Service Point 93.pdf - CILIP

Service
Point
The Journal of the Branch and Mobile Libraries Group of CILIP:
the Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals
IN THIS ISSUE:
• East Riding Mobilemeet
• Barnsley Twins
• Weekend School
Front cover: Barnsley twins show off their satellite
dishes outside Penistone Library
93
AUTUMN
2005

Mobile Libraries Hired, Bought & Sold
Based in Yorkshire we are specialists in the Sale & Hire of Mobile Libraries
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� A panorama of vehicles at the 2005 Mobilemeet

Service Point
Edited by IAN STRINGER
Contents
4: Mobilemeet 2005 – East Riding
9: New twins in Barnsley
12: Jowett mobile libraries
14: Worcestershire’s Library Service
at Home
15: News from Ireland
16: Special Delivery in Northern
Ireland
24: Caterpillar Project
26: Weekend School
31: IFLA mobile libraries section
34: For whom the bell tolls
Front cover: Barnsley twins
show off their satellite dishes outside
Penistone Library. [Photo courtesy of
· Editorial ·
Henry Walker, Primetech]
Inside front cover: More views
of Leicestershire vehicle
Back cover: Leicestershire gives
a clear message to following
motorists
Phonographs by East Riding
Libraries, Gerard Cairns or the Editor
Copyright © 2005 Branch and
Mobile Libraries Group of CILIP and
contributors
Design and production by
Internet@TSP, Ludlow, Shropshire.
Printed in Great Britain
All correspondence and
Number 93 Autumn 2005
ISSN 0306-0942
The East Riding mobile libraries continue to dominate the mobile library
award ceremonies. Having helped organise the 2005 Mobilemeet and
coming from the Goole area I was delighted to see the home team win
awards. I was even more delighted in the ski-ing hotel at Holmenkollen,
Oslo, to see them repeat the performance at the IFLA Mobilemeet.
The mobile section of IFLA was disbanded this year because not
enough people came forward to be on the committee. This is a pity as
there is lots of interest world wide in mobiles and so I’m glad to report
that all three members of the committee have been admitted into the
Public Libraries section. I will make sure that there continue to be
mobilemeets at future events.
At long last I’ve been able to publish an article on my own authority,
Barnsley, where we have produced two splendid mobiles, something
to give our Yorkshire neighbours a run for their money.
Editor
enquiries should be sent to the
Hon. Editor, 3 Spring Garden, Hensall,
Goole, Yorkshire, DN14 0QL
Tel: 01977 663143 (home)
Tel: 01226 773913 (work)
Fax: 01226 773955
E-mail: ian_bmlg@hotmail.com
Free to members of the Branch and
Mobile Libraries Group of CILIP: the
Chartered Institute of Library and
Information Professionals. Details of
subscriptions to non-members
available on request.
3

4
Mobilemeet 2005
Saturday 14th May
South Hunsley School, East Riding of Yorkshire
‘QUALITY, RESPECT AND PRIDE’ is the motto of the East Riding of
Yorkshire and we saw examples of all three at the Mobilemeet held in
the county in May. On a perfect day, we saw quality in abundance from
the home team, nothing was left to chance and the whole thing ran like
clockwork. We also saw plenty of quality in the visiting mobiles. There
was a great deal of respect from delegates for the way the event was
organised.
There was a good deal of pride from drivers and assistants who polished
up their vehicles and represented their authorities to their best.
The venue
The venue was easy to find and to get into although the M62 seems to
go on and on especially if you have driven from London or Scotland. It
was good to see vehicles and staff had travelled such long distances.
However the provision of hot bacon butties was a popular innovation
that we will have to keep in the programme.
The school was an excellent venue having just been rebuilt and having
the feel of a college rather than a school. Everything was well signed
and all facilities and meals were first class.
The theme
The theme of the speeches was Mobiles Matter. Our host, Alan Moir,
Libraries, Museums & Archives Manager, East Riding Council made a
passionate speech in favour of the mobile library concept and with
award-winning mobiles, rising issues and increased visitor figures East
Riding is proving that mobiles do work. This was followed by another
inspiring presentation, Planning for the future by Kushal Birla, of
Warwickshire Library Service
After lunch, there was ample time to look round all the mobiles and
do the all-important networking. There was a good selection of mobiles
of many different types. Multi-coloured vans with vinyl graphics are now

