Diversity Group Conference 2008
Access All Areas?: Disability Issues in Libraries.
Victoria and Albert Museum Monday 9 June 2008 10.00am - 4.15pm
The 2008 conference was a great success, thank you to everyone who attended and all our contributors. You can now download some of the workshop presentations and handouts below.
We also added details of some resources on accessibility and libraries on our Useful Resources page.
Programme
You can download a copy of the Programme and Booking Form here:
Programme and Booking form (PDF - 243KB)
Chair - Margaret Watson
Speeches:
- Commissioner Ziauddin Sardar from The Commission for Equalities and Human Rights
- Gloria Foran, National Officer - Disability Policy for UNISON
Workshops:
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Workshop 1 – ‘Communicating with deaf people in the library.‘ Margaret Forrest, Academic Liaison Librarian, University of Edinburgh
Workshop 1 presentation (MS Powerpoint - 79KB)
Workshop 1 notes by Briony Birdi (PDF - 61 KB)
Margaret is a deaf librarian who has worked in a variety of libraries in the NHS and in Higher Education, including medical, nursing, public health and patients' libraries. She is a member of CILIP's Equal Opportunities and Diversity Panel and is on the Standing Committee of IFLA's Libraries Serving Disadvantaged Persons Section.
Margaret has a special interested in promoting good practice in library services for people with disabilities. At the University of Dundee she piloted an online module in disability awareness for library staff on the institution's virtual learning environment. She is now working in the University of Edinburgh.
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Workshop 2 – ‘Disability audit of libraries.' Susan White
Workshop 2 handout (PDF - 29KB)
Workshop 2 information sources (PDF - 34KB)
Workshop 2 notes (PDF - 21KB)
A practical workshop identifying tools that you can use to help library staff make sure that their libraries become and stay as accessible as possible. It will provide an overview of:
- identifying physical barriers
- access to information
- barriers created by policies and procedures.
Susan White started work in libraries in 1986. Her experience in libraries has included managing a part-time library as a senior library assistant and as a librarian, as a School Librarian at a joint-use library for a secondary school that had an integrated special needs unit, and finally until December 2007, as Senior Librarian - Equal Access for Shropshire Libraries.
She has always been interested in equality of service provision and in 2007 successfully completed a NVQ level 4 qualification as an Access Audit Practitioner. She is now available as an independent Access Auditor specialising in library provision.
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Workshop 3 – ‘Disability and social inclusion at the Victoria and Albert Museum.' Barry Ginley, Disability and Access Officer, V&A Museum (V&A) and Andrew Russell, National Art Library
The workshop looked at the strategic approach of the V&A to disability and social inclusion, as well as the facilities and services within the V&A museum and in the National Art Library.
Barry became the Disability and Access Officer at the Victoria & Albert Museum in London in November 2002. Before that he was a consultant to the Royal National Institute of the Blind (RNIB) and several property service companies. In 1994, after an eye operation which went wrong, Barry has been visually impaired. In 2001 he studied part time at the University of Reading and got an MSc in Inclusive Environments Design and Management. As the Head of Disability and Social Inclusion at the V&A, Barry wants to improve access for all visitors to the collection.
He is also the chair of the Visually Impaired Spectators Association and represents the RNIB on the UK Governments Football Task Force. He has campaigned to make sports stadia more accessible for people with visual impairments. Barry was also a committee member of the Museums And Galleries Disability Association (MAGDA) and a co-ordinator for Art Beyond Sight, which is based in New York.
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Workshop 4 - ‘You open a book, you feel warm - A new way for libraries to engage with people who are affected and isolated by stress, depression and anxiety.’
John Duffy, Kirklees Libraries
Workshop 4 handout (PDF - 129 KB)
Workshop 4 notes by Briony Birdi (PDF - 50 KB)
John explored how the Reading and You Scheme (RAYS) is a model for a new way for libraries to engage with people who are affected and isolated by stress, depression and anxiety. He will do this by instruction, reading, discussion and exercises and will use case histories, anecdotes and quotations (such as "You open a book, you feel warm").
John Duffy’s background is in social work and community development work rather than libraries. He worked in these fields in Glasgow, South London, Huddersfield and Bradford for thirty five years, with occasional interruptions as househusband, registered childminder and writer. He has worked as a bibliotherapist for Kirklees since 2000, and he is a founder member of Huddersfield’s Albert Poets.
