Today we visited the Central Library of Edinburgh. Fiona manages the Central Library and introduced us to some of her colleagues. She also manages 6 neighborhood libraries. Central Library has had many achievements. Some of these include Bookseller Best Library Service 2012 (finalist again in 2013), CSE - customer service excellence, IIP - investors in people, and Gold Standard - a detailed criteria to help keep the library tidy and with excellent customer service. They maintain a 97% customer satisfaction rating as of 2012. Two new bright and modern branches just recently opened that show how they are moving into the heart of the community. Self service has also been implemented in 12 of the 28 libraries in and around Edinburgh.
They have a large range of services for hard to reach readers. The Get Up and Go publication is for older patrons above the age of 50. many community activities are listed in this magazine as well as online. Bookbug is a national program to help get kids interested in reading. It is owned by the Scottish Book Trust and is designed for 3-5 year olds. Charter books is another national program. This one is more for ages 8-11 and includes more chapter books. The digital library is popular and continues to accelerate. They want to try to reach a new generation of customers through the digital and technology age. They say that mobile devices will be the primary connection device and they do have an app.
Their website offers a portal into many things. They have a connection with Dyslexia Scotland. This is a program designed to get more kids to read. They want them to feel welcome and be able to get help. There are 4 steps of partnership which include awareness, engagement, support and resources, and mainstreaming. Dyslexia Chatterbook is a fun and engaging reading group to get kids reading. It is designed for 8-10 year olds. Central Library also offers summer reading challenges. Children's literacy is a key government issue. There has been a 12% increase in Scotland in 2012. The library also makes use of social media by maintaining a Facebook page and Twitter. There are so many portals on the website. They use Eventbrite to allow people to book events and activities online. Your Library is the main platform for all services and the main place to find things. There are 50 different e-resources available to customers via the website. Check out the website here at http://yourlibrary.edinburgh.gov.uk/.
Central Library has 5 main goals through their website and mobile app. One is to provide an alternative to visiting the library. Two is to provide 24/7 access to quality information. Three is to provide a channel for engaging customers. Four is to provide a channel shift in which to help those unfamiliar with technology. Five is to provide increased use of Edinburgh Libraries.We viewed several interesting artifacts. There was a 1495 Aldus Minitus pocket book, a Bassadyne Bible printed in 1576 / 79, a music book with an English Oak binding, Paranesi's works, old road maps, drawings, watercolors, and even some photographs. My favorite item was the music book. I knew by looking at it that it was written in chant form. Most likely Gregorian chant.
New College Library is where we visited in the afternoon. covers 5 floors and contains more than 250,000 books. It was founded in the early 19th century. Stacks 1 and 2 are for public access. They are slowly reverting to the Library of Congress classification system from an old Christianity based system. Stack 3 is for staff only and holds various collections and manuscripts. They continue to make renovations to the building. It is a religious library in conjunction with a school of divinity. We did get to view a really old King James Bible and some other rare books.
During the evening hours I went for a walk around Dalkeith estate and then packed for my Highland Tour trip.
That is all for now...
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