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very common and there were good examples from Wiltshire, Oldham,
Vale of Glamorgan, Oxfordshire, Staffordshire, Coventry and Bexley.
I was able to show round East Riding Councillor Mal Boatman and his
wife Gillian. Mal is the critical friend for libraries and also a personal
friend of mine so it was interesting to give them the benefit of my experience
but also to see mobiles through the eyes of a councillor.
The awards
However the voting and judging proved once again that East Riding are
the country’s most popular as once again they picked up the Delegates’
Choice and State of the Art award. We also saw a couple of East Riding
clones which proves the worth of the Mobilemeet.
The very difficult to judge livery award went to Coventry for an outstanding
design, with Staffordshire a close second. The van for Action
for Blind People won the Concours, narrowly beating Paul Phillips and
his Birmingham children’s bus. Perhaps it’s time for them to buy a new
one?
Author
The afternoon speaker was Ann Cleeves, local author, and writer in residence
at Kirklees Libraries. As she is closer to libraries than most
authors, she gave a very relevant and entertaining presentation. Finally
to the accompaniment of fanfare to the common man she presented
the awards and it was fitting reward to the hard-working home team
that they gained two awards
Thanks
I got more praise about this mobile meet than any other so would like
to offer thanks to the entire East Riding team: Chris Abbott, the head
of South Hunsley School and her hard working PA, Tracey Metcalf. To
Alan Moir and Libby Herbert of East Riding Libraries and their staff:
Darren Rhodes, Brian Pashley, Mike Akester, Allan Hammond, Iris Gray,
Liz Brown, Anne Brookes, Steve Gilbank, Maureen Taylor, June Wilson,
Lyn Pether, Lesley Lyons, Cath Atwood, Sally Rawson, Chris Gamble,
Katharine Chadwick, Louise Simpson, Sharon Rogerson, Jane Snowden,
Sarah Stocks, Sue Greggs, Kathryn Hill and Theresa Gale.
Editor
7

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New twins in Barnsley
IAN STRINGER
After many years of writing up details of new mobile libraries for Service
Point its great to be able to announce new vehicles for my own authority.
Not just one but two.
The new service
Following a rethink on the provision of service in Barnsley, we decided
to replace our ten-year-old, large mobile and similar age small mobile
with two large vehicles each containing state of the art technology to
enable on-line issue etc and public access internet.
The reasoning behind this was that we were spending much time
visiting very isolated areas with the small mobile and could visit many
more people in the same time in the larger villages nearer Barnsley.
We consulted our customers and found that many of the users in isolated
places also used our main area library at Penistone.
Therefore, our compromise is that we offer a home library service with
our Transit van to genuine geographically disadvantaged people and
serve a few of the larger settlements with the new mobiles.
Naturally, we got different reactions. A large number were happy to
be spoon-fed by the home library service staff. A couple complained
and we have managed to fit them in on a monthly basis. In the end, we
shed about 40 halts with no reaction. I think it is a sign of changing times
that there was so little outcry.
The new design
We then got down to designing new vehicles. The staff was basically
happy with the existing large van and so we put in modifications to allow
two PCs for the public and two for the staff. We went to a Mobilemeet
and everyone wrote down what they wanted. We looked long and hard
at the East Riding vans and liked the long look of them. However, in the
potentially rougher environment of Barnsley we decided to keep the
transverse counter, but being a lazy zed shape it’s not too unfriendly to
the customers.
Windows and doors were selected following staff advice. The separate
entrance for wheelchairs was replaced with a single transformable step
9