Diversity Group at Umbrella 2007
The Diversity Group participated at the Umbrella Conference in Hatfield again. Umbrella 2007 is called “Catalysts for Change – making a difference”. See their website for more information: www.umbrella2007.org.uk
The group had five sessions.
(1) "Making accessible the inaccessible: widening access to resources through digitisation" - Philip Pothen.
This presentation looked at how the JISC Digitisation programme is making available otherwise relatively inaccessible resources to much wider audiences and how mass digitisation can support and encourage wider access to resources of all kinds in support of lifelong learning.
JISC Digitisation programme: www.jisc.ac.uk/digitisation_home.html
(2) Joint session with The Public Libraries Group on Censorship in Libraries.
John Pateman talked on "Libraries and the War on Terror: The Power of Nightmares" (PDF - 99KB).
It was followed by Pat Beech with a talk entitled "I want some porn" (MS Powerpoint - 162KB). Pat looked at the barriers of supply of books for blind and partially sighted people.
(3) A joint session one with Community Services Group on Employability and disability.
It had two speakers: Jane Wickenden, who talked on "Employing staff with physical disabilities - adapting the work, the workplace, and your attitude". Jane included the challenge of changing attitudes of employers to enable disabled people to reach their potential in the workplace. Highlighting examples of good practice from the Ministry of Defence.
The second speaker was Martin Molloy who spoke from the perspective of staff with hearing impairments.
(4) The motion is "This house believes that the wisdom and insight needed for effective leadership can only come with age and experience."
A lively and stimulating debate on issues relating to age and leadership with Trevor Knight and Amanda Poulton. A joint session with the Career Development Group.
(5) Ayub Khan talked on the groundbreaking project developed by Warwickshire Library and Information Services: "Workforce Development: Accredited Work-based Learning – the OCN Way!". A joint session with the Personnel, Training and Education Group on supporting learning in libraries.
Diversity Awards 2007
The Diversity Group also presented the Diversity Awards at Umbrella 2007. For more details look at our Awards section.
Second Diversity Group Conference 2006
"Pride or Prejudice?" How well are libraries serving lesbian, day, bi- and trans- communities?
8 February 2006 at the Manchester Conference Centre.
Aim of the day: To raise awareness and consider how to improve provision in Libraries for LGBT communities.
Conference Programme (PDF - 64KB)
Presentations
Keynote address:
Workshops:
- Gender, sex and life on the other side – Understanding transgender issues. (MS Powerpoint - 84KB)
Ruth Chambers, Beaumont Society and Jess Cole, Press for Change
- Alive but not kicking enough! - Impact of fiction on the knowledge, self esteem and well-being of women, in particular those who identify as lesbian or bisexual.
Jacqueline Goldthorp, Community Health, Project Support Officer, Moray
- Workshop One (MS Powerpoint - 24KB)
- Workshop Two (MS Powerpoint - 30KB)
Summing up speech:
First Diversity Group Conference 2004
"Diversity - Dare to Win!"
10am - 4pm Monday 4th October 2004 at the University Of Wolverhampton Science Park Stafford Rd, Wolverhampton.
Presentations from the Conference
Keynote address:
Diversity Group Conference (MS Powerpoint - 54KB)
Prof. Mel Chevannes CBE FRCN, Dean and Director of Health Service Provision, University of Wolverhampton
Presentation:
Diversity in the Learning Centre Service (MS Powerpoint - 194KB)
Mary Heaney, Director of Learning Centres, University of Wolverhampton
Workshops:
Gathering dust? Resources in libraries (MS Powerpoint - 614KB)
Kal Dale, Ethnic Services Manager Wolverhampton City Libraries
Take control: The Quality Leaders Project, diversity and leadership in the public sector. (MS Powerpoint - 97KB)
Shiraz Durrani, Strategy and Commissioning Officer, London Borough of Merton and Dean Bartlett
Social inclusion: A library perspective (MS Powerpoint - 497KB)
Ayub Khan, Operations and Quality Manager - Warwickshire LIS
Young people in control (PDF - 696KB)
Young people in control references (PDF - 35KB)
Shiraz Durrani, Strategy and Commissioning Officer, London Borough of Merton and Dean Bartlett
For your eyes only (PDF - 60KB)
Pat Beech, Library and Information Services Director, National Library for the Blind
Developing a needs-based library service (PDF - 139KB) John Pateman, Head of Libraries, Lincolnshire
Last updated: 15 January 2010