, indeed, I have on the bookshelf in front of me one of the late Mike Dewe's books on local studies from the 1980s which contains an chapter about LIBINDX.

I've been delighted to be involved with the various initiatives to enhance the local heritage provision in Moray which I have mentioned previously. I know it is very much "my thing" and I risk boring people by banging on about it. However, it is worth saying that Moray has an exceptionally fine local collection, probably one of the top five in Scotland and that is why it is so important to see a new and really exciting strategy emerging for its future development. All the more so because it is so linked to economic development, partnership working, social inclusion and all the other priorities which are so rightly at the heart of the agenda for our local authorities. It is also a really commendable project because it brings together so many of the key business stakeholders in the area.

The Moray staff team, most of whom I've know for a long time, is so committed and enthusiastic. They continue to drive the service forward. They are also really good reflective practitioners, learning from what they've done and using that learning to enhance the service further. Alistair and Sheila Campbell run a great service, with a great team of colleagues. The people of Moray love their libraries (me included) and we are all very lucky to have excellent provision. Moray Council also demonstrates not inconsiderable foresight in recognising the crucial place which libraries have in their communities and using strategically to deliver so many of the key policy agendas and services.