lift. Originally we had thought that people in wheelchairs might feel they
were an imposition to the service if the clogged up the entrance.
However, in reality they feel more put out by having to ask for a special
door to be opened.
We have fitted a microwave, cool-box, kettle and sink. We also have
limited air-conditioning.
Bailey’s won the contract and have built their usual first class vehicle.
Their novel way of storing computers is particularly noteworthy.
Each counter laptop fits into an imitation drawer so that the casual
observer is unaware that we have computers on board.
After much discussion, our IT people decided that satellite transmission
was the way forward and they went about it with great enthusiasm.
Bailey’s built the first vehicle so fast that they finished before we
had sorted out the livery. There was a definite clash between those who
wanted an eye catching livery, those who wanted an absolutely standard
corporate red and those who were in charge of the expenditure.
We had also had a competition at local schools for the children’s view.
In the end, our council designer Steve Hurst came up with a brilliant
compromise that pleased everyone and incorporated some of the kids’
ideas. Sadly this didn’t include my favourite with big tail fins and fishtail
exhaust.
When the vehicles were delivered they were without satellite dishes
and went to the council depot to be fitted. As soon as the mechanics
saw the dishes they knew they were too big. A trial run to Penistone
library garage proved the point. Somewhere along the way, our satellite
company had made the clearance 24 inches not the required 24
centimetres.
Impasse. Suffice to say it’s now with our legal people and the vans
were off the road for three months. The deadlock was broken by us
getting a new company, Primetech, who at their own risk took off the
previous dishes, liaised with Bailey’s and got new dishes fitted by
having smaller dishes and a cutout in the roof at the very back over the
children’s section. They have been a good company to work with.
Our IT lads Nigel Shaw-Morfitt, Alex Jelley, Andy Adams and Steve
Taylor have worked very hard in setting up all the systems. There have
been many problems. 20 minutes to log on. Dynix not talking to the
satellite. The communications PC telling us to turn the van 180 degrees!
The long-suffering staff have seen us through the worst of it and,
finally, we are going live on 10th October. So, Barnsley mobiles jump
firmly into the satellite era.
Thanks to the AD Steve Mair and Chief Libraries Officer Steve Bash-
10

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forth for coming up with the finance and thanks to the staff on the
mobiles: Jill Craven, Gillian Micklethwaite, Dave Marsden, Ann
Gonciarz, Neil Hollingworth, Sue Marfleet, Alan Draisey and Marilyn
Beresford for all their patience and hard work.
12
Jowett Mobile Libraries
One of the nicer parts of editing Service Point is the letters and calls,
out of the blue, from people interested in Mobile Libraries. One such
call was from Noel Stokoe, mobile librarian at Whitby in North Yorkshire.
He had been bought a copy of my book at Christmas and amongst the
pictures were a couple of Jowett mobile libraries run by the West Riding
Library service.
Noel is the secretary of the Jowett owners club and finding two previously
unknown pictures of Jowetts is like finding buried treasure. So
he got on to me for permission to put them in the Jowett magazine. He
was more than delighted to find out I actually had more pictures and
soon all five will appear in the magazine, as I was able to call in to see
Noel when I stayed at my sister’s flat in Whitby.
As I had lived next door to one of the Jowett factories, at Howden
Clough, as a child, I had more than a passing interest. The closure of
the works caused a lot of hardship in the little village at the time and of
course, many people in the area ran a Jowett car or van.
The West Riding vans seem to be almost unique and therefore of
more than usual interest to the Jowett fraternity. Unfortunately, Noel
does not know of any survivors. If anyone is interested in Jowetts and
want to contact Noel, I can pass on addresses.
Finally, as mobile driver in Heartbeat country, Noel could tell me many
stories of unusual events in the Dales. My favourite is his story about
sheep. In one small village, he leaves the van and takes books to a
housebound reader. On a very frosty morning, he did this and was
amazed to come back to the van and find it surrounded by sheep. Not
only that, but they were trying to lick the paint off it. A local farmer gave
him the explanation; they were licking off the salt, which had sprayed
onto the vehicle side. Therefore, they were in fact doing a good deed.
Therefore, if your van gets covered in salt you know what to do!
Editor

