Gosh, I hear you cry, why did you get an all expenses paid trip to the Potteries? Was it to judge the Staffs Oatcakes served at the museum? Was it to enjoy Virgin Train’s hope that you would not wash your “goldfish, hopes and dreams” down the toilet? Or was it the challenge to eating you pork pied lunch behind you laptop screen without the devout Muslims opposite seeing? No, none of that, it was to attend the last LSG Committee Meeting.
Hoping that you might be interested in hearing what I thought of the famous oatcakes at the end of this post, I thought I would fill in a bit of time by saying how interesting the session was. Top news includes the next copy of Local Studies Librarian will be landing on your door mat any time soon and will be followed after Easter with a version of the e-newsletter, Local Studies Librarian+.
The next conference is being planned for late 2017/early 2018, with LSG South’s Study day taking shape for the other spot, while as always, LSG NW is planning an amazing set of events, this time keep you diaries free for 14th June…..not to mention the amazing work being done by LOCSCOT. Work is also under way to review the old Local Studies Guidelines – lots more info to follow.
Of course, none of this amazing work could be done without those volunteers who do the work and, for the lucky ones, those whose employers allow them to attend the meetings in work time.
Does this sound just a little bit fun….. because it is! Do you want to give back to the profession? Play your part in helping to spread great ideas/best practice across the world of local studies ? Plus, you can always influence those doing most of the work at conferences to include speakers and projects that interest you. In part of the profession when you are often the sole local studies professional in your unit or even organisation, it is sometimes a life saver to have chance for a good gossip with great groups of heritage professionals from across the UK. As well as giving your view at a meeting or two, you’d be welcome to do a little more, such as writing blog posts, a bit of tweeting, helping to arrange speakers for conferences of venues for visits, or, if you like adding up a few rows of figures, help with the accounts. Plus, this type of work is excellent material for job interviews and chartership applications! You don’t even have to be a member of CILIP.
So have a tempted you a little? Can you tempt your employer to give you a couple of afternoons to go to meetings each year? Why not find out a little more, or even coming to a meeting to see what it is like? After all, your travel costs are reimbursed. If so, you have a number of options. LSG South helps with things in London, the South East and a little further afield and they generally meet in Woking – email Norma Crowe. If you are north of the boarder you contact Nicola via nmcowmeadow@pkc.gov.uk, if you are west of the Pennines contact Alice Lock or if you fancy helping the national group, who normally meet in the Midlands, contact Alice Lock.
Ah, nearly forgot, the Oat Cakes….. sorry, I decided to take an earlier train home, but the other Committee members thought they were excellent!
CILIP Local Studies Group 