Tuesday 24 January 2012

A library glossary!

Library cluster manager - a librarian who manages more than one library
Knowledge Manager - senior reference librarian
Library Local - a small branch library in Waltham Forest
Library Plus - a larger branch library in Waltham Forest
Hive - a PFI library in Worcester
The Lounge - a 'state of the art' library in Lewisham
Idea Store - a library in Tower Hamlets
Discovery Centre - a library in Hampshire
The Technology Learning Centre - the name chosen for the Hackney Central Library when it first opened which was then very quickly changed back to Hackney Central Library due to the fact that the public kept walking past unaware that it was a library!
Learning and Information Assistant - library assistant
Customer Services Manager - a very senior library manager
Community Library - a 'library' run by volunteers
Floor walking - library staff walking about annoying users because their time has been 'freed up' due to the introduction of self-service machines.
Improve the user experience - what senior management claim self-service is going to do!
Customer - a library user
"finding an expert partner to help us safeguard our libraries for the future" - what you say if you are a Wokingham Councillor, or any other, and you plan to privatise or outsource your library service.
Co-location - closing library buildings and moving library staff into other council buildings so that they can floor walk and issue death certificates!
21st Century Library - a shiny glass cube costing millions containing a cafe, a few beach reads and self-service machines located in a town centre.
"Libraries are more than about books" - something that New Labour types and ex-MLA officials say to wind up, some, library campaigners/users!
can easily be substituted with "it's about reading not books"
'Innovation Incubators' - libraries as entrepreneurial advice centres for local whizz kids
'Catalyst Libraries' - libraries as entrepreneurial advice centres for more local whizz kids
'Innovation catalyst librarian' - A librarian that offers advice to local entrepreneurial whizz kids
Hubs - Libraries based in community centres or forced to be 'one stop shops' due to council cuts or a mixture of the two
Pods - that which replaces counters and desks due to the introduction of self serve and floor walking

 

1 comment:

  1. Spot on but you missed one Alan *Tsk*

    "Reading and Learning Librarian" aka any library worker, from the most skilled and experienced library worker, the experienced and professionally qualified librarian to the untrained back office worker given no training.

    Why?

    To mask the loss of not only experienced qualified librarians but our very experienced and capable library staff when Croydon cut staffing hard and against residents' wishes and all planned during a consultation.

    We weren't supposed to notice but most did.

    So unfair on the staff who lost their jobs - so disrespectful to those who had earned the title of librarian via professional qualifications or experience and dedication to the job. Even harder for the staff who were elevated to this position without notice or the skills or training to carry out the job.

    We've a "Healthy Living Hub" too, often closed, but with access to a Playstation when open - just what we need!

    Elizabeth @ElizCro

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