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14
Library Service at Home –
more than just books!
Christine Tootill of Worcestershire Library
Service sent me the following article,
written by Sharron Jarvis.
Worcestershire’s Library Service at Home has been up and running
since December 2003, during which time the number of borrowers it
serves has steadily grown to over 200. The Library Service at Home,
which covers the more rural areas of the county, offers a free service
to all residents of Worcestershire who are unable to visit a branch or
mobile library because of frailty, a disability or long term illness, which
normally confines them to their home.
Books, audio book tapes, videos and jigsaws are delivered direct to
readers at home every four weeks. The service has a specially designed
mobile library which allows those readers who are a little more able a
chance to browse and choose for themselves, free from the worry about
how to carry the heavy books home. As well as being a highly rewarding
job – often being the only visitor a housebound person will get that
day, week or even month. Being the Library Service at Home driver is
also a highly varied job – from answering information enquiries on a
wide range of subjects from practical help to quiz questions, to sewing
on the odd button, filling a bird feeder with nuts or changing a fuse in
a plug. However, one of the most satisfying aspects of a visit for the
readers is undoubtedly the chance to have a chat with someone.
Library Service at Home – more than just books!

News from Ireland
Eileen Burgess has sent me a very well presented report on the Taobh
Tire project, a better library service for rural areas. This has been done
by Donegal County Council and I featured some of the work in the
Service Point issue of Winter 2003.
Benefits of Taobh Tire
– to the community
Access to books and OPAC
Access to Internet
Wider library service including ask-a-librarian
Increased community involvement and activity
A sense of connection, an ideal way to address the sense of isolation
in rural communities
The first high value remote access service for many of the communities
served
– to the library service
Greatly improved outreach
More co-operation with the local communities
A very efficient and effective service is provided
– to other local authorities
Proved the methodology
Established the principal of partnership
It started new initiatives:
The cross-border mobile library service
The Inspiring Readers project
Reading clubs
Focusing on conflict resolution and reconciliation
Work with children and youth groups
Having a readers’ recommendations procedure
Staff training
Reader development
15

16
Special Delivery
Anne Peoples, Assistant Chief Librarian,
Western Education and Library Board,
Northern Ireland, reports on an interesting
rural initiative
6th June saw Northern Ireland’s first ever Mobile Library and Post Office
service take to the road at Monea in County Fermanagh. The special
delivery at Monea represents the first tangible results of a partnership
between Northern Ireland Post Office and Western Education and
Library Board Library Service.
Post Office Manager Raymond Creagh said: ‘This is an exciting
initiative ensuring that the needs of the people of Monea are met while
their local branch is temporarily closed.’
Using a dedicated telephone connection affixed to the nearest telegraph
pole, Post Office staff are able to provide a full range of computerised
services including motor vehicle licence renewal, personal
banking, television licensing, passport authentication and insurance
services. All these are provided whilst the mobile library driver continues
to offer full library facilities to customers.
Giving customers the opportunity to carry out their banking whilst
also browsing the library’s selection of books has proven popular.
Feedback from users of both services has been positive. Most mornings
the Post Office provides a service to about 45 customers, which
compares favourably with the business carried on previously by the
permanent sub-office.
From the library perspective this project provides a unique opportunity
to bring books and information to rural customers, many of whom
are not traditional mobile users. In the first six mornings of operation 29
new members joined the library and between them borrowed about 250
books. Much of the credit for initiating and delivering this service must
go to mobile driver Ken Newman whose detailed local knowledge and
enthusiasm have been key to the project’s early success.
Once the new Post Office in Monea opens for business in 2006 the
pilot project will come to an end. However, there are other communities
in rural Fermanagh which could benefit from this joint approach and
continued on page 28

� Bexley’s bright
colour scheme
shows up well in
the Mobilemeet
sunshine
� Mobilemeet awardwinning
Coventry
van and staff
� Barnsley’s array of PCs inside the mobile
�
Barnsley lift down
17

18
More from the 2005
Mobilemeet:
� Oxford van poses in
the sun after the trip
to Yorkshire
�
�
Novel port holes from
Staffordshire
Neat smaller van from
Slough

�
�
�
IFLA 2005 photos (see
article on page 31):
The Holmenkollen Ski
Jump where the mobilemeet
took place
An extending trailer
from Copenhagen
The parade of mobiles
reaches Oslo city centre
More IFLA photos on
page 22
19

�
�
�
More IFLA photos
from Oslo:
Soria Moria, an
exciting mobile
from Norway
Randers trailer
from Denmark
The massive
interior of the
Copenhagen van
22

