#Weeknotes - 09/12/2024

What's been happening?

Autism-friendly libraries: We're proud to work with Dimensions, a charity supporting people with learning disabilities and autism, ensuring they have a louder voice, choice and control in their lives. We're supporting Dimensions with launching their pilot training package for libraries, which will guide library teams through the process of ensuring their spaces and services are autism-friendly. In 2016, Dimensions created a range of resources for ASCEL members, which they've kindly offered to review for us, to ensure the information and guidance is still up-to-date.

Partnership-building training session: Katie Pekacar led an engaging, informative session last Wednesday for ASCEL members. The feedback was excellent, with comments such as: "a great and very worthwhile session" and "it covered everything I hoped it would and more". A big thank you to Katie for delivering this training for our members, it really was very useful.

SLS Research - Final report: Leeds University have submitted the final report for the research undertaken into School Library Service (SLS) provision in England. This in-depth report provides much-needed data on a sector that hasn't had data gathered on it for the last twenty years. It also gives a real sense of the national picture; the breadth of delivery, the gaps in SLS provision, and the diverse business models and funding. It also identifies key ingredients required for an SLS to thrive; something that will be invaluable for areas without SLS provision, who may be thinking of establishing / re-establishing the service again.

Thanks goes to Arts Council England for funding this important research.

What's next?

ASCEL have a team day tomorrow, then after that I will be examining the results of ASCEL's 2024 Skills Audit in greater depth. In some areas, there's not too much deviation from the previous year, but in others, we're seeing different patterns emerging. Due to the nature of the audit, this comparative exercise is partly speculative (there are too many variables to draw solid conclusions). Once again, though, it provides an insightful snapshot of the confidence-levels in skills relating to supporting children and young people in libraries.

Outside of work

Storm Daragh ripped through our home-town over the weekend, so we spent most of the time huddled up inside and hoping our fences wouldn't come down (as they did in last year's storms!).

I made a start on Old Wounds by Logan Ashley-Kisner too. It's a really enjoyable read; it's giving me real retro Point Horror vibes with its eerie Bullit Beast, and the two main characters (who are both trans) are richly explored and represented.