libraries as centres of culture and how they can transform their communities: future city, future...

Libraries as centres of culture and how they can transform their communities: Future City, Future Library

Libraries as Agents of Transformation

• Event rich• Co-production environment• Experiential learning

• Partnership• Co-production• Control• Appetite for risk • Programme Diversity• Audience Development

What happens in the Library?

•What the Library does•What the Library does with others•What the Library allows others to do•What others just do

The ambience of the Library

•Spaces•Rules•Culture•Staff•Whose Library is it?•What risks are you prepared to take?

Risky business?

Our programming recognises the wide variety of talent that exists in the city and has provided performance opportunities for many people who would never have expected to perform in public. At a recent music event staged by people with learning disabilities the organiser said: “it cannot be understated how important a job you do in ensuring that people with Learning Disabilities have equal opportunities within the library to showcase their talents.”

Expect the Unexpected

• Singles Night, graduation and weddings

• Santa’s grotto• Burns Night Whisky

and Poetry evening• Salsa and Zumba

sessions. • Our first musical, 3

Summers

Learning about the building

Process – embedding learning; building in consistency and continuity; ensuring successful delivery

Overview - events, exhibitions, tours, engagement, community libraries – learning from mistakes, building on success

Delivery partners – positioning LoB as a key cultural partner

Audiences – using audience intelligence to ensure we have the right offer for Birmingham

Sustainability – social benefit and income benefit – getting the balance right

Events Programming

Exhibitions• Popular and high standard of curation• Indoor and out, long and short-term,

physical and digital• Delivered through partnerships, BCU

producing the audio content for voices of War; the BBC, Red Cross and the RSA delivering fully formed and resourced spotlight exhibitions to individual photographers delivering small scale digital exhibitions on the Highlight screen.

Creative partnerships • Leaps & Bounds• Ikon Gallery• Birmingham Writers’ Group• University of Birmingham• Birmingham Conservatoire• English Heritage• The BBC• These partnerships have

enabled high quality events with minimal resource from LoB.

Community Ownership

• The Café has become the focus for various groups to meet and work– Birmingham

Embroiderers’ Guild– Knit and Natter – Poets’ Place.

Festival Destination• Birmingham Jazz Festival• Shout Festival• Birmingham Literature

Festival• BBC Archers Character

Invasion• Fun Palace Weekend• Frontiers Festival• Music for Youth

• Poetry for Lunch, a weekly, informal poetry event which has provided more than 100 poets from around the region with the opportunity to perform live.

• “Off the Page” informal author events aimed at newly published and self-published authors.

• Birmingham Literature Festival

Food – never underestimate its popularity

Community heritage • Innovative working with multiple

partners to connect archival resources to community identity

• Events, workshops, presentations, training, research

• Oral History Training• Community Archives Skills and

Training• Outreach and Community

Engagement Support • Ongoing Heritage and Project

Delivery and Management Advice

• Educational and Learning workshops and programmes

The Library of Birmingham is offering the chance for volunteers to help tend the beds on its elevated outdoor garden terraces, growing plants, including fruit, herbs and vegetables. This is the perfect opportunity for someone who is interested in gardening, but has nowhere to grow, and for someone keen to volunteer in their local community. The Library of Birmingham will sponsor volunteers to receive training through the University of Birmingham’s Urban Veg scheme, based at Winterbourne House and Garden, so volunteers will have the chance to learn new skills as well as meeting new friends and enjoying the Library’s stunning new spaces.

Engagement with community

Events

Staff Roles and Culture

Digital Strategy

The City

Customer Experience

Perceptions of a library

What did we change and how?

Services and operating models

Wisdom

Knowledge

Learning

Information

Data

Case Study:Business and Learning

From Business Information to social outcomes

–Entrepreneurship• Skills development• Business support• Growth

–Work Readiness• Work related life skills

–Employability• Basic skills• Ability to secure a job

Library-delivered Programmes

• Beginner's Guide to Business Information• How to Write a Business Plan: The 10 Questions

You Need to ask• Science and technology information for the

business user• Introducing copyright• Research for New Businesses• Beginner's guide to intellectual property• Introducing Social Media for Small Business• Introducing patents searching• Sole trading – the basics• Introducing registered designs searching

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Our clinics

• Young Entrepreneurs• Business expenses and tax• Using English effectively• Career advice• Company Directors and tax• Debt advice and welfare benefits• Self-employment• Importing and exporting• Free software• Intellectual property• Working in the construction industry 25

Entrepreneur in Residence

• Act as an Ambassador for LoB Business & Learning

 • Launch/Attend Global

Entrepreneurs Week – November 2014 – attend as a Guest Speaker as the LoB Entrepreneur in Residence.

• Be available to run advice surgeries or workshops on a quarterly basis to those starting a business.

• To participate and advise on potential areas for service delivery to support the business community.

• Be available to support Business & Learning/Library of Birmingham initiatives as appropriate

• To commit to being the

Entrepreneur in Residence for a 12 month period.

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An extraordinarily entertaining man, Simon Topman is the world's greatest living authority on whistles. Author of the standard work, "Collecting Police Whistles and Similar Types”…

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Monthly - focussing on supporting young people looking to start a business. • a business idea that you wish to develop further?• need one-to-one support to help you explore and test your idea and turn it into a business plan?• need advice and guidance on funding opportunities?• require mentoring to help you develop your business or access other opportunities in education, training, work or volunteering? Just drop in and speak to a qualified and experienced business coach.

Young Entrepreneur’s Business Club

Employability

• Job Search• CV• Application forms• Interview skills• Working abroad• Volunteering• Coping with redundancy• Using recruitment agencies• Psychometric testing

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The challenge

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“I’m passionate about ‘my resources’ and the way ‘I’ provide access to them.”

But it could also mean…

Everyone is up for change when it’s just a concept in the distant future, but not when it’s close by!

“I’m passionate about learning and knowledge.”

It could mean…

People who work in Libraries have a sense of purpose and will often say that they are ‘passionate’ about the service… but what does that really mean?

Is change for everyone?

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The 20:60:20 Rule

On Board

Opposed

Can be influenced either way

Work with them

Leave alone!

Work on them

brian.gambles@libraryofbirminghamtrust.org.uk