� A useful canopy from
Wiltshire
�
�
Worcestershire’s Library
Service at Home (see page
14)
A warm welcome from
Walsall
23

The Caterpillar Project . . .
24
� June Baatjes and
children with the
Caterpillar box
� (bottom)
The carpenters and
the box when
closed
June Baatjes has sent me these pictures of the
Caterpillar Project which is now up and running.
The unit pictures the entire library service for a town
with a population similar to Barnsley – 70,000.
�

. . . The Caterpillar Project
Report from JUNE BAATJES
(see also pictures)
The gents are Clinton and his mate who did all the hard work. They did
the specs and added the missing links. There are a few things I want
them to improve on. It is 1.8 m high and the shelves accommodate
larger books as well. It can house approximately one hundred books
and I will have a large crate depot to replenish books. The colour is a
bit dark and my pics taken with an ordinary camera may not be too
great. I am documenting progress for the Adult Basic Education group
who are using it at night and a very small school group who will use it
at night. The place is called Koekenaap (a San word) and is a very poor
rural setting.
This caterpillar is the only access they have to books. The children
were very excited. It’s just started due to me not having funding to pay
for the box. This one is on castors and even I can push it. The children
are from Koekenaap which is a farming area, where 60% of the adults
are illiterate and only 30% of nine-year-olds can read. They are too poor
to travel the 20 miles to the nearest library. The adults are nomadic as
they earn well during the grape season which lasts three months and
then move in search of work.
This is a world's first and as I told you a pre-school one will be next.
Please tell everybody who encouraged and supported us that the box
bears the IFLA logo, I am hard at work to make this successful and document
how it works by means of pics and a video I wish to show next
year. Enjoy the IFLA conference, and Ian our heartfelt thanks for all your
support. I will remember Thelma in my opening speech at the small
launch we will be arranging at the end of our school term (end of
September)’.
Regards, June.
In Memory
Thelma Tate, who was a tireless worker for international mobile
libraries, women’s issues, and equality for black and African people,
sadly died in November and will be greatly missed. She was 71 and still
working for the cause when she died. I have lost a good friend.
Ian
25

26
Investigate – inform – inspire –
‘IMPACT’
Introducing and Using the Shared Priorities
Branch & Mobile Libraries Group Weekend School
Friday 11th November – Sunday 13th November 2005
Hoole Hall Hotel, Warrington Road, Hoole, Chester CH2 3PD
INTRODUCTION
We all know that what we do makes a difference to people and to
communities.
But how do we know that?
The first efforts to measure that impact, the ‘Shared Priorities’, were
launched this spring, based on seven areas of policy, which have been
agreed by Government and local councils to be of priority. From these,
the Library Impact Measures are being developed.
In this Weekend School we look at two shared priorities in particular:
improving quality of life for young and older people, and building healthier
communities – looking at the newly-introduced impact measures and
at case studies of work already being done to implement and expand
them.
A BMLG School is for your working life, not just for the weekend!
Friday 11th November
2.30 pm Coffee & Registration
3.15–3.30 pm Welcome & Introduction: Muriel Mitchell, Chair,
Branch & Mobile Libraries Group
3.30–4.15 pm Introducing the Five Shared Priorities:
David Lightfoot – Lancashire County Library Service
4.15–5.00 pm Measuring Impact – Reflections on the Laser
Foundation Libraries Impact Project:
Ian Moore – Pricewaterhouse Coopers
5.00–5.30 pm Ice Breaker:
Jim Ferguson – East Dunbartonshire Libraries
7.30 pm Dinner
9.00 pm Quiz: Peter Mussett, Quiz Master Extraordinaire

