BfK News: November 1994

NEWS

Switching on Young Minds

The Library Association has announced a major 1995 campaign focusing on the importance of libraries for children and young people.

Called Library Power, the campaign will be officially launched in January, and culminates in a focus week from 15th – 21st May. It will focus specifically on the role of libraries in the education and overall development of children, through a series of high profile projects:

• Independent new research into the reality of provision in school and public libraries.
• A Young Expert Award about how libraries can fuel and then nurture children’s enthusiasms.
• Regional library events mobilising the resources of the public library network and of libraries in primary and secondary schools.
• A Power of Fiction competition designed to highlight the electrifying role of fiction in our lives.
• Resources for parents, teachers and librarians to help them develop the best use of the library.

Publicity for Library Power will be funded by Books for Students Ltd and Collins Children’s Books, with additional funding from the Esmee Fairbairn Charitable Trust.

Further information from Donna MacLean, The Library Association, 7 Ridgmount Street, London WC1E 7AE (tel: 071 636 7543, fax: 071 436 7218).

AWARDS

Writers’ Guild Award 1994

This year’s Writers’ Guild/Wimpey Best Children’s Book Award is The Frozen Waterfall by Gaye Hicyilmaz, Faber, 0 571 16794 2, £9.99; 0 571 171613, £3.99 pbk 

Runners up:

Maphead by Lesley Howarth, Walker, 0 7445 2458 X, £8.99 

The Spying Game by Pat Moon, Orchard, 185213 623 5, £8.99; 1 85213 624 3, £4.99 pbk

The Dancing Bear by Michael Morpurgo, Collins, 0 00 6745113, £2.99 pbk

PUBLICATIONS

Thematic Booklists

Comprehensive, up-to-date and very, very handy… that’s how we’d describe Nottinghamshire Education Library Service’s thematic indexes. They’re designed to support topic work and the wider reading demands of the National Curriculum and are offered in attractive booklet form.

Children’s Fiction, for instance, ranges from ‘Abuse’ to ‘Zoo’ by way of ‘Gangs’, ‘Markets’, ‘Rainbows’ and much else besides – more than 40 titles on each of over 50 pages. This one comes at £5.50, as does Picture Books, with the shorter Poetry at £4.50 (prices include post and packing). They’re excellent value – just the sort of free-ranging aides-memoires, compiled by a team whose expertise covers both books and children, which give lists a good name. Congratulations all round!

Copies obtainable from Education Library Service, County Library, Glaisdale Parkway, Nottingham NG8 4GP – cheques payable to Nottinghamshire County Council.

Library Guidelines

From the School Library Association comes two publications designed to set schools up for OFSTED inspections… not to mention providing the best possible advice for organising book resources generally.

Designing and Planning a Primary Library, Leonore Charlton, 0 900641 69 X

The School Library: Preparing for Inspection, Anthony Tilke, 0 900641 72 X

£4.00 each (£3.50 to SLA members) inc. p&p. Available from School Library Association, Liden Library, Barrington Close, Liden, Swindon SN3 6HF.

CONFERENCES

Running School-Based INSET

22nd February 1995, 9.30am – 4.00pm. Cost: £75.00 inc. lunch.

Organised by Hertfordshire SLS for School Librarians.

A look at the factors and techniques which increase confidence in delivering successful INSET.

Further details and booking form from Bookings Administrator, SLS, New Barnfield, Travellers Lane, Hatfield AL10 8XG (tel: 0707 281630, fax: 0707 281611).

Food for Thought

27th Annual Conference of the Federation of Children’s Book Groups.

7th-9th April 1995 at Canford School, Wimborne, Dorset.

Speakers include Nicholas Tucker, Helen Cowcher, Melvin Burgess, Elizabeth Laird, Jean Ure, James Watson and Robert Hull.

Full weekend £125.00 (£95.00 for Federation members), but other options available. For more details contact the Conference Organiser – Pat Clark, tel/fax: 0202 695929.