Diversity Group

Different diversity events

There are different diversity events on around that are on around the country that you might be interested in:

Letterbox Library 25th birthday event Monday 3 November 2008, Hoxton Hall
Letterbox Library is a diversity children’s bookseller and it is celebrating its 25th birthday. The Children’s Laureate Michael Rosen will be headlining a reading-rich experience for local schools in Hoxton Hall. Michael Rosen, Simona Sideri and Verna Wilkins (editor & author/MD of Tamarind Books), and Karin Littlewood (children’s books illustrator) will give workshops and book signings. The event is supported by The Learning Trust’s Get Hackney Reading campaign.

For further information, please contact Kerry Mason, Director, Letterbox Library (9.00am-4.30pm Mon-Fri) Tel. 020 7503 4801 or by email: info@letterboxlibrary.com  
More details about the Letterbox Library are on their website: www.letterboxlibrary.com  


RNIB: Tactile Graphics 2008
3-5 December 2008, Jury's Inn Birmingham
Tactile Graphics 2008 is the fourth international conference and exhibition on tactile graphics (images which are touched rather than looked at).
Tactile diagrams, maps and pictures are used by blind and partially sighted children and adults in education, work and daily life. There will be presentations and exhibition stands on the presentation of accessible graphical information in a museum, gallery or library environment. This international conference which only runs every 2-3 years and it is essential for anyone responsible for meeting access requirements in any public space.

You can get more information about the conference on the RNIB National Centre for Tactile Diagrams website: http://www.nctd.org.uk/Conference/Conf2008/index.asp  


RNIB: Visual conditions in relation to ethnicity: focus on children and families
Friday 28 November 2008 – Birmingham
Wednesday 28 January 2009 – Bristol 
 
RNIB Birmingham have organised a one-day course to learn about and share practice in providing vision services to children, young people and families from black and other minority ethnic groups. Topics covered will include: genetics, communication, cultural barriers to disability and community awareness. People attending the course will consider research evidence and examples of emerging practice and case studies.

Cost: £130 professionals, £60 parents/carers
For more information, download this flyer: Visual conditions (MS Word - 270KB) or telephone 0121 665 4235 or email: children@rnib.org.uk  

Diversity Group Evaluation

The Diversity Group ran a review of the group's activities. Currently we produce 3 newsletters a year, organise a conference every two years, take part in Umbrella and do the Diversity Awards at Umbrella.

Members were asked to give their views on what the group should do in the future by filling out the evaluation form (MS Word - 32KB) and returning it to Karen Berry by 30 June 2008. We will let you know the results of the evaluation in the near future.

Diversity Group Conference and AGM 2008

Our 2008 conference 'Access All Areas?: Disability issues in libraries' with Commissioner Ziauddin Sardar from The Commission for Equalities and Human Rights as the keynote speaker was on Monday 9 June 2008, 10.00am to 4.15pm at the Victoria and Albert Museum, London. Details including presentations and handouts are available in our Conferences section.

The Diversity Group AGM took place in the V&A Museum after the conference on Monday 9 June 2008 at 4.30pm.

Diversity Group Newsletter

The Summer 2008 edition of the Diversity Group's newsletter has just been added to our Newsletter page. It has details of the CILIP's Anthony Thompson Award, Positive Action Trainee Scheme and the evaluation of the Diversity Group.

CILIP support for people from black and minority ethnic communities to become librarians

CILIP Council have approved the Positive Action Trainee Scheme for people from black and minority ethnic communities who want to join the library and information profession. It is part of CILIP’s Encompass programme.

It will be run in partnership with PATH National Ltd, a skills development agency that focuses on career development opportunities for black and minority ethnic groups. It will piloted in London during 2008 to 2009 before being spread across the UK.

“It is very exciting”, said Ayub Khan, a CILIP Trustee and Chair of CILIP’s Equal Opportunities and Diversity Panel. “We need to be an inclusive profession and broadly reflect the diversity of the UK population. This will enable us to tap into the talent that exists in minority ethnic communities for the benefit of all our users.”

Trainees in the pilot scheme will start a part-time postgraduate course in library and information studies in September 2009, and work towards getting their MCLIP (Chartered Member of CILIP). “Over a five year period,” Ayub Khan noted, “we hope to support 120 trainees working in a wide variety of library and information organisations across the UK”. 

Diversity conferences

Details of past Diversity Group Conferences and when the Diversity Group participated at the Umbrella Conference are available in the Past Conferences page.

The Diversity Group also presented The Diversity Awards at Umbrella 2007, for more details look at our Awards section.