Saturday 12th November
9.30–10.00 am ‘Kick into Reading’: Liz Broekmann –
Slough Libraries and Information Service
10.00–10.30 am Rhondda Cynon Taf Sheltered Housing IT
Project:
Norma Jones – Rhondda Cynon Taf Libraries
10.30–11.00 am Coffee
11.00–11.30 am Listening together: reading groups for visually
impaired people: Sue Jones – Buckinghamshire
Libraries and Heritage
11.30am–12.30pm Workshop
1.00 – 2.00 pm Lunch
2.00 – 2.45 pm ‘CHIP’ van project: Katie Kelly – East Ayrshire
Council Leisure Development
2.45 – 3.15 pm Around the Houses – ‘At Home’ library services for
older people – the Bournemouth experience:
Gerardine Bodey – Bournemouth Libraries
3.15 – 3.45 pm Tea
3.45 – 4.30 pm Evaluation: Liz Broekmann – Slough Libraries and
Information Service
4.30 – 5.15 pm Workshop
6.30 pm Dinner
8.30 pm Ghost Walk
Sunday 13th November
9.30 – 10.00 am Working with looked after children:
Mike Brook – West Berkshire Library and
Information Service
10.00 – 10.30am Dial-a-Read: Ian Stringer & Dot Tangen – Barnsley
Libraries
10.30 – 11.00 am Coffee
11.00am–12.15pm Roundup: Professor Bob Usherwood PhD
12.15 – 12.30 pm Close/Thanks: Muriel Mitchell, Chair, Branch &
Mobile Libraries Group
27

continued from page 16
we will be having further discussions with the Post Office to explore the
options.
Mobile libraries provide a unique conduit for delivering information to
rural areas and this pilot project demonstrates clearly their ability to support
and sustain community activities. Already this year mobile library
staff have used laptop computers to demonstrate electronic resources
to farmers at local livestock markets and are about to embark on a project
to provide information from the Health and Safety Executive on farm
safety. Each of these initiatives demonstrates the central role which
mobile libraries play in the life of the communities they serve and brings
closer the day when they will truly become one-stop community information
shops.
For further information contact Stephen Bleakley, Fermanagh District
Librarian – tel. 028 6632 2886, e-mail: stephen.bleakley@ni-libraries.net
28
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IFLA Mobile Library Section
I was Chair of the last ever Mobile Library Section presentations and
we had four very different ones. Following IFLA guidelines, we had done
a call for papers. This is to get away from the same people doing
speeches at every IFLA. It worked reasonably well for us but there were
some problems.
One prospective speaker was a sham and had not been to the
country concerned for ten years. It did however unearth us a legitimate
speaker from that country.
We got three speakers from the same province of China and the ones
we chose had a different idea on mobile libraries. They gave us a speech
on delivering requests by van round the branch libraries
Three speakers were in the Tsunami hit area and regrettably I never
got any more communications with them.
Despite these problems – all of which were sorted out before the conference
– we got five good speakers for this session and the mobilemeet
from countries we wouldn’t have been able to get.
Added to these were some good English speakers at the mobilemeet
and an excellent paper from Mercedes Sprouse, an American living in
Lithuania, working with Budapest for a group of mobile libraries in
Eastern Europe – Kosova, Albania, Montenegro, Serbia, Bosnia etc.
Truly international and an excellent speaker.
Ian Stringer
IFLA 2005 Oslo
by IAN STRINGER
Mobilemeet
This years IFLA conference in Oslo started with a mobilemeet. This was
held at Holmenkollen Ski Jump and Museum. An excellent venue and
we attracted 32 mobiles from seven countries including the UK and
there were about 160 delegates.
The vehicles arrived on the Friday and we had an opening party. As
chair of the mobile section I spent much of my time showing round the
National Librarian of Nigeria.
31

