#Weeknotes - 06/01/2025

What's been happening?

It's just a short one from me today as ASCEL was closed for the festive period and I only returned to the office last week.

I worked through the 2025/26 training schedule for our members and ironed out the finer details of the monthly Members' Meet-Ups. These will offer members the opportunity to broaden out their discussions, share ideas and get advice from the 'hive mind' and showcase the excellent activities and initiatives they're running in their library services. I'm excited to see where they'll go over time.

We're also gearing up for some major strategic work this spring, so we're laying foundations for that. Exciting time lie ahead!

What's next?

I'm off to London this week for the Workforce Development meeting with Arts Council England, Libraries Connected and CILIP. Opening up career pathways in libraries (and creative industries) for young people is a priority for ASCEL and it'll be a welcome opportunity to explore options with our national partners.

If you're an ASCEL member, you'll also want to watch this space for the following:

• The launch of our new funding guide, developed with the support of Lime Green Consulting
• New training opportunities (Curious Minds' training in February is already booking up fast)
• Members' Meet-Up dates for Jan, Feb and March

Outside work

Christmas wasn't quite the festive affair we were hoping for as most of us were struck down with the dreaded norovirus. I made it through until the 27th, then had a fairly unpleasant few days of it.

That aside, it was a peaceful break. I got through a huge amount of books (just in time for the next haul to arrive on my birthday at the weekend) and watched far too much television. And yes, like the rest of the nation, I tuned into the Gavin and Stacey festive special and enjoyed it very much.

A couple of stand-out books I read:

• The Blue Book of Nebo by Mannon Steffan Ros - This children's book was so beautifully written and very poignant in places. It's a dual narrative book, written from the perspective of a mother and her teenage son at the end of the world.
• Catfish Rolling by Clara Kumagai - This YA book really put me in mind of Kasuo Ishiguro; very restrained, elegant writing about grief, time and existing 'between zones'. There's a good dose of magical realism in it too.