Archives for January 8th, 2008

LIBRARY MEMBERSHIP DRIVE LAUNCHED IN WALES

Headlines, PublicNet: 8 January, 2008

Wales, which already has the highest proportion of active members of public libraries in the UK, has begun a campaign to drive up membership by offering incentives to existing users to promote libraries to their friends and families. A quarter of people in Wales are members but research by libraries has found that about 70 per cent of them go to the library at least once a week.

The promotional campaign will run for the rest of January in each of the country’s 332 public libraries. Existing members will get the chance to complete a form recommending a friend to join their local library in order for both of them to be entered into a draw. Prizes include a TV chef cooking in the winner’s home and a romantic weekend in a teepee in the Welsh mountains.

The ‘Libraries for Life’ campaign is being funded by the Welsh Assembly Government and the Minister for Heritage, Rhodri Glyn Thomas, said the competition was part of a wider marketing campaign running across Wales alongside an extensive programme of refurbishment projects. “Although people in Wales value their libraries more than in any other part of the UK, not everyone knows about this excellent range of services,” he said.

Jane Purdie, the marketing project officer for the campaign, said they had taken a lead from the retail sector in planning the promotion. “Library users across Wales make 14.5 million visits to the library each year and we hope this promotion will give them the incentive they need to spread the word to friends and family, and, as a result, increase library membership across Wales,” she added.

Read more on LIBRARY MEMBERSHIP DRIVE LAUNCHED IN WALES…



COUNCILS TO PILOT PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT SOFTWARE

Headlines, PublicNet: 8 January, 2008

The Society of Information Technology Management – Socitm – has launched a pilot project in ten local authority areas to create a generic version of the Aspire software system. Aspire was developed in support of the Skills Framework for the Information Age and the pilots will take place in county, district and metropolitan councils and run until March.

Read more on COUNCILS TO PILOT PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT SOFTWARE…

INDICES OF DEPRIVATION 2007

Book News, PublicNet: 8 January, 2008

Communities and Local Government have updated the 2004 deprivation indices, which present a picture of a range of economic, social and housing issues at local authority district level and county council level.

Read more on INDICES OF DEPRIVATION 2007…

© PublicNet is a KnowShare production | Technology by Jag Singh + Hilton & Hilton Ltd | Admin Log in