I also met up with the librarians from East Riding, London and
Warwickshire. The East Riding staff had come across on a freighter from
Immingham with their mobile library.
The next day the conference started, Alan Moir, the Chief at East
Riding, was first speaker and gave a very well-received speech on the
cutting-edge performance of his library service
Also well received was another UK speaker, Philip Ware of Bexley.
All the papers can be found at
http://www.nordicmobile.no/index.php?c=2&kat=Programme
and also more pictures of the event.
Viewing the vans
The afternoon was spent looking round the vehicles and networking
with delegates from many different nationalities. As well as the East
Riding vehicle there were many splendid vehicles to see. Soria Moria,
a children’s vehicle from Norway, was a very colourful van and
deservedly won the livery prize. With an exuberant librarian who tells
ghost stories dressed as a ghost and does belly-dancing, this was a
popular van with delegates
There were two immense trailers from Finland and Denmark, one of
which had sections which open out to make the vehicle twice as wide.
It was more like the size of a classroom than a mobile library. There
were small vans to get in mountain areas and a splendid show of international
co-operation, a German van with Danish books and a Danish
van with German books both operated around the borders.
We had a van all the way from the Sami people in North Norway. This
van had actually travelled further than the East Riding van. This is also
an international van as the Sami people are to be found in both Norway
and Sweden. It was very personalised as the staff had made their own
diy improvements to the interior.
Prize winners
In the evening there was a party and the announcement of prize winners.
Much to the delight of our British contingent the East Riding
mobile library won first prize in two of the three categories. So it was a
happy bunch of mobile librarians that celebrated afterwards although
beer and wine at £6.50 per glass kept the drinking down. I bought a
drink for the Head of Nigerian Library Services who had come to IFLA
especially for the mobile library sessions, but as she earns less than a
tenth of a British librarian this was the equivalent of a £90 drink to her!
Congratulations to East Riding and thanks to all the other UK delegates
who made the long trip to Oslo.
32

Branch and Mobile Libraries Group
PUBLICATIONS
NEW!
STRINGER, Ian
Nostalgia Road Number 8: Britain’s mobile libraries. Trans-Pennine Publishing Ltd.
– ISBN 1 903016 15 0
MOBILE LIBRARIES
ORTON, G. l. J.
An illustrated history of mobile library services in the U.K. £1.00
(plus postage). – 0 85365 640 1
CAMPBELL, C.
Mobile library route planning £3.00 (£2.00). Basic Guide 5 – 0 853 659 15x
PYBUS, R. L.
Mobile libraries in England and Wales: a guide to their construction and use.
2nd edition. £4.50 (£3.00). Basic Guide 6 – 0 946 461 031
PYBUS, R. L.
The design and construction of mobile libraries. 2nd edition. £5.00 (£4.00).
– 0 946 461 090
PATEMAN, John and McMURRAY, Nigel
Mobile library staffing. £3.00 (£2.50). – 0 946 461 112
McMURRAY, N.
Publicising and promoting a mobile library service. £4.50 (£3.00). – 0 946 461 074
GENERAL
JORDAN, P.
Managing a public library team. £1.95 (£1.50). Basic Guide 1. (A guide to the operation
of team librarianship). – 0 853 656 029
BUNCH, A. Switched on. £3.00 (£2.00) – 0946 461 139
BUNCH, A. More than just books: community information in libraries. £3.00 (£2.00).
Basic Guide 2 – 0 853 655 928
BUNCH, A. Sources of community information £3.75 (£2.50). Basic Guide 8. – 0 946
461 066
MILTON, I. S.
Changing faces (A practical guide to reader interest categorisation and library facelifts).
£3.75 (£2.50). Basic Guide 11 – 0 946 461 04x
MEADOWS, Jack
Performance assessment in public libraries. £1.50 (£1.00). – 0 946 461 104
BETTS, D. A. Borrowing and the fiction reader. £3.00 (£2.00). – 0 946 461 082
WALLACE, V. Who manages the Library – The role of the paraprofessional. £2.50 (£2.00).
– 0946461 120
Prices in brackets are those for individual members. All overseas orders are plus post and
package.
Available from: Jim Fergusson, Hon. Publications Officer, William
Patrick Library, 2 West High Street, Kirkintilloch, Glasgow.
Tel. 0141 776 5666
33

34
� Another line-up of vehicles at the Mobilemeet

Suffolk County Council
KESTER CLARKE – MOBILE LIBRARY CONSULTANCY SERVICE
for the UK and Overseas
● Chartered Librarian with 30
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operation and design.
● Many consultancy contracts
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● Stour – 11.5m flagship maximum
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CURRENT DESIGNS
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● Portfolio of standard designs from
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● New, simplified purchasing scheme. Fully compliant with European
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● Each design is fully costed, together with an extensive list of
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● Severn – 8.5m traditional vehicle
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● Tay – 8.1m mobile available in
less than 8 weeks from order.
● Brett – low floor walk-in
alternative to the traditional
vehicle, 2400 book capacity.
Please contact me for more details:
Kester Clarke, ALA.
Suffolk County Council, Libraries & Heritage
St Andrew House, County Hall, Ipswich, Suffolk, IP4 1LJ, UK.
Tel 44(0)1473 584566 Fax 44(0)1473 584549
e-mail kester.clarke@libher.suffolkcc.gov.uk
35

