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INDIVIDUAL
COUNCILLOR ISSUES
(i) Jonathan Willson
(National Councillor) raised the issue of the recent change of rules of the
Public Libraries Group and the consequence of the new rule that to be eligible
to be on the Committee, members must currently be employed in Public Libraries.
He expressed concern that the new clauses were discriminatory and went against
the aims of the Group, and invited Council to express its concern and ask PLG
to re-consider the rule change to reflect the aims and objectives of the Association.
It was noted by Council that correct procedures had been followed, that the
revised rules had been correctly adopted and were now in force, and that what
was being addressed was the consequence
After discussion,
it was put to the vote and it was agreed to ask the Group to reconsider
Clauses 4.2 and 4/4 of its rules.
(ii) Mark Lunt (London
and Home Counties Branch) spoke about the importance of the Charter and the
need for its proactive promotion by the Association.
(iii) Albert Hartley
(Local Studies Group) asked if more prominence could be given in the LA
Record to Awards. Martin Stone said that the Editor had the freedom
to do this.
Albert Hartley also
asked if specialist groups would be affected by unification, whether this topic
could be incorporated into the discussion and spoke about the importance of
guidelines.
Martin Stone said
that the matter of guidelines would be addressed by the Implementation Working
Group.
(iv) Peter Harbord
(Northern Branch) raised the issue of the Association’s commitment to support
for regions, and spoke about the difficulties of getting people to serve on
committees. This prompted a wide ranging discussion.
- Sue Westcott (Government
Libraries) encouraged Branches to look at some of the new information and e-based
methods of building local professional communities.
- Liz Jolly (Career Development
Group) noted the wider political context and a general lack of interest in
group activities by the new generation.
- Anne Everall (Youth Libraries)
emphasised the difficulties member can have in getting employers to understand
the value of engaging in professional activities.
- Kayla Tomlinson (Bucks
Berks and Oxon) stressed the importance of activism at local level.
- Geoff Langridge (South
Western Branch) suggested that the review of Branches provided an opportunity
to address all of these issues.
- Jonathan Willson noted
the growth of e-based activity amongst LIS students and the implications of
this for the Association - protecting the growth of e-based communities of
interest.
(v) Alasdair MacNaughtan
(Publicity and Public Relations Group) noted the concern in the media regarding
the British Library’s disposal of newspapers.
Bob McKee said that
this was being discussed by the BL Advisory Council.
(vi) Bill Bell (Scottish
Library Association) asked how business plans would be developed by Branches
and Groups in the light of the Corporate Plan. Bob McKee said that the Corporate
Plan provided the Association’s framework until unification. Barry Cropper
said that P&RC would expect activities and expenditure to follow the objectives
of the Corporate Plan.
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