Working smarter. Adding value.

Well, dear readers, I have neglected this blog shamefully over the last couple of weeks. It has been incredibly busy times with the day and this week has been one of those horrible periods where I haven't just been double-booked, I've been triple-booked. So I'd leave one meeting early to go late to another and then leave it to see someone else whilst in between trying to do something else. Anyway, it is often a bit like that for all of us.

Yesterday, however, I was very firmly in one place, at one event for the whole afternoon. It was the Grampian Information Annual Conference held in the Craig Suite at the Sir Duncan Rice Library at the University of Aberdeen. This is the sixteenth annual GI conference and we are quite proud that we have managed to sustain this organisation and its conference over all that time. Like many such organisations, GI is entirely made up of volunteers from every library and information sector who come together to organise cross-sectoral events, training and the conference. We do, however, employ a part-time executive support officer Amelia Davies who does a huge amount of the spade work particularly with our events.

The theme of yesterday's conference for Working smarter. Adding Value. We had an excellent programme and a very good turnout given how difficult it is for people to get away and how difficult it can be to get the money to go to conference events. All in all, the GI executive committee was very pleased with the way the event went.

Our first keynote was Jens Thorhauge, formerly the Director General of the Danish Agency for Library and Media, now part of Kulturstyrelsen. Jens gave a truly inspirational talk, looking at what they have done in Denmark, the cooperation and collaboration, the way they have responded to government policy, the philosophical and societal challenges they face. One phrase he used that really appealed to me was that "universal access to publications is the peak for the analogue library" and the new conception of the digital library must be much more. He also showed how various initiatives such as the Danish Digital Library has become a provider of information for business and for public administration. There were also some really interesting models for the design of library space and services which will be of much interest and relevance to audiences beyond Denmark. Everyone, from every sector, learned so much from Jen's talk. We were exceedlying lucky and pleased to have one of Europe's most knowledgeable and experienced library policy-makers.

We then had two parallel sessions. One was Gordon Hunt, Director of Campus Services (and formerly University Librarian) at the University of the West of Scotland speaking about shared services. I am looking forward to going down to see this in practice at the Ayr Campus in December on what will be my last presidential visit. Our other parallel session was given by Alison Hunter of East Lothian Libraries and was on marketing and branding. Alison shows some of the really imaginative things that East Lothian Libraries have done. I think everyone was particularly impressed by the branding for the John Gray Centre and also Lennox the Lion, the mascot for the children's service. I particularly loved the tie in to Lennoxlove and its book festival and the library service's use of "Lennox loves....." Really, really clever stuff we can all learn from. All credit to Alison, her library service team and East Lothian Council's imagination.

Then we had our final keynote, Steve Yorkstone, LEAN Consultant from Edinburgh Napier University who took us through aspects of Lean in a very informative and entertaining fashion. He focused on a reshelving project in a university library and gave numerous examples of how so many of our organisations become bedevilled by processes that are needless, even pointless and are only perpetuated because "it has always been done like that". Steve was a terrific finale to our day and undoubtedly gave much food for thought as we return to our own organisations.

So Grampian Information may be a relatively small organisation but (and I know I am biased) it punched well above its weight, yet again, with a superb half-day conference. If you haven't made it up to a GI conference then please try to sometime. We have direct trains from Edinburgh and Glasgow now :o)