36
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For whom the bell tolls
At one time or another we have probably had the
idea of ice-cream chimes put to us for use on the
mobile library. Usually the suggestion comes
from councillors and chief officers but rarely
the staff who perhaps don’t relish hearing
Greensleeves 36 times a day, every day.
FIONA BARRY has looked into this for
Warrington and with her permission and that of
the Warrington legal team I can present a definitive
answer for this frequently asked question.
Warrington looked into this detail last year when ordering the new
mobile.
Kester Clarke (with whom we had ordered our vehicle) advised: ‘The
ice cream van chimes are available, but the law relating to the playing
of the chimes is quite complex. Please read the DOE publication “Code
of practice on noise from ice cream vans’ chimes, etc” (DOE 1982. ISBN
0117515914)’.
Our Legal Services gave us the following advice about the various
legislative considerations: The Control of Pollution Act 1974, section 62
subsection (1) states that a loud-speaker shall not be operated in a
street (ii) for the purpose of advertising any entertainment, trade or
business.
Subsection (2) states subsection (1) shall not apply to the operation
of a loudspeaker (a) for Police, Fire Brigade or Ambulance purposes,
by the Environment Agency, a Water Undertaker or Sewage Undertaker
in the exercise of any of its functions, or (b) a local authority within its
area.
Section (3) states section (1)(b) shall not apply to the operation of a
loudspeaker between the hours of noon and seven in the evening on
the same day if the loudspeaker . . .
(a) is fixed to a vehicle which is being used for the conveyance
of a perishable commodity for human consumption;
and
37

(b) is operated solely for informing members of the public
(otherwise than by means of words) that the commodity is
on sale from the vehicle; and
(c) is so operated as not to give reasonable cause for
annoyance to persons in the vicinity.
It should be considered that Subsection 2 would indicate the use of
loudspeaker by a local authority would be in respect of any emergency
considering the other parties referred to in the section.
Section 3 relates to ice-cream vans to which there is a code of practice
which states that: The chimes may not be sounded for more than
four seconds at a time, no more often that once every three minutes,
when the vehicle is stationary, etc.
The Noise and Statutory Nuisance Act 1993 Section 8 Subsection 1
states . . .
(1) an application made by any person, the local authority
may consent to the operation in its area of a loudspeaker
in contravention of section 62(1) of the 1974 Act.
(2) A consent shall not be given to the operation of a loudspeaker
in connection with any election or for the purpose
of advertising any entertainment, trade or business. As not
every item on the mobile library could be classed as such,
some of it would be classed as entertainment namely,
books of a fictional nature, use of the internet etc.
Following this, we decided that we would trial bus timetables
at specific stops, giving times of the visits and dates
of the stops, and this has been very successful.
Fiona Barry, Principal Libraries Manager, Library, Museum &
Archives Service, Warrington Library, Museum Street, Cultural
Quarter, Warrington WA1 1JB.
Tel: 01925 442892; mobile: 0774 007 5793; fax: 01925 443257
Email: fbarry@warrington.gov.uk
38

COACHBUILDERS LTD.
Baden Powell Road, Kirkton Industrial Estate,
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Tel: 01241 873877 Fax: 01241 873300 E-mail: sales@keillorcoach.co.uk
Designers and builders of specialist vehicles for
more than fifty-five years
Building mobile libraries complete with a new range of
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IT training vehicles and teaching centres • Clinics • Broadcasting units
Welfare coaches • Custodial units for prison service
Waste awareness information centres • Health promotional vehicles
Our client base is local authorities and major utilities.
We have just moved into our new factory adjacent to our sister
companies and can now offer complete computer-aided design facilities
along with multi-component manufacture.
We have complete mobile libraries in stock ready for final
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Check out our new updated website www.keillorcoach.co.uk
39