Linda Constable, BA (Hons), MCLIP is Chair of the Judging Panel of CILIP Libraries Change Lives Award UK which will be celebrating 20 years in 20111. Linda is also Vice Chair of CILIP Community Services Group which co-ordinates the award and is involved in the Umbrella 2011 Conference which will feature the Award and evaluate its impact on library service development and will be followed by the Award Ceremony to announce the 2011 Winner. CILIP’s Community Services Group is actively involved in promoting community cohesion and promoting the use of library and information services to empower people and improve their quality of life and has worked with Local Level and the Network to develop a Community Development and Social Justice: policy statement.
Libraries Change Lives Award UK is an annual award that celebrates the value of libraries to people and communities. The Award has been running since 1992 and provides an opportunity for library services, staff and stakeholders to demonstrate library and community partnerships that change the lives of individuals and demonstrate social capital. Libraries Change Lives Winner 2010 was HMP Edinburgh Library Partnership (The City of Edinburgh Council): A pioneering partnership with an HMS prison to create a library with a refreshed vision that would enhance prisoners’ lives, both as inmates and on release
Linda has worked with Kevin Harris, Local Level and MLA on Living Library projects, now known as Human Library, and the Human Library Steering Group UK. The Human Library is an innovative method designed to promote dialogue, reduce prejudices and encourage understanding. In its initial form the Human Library is a mobile library set up as a space for dialogue and interaction where readers to a Human Library are given the opportunity to speak informally with Books – “people on loan”. The Human Library enables groups to break stereotypes by challenging the most common prejudices in a positive and humorous manner. It is a concrete, easily transferable and affordable way of promoting tolerance and understanding.
Linda has a wide range of experience in libraries and museums and is an advocate for the value of library staff and libraries and has worked with CILIP to develop a web-based advocacy toolkit. Her current post is Senior Manager Customer Services, Dorset Libraries (job-share) as well as undertaking part-time freelance work including working in the academic sector to evaluate student feedback in key areas such as student satisfaction and enhancing the academic experience to improve employability.
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