Public Library Authorities Conference
11-13 October, 2006
De Vere Grand Harbour Hotel
Southampton
Working Title
'Putting the Public back into the Public Library'
Theme
The theme of this year’s PLA Conference is simply ‘the public’. Also known as users, customers, readers, citizens, residents, and all people who live, work or study full time in our areas.
Now we have global alongside local communities. Every day there are new affordable means of instant interactive information and communications provision, with new opportunities for individual learning. There is an increasing emphasis on customer choice, but with a continuing, some say widening, gap between the included and the excluded. People - as individuals, couples, families or communities - run their lives in new and different ways.
So in this context, what values and ambitions does ‘the public’ have for their public libraries? What is their perception of the service, how satisfied are they with it, what impact is it having on their lives, and how engaged and accountable are they for its development and operation?
The Conference will explore these questions and hopefully some of the answers will emerge. The answers need to be understood by those responsible for the political and professional leadership and stewardship of the public library service so we can continue to transform public library services to meet the needs of all 21st century citizens.
The answers undoubtedly pose a number of challenges to us – to our ambition and aspirations; to the governance arrangements for local libraries; to our effectiveness and competence in delivering to local needs, and to our leadership.
Can we, literally and metaphorically, put the public back into the public library?
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This conference is organised by CILIP Conferences on behalf of the Public Libraries Group. More information will be posted as it comes to hand.
Visit the PLA Conference 2005 website for details of last year's successful event.
Updated: 24 November 2008