The Ennis Book Club Festival, in association with Clare County Library, is delighted to announce that our 2010 ‘Book Club of the Year’ award goes to the National Council for the Blind of Ireland Audio Book Club from Dún Laoghaire, Co. Dublin. Congratulations to them and to Carmel Kelly at Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown library service who works with them. The book club will be guests at the festival from 5th to 7th March in Ennis.

The winning entry can be seen at www.ennisbookclubfestival.com

A huge thank you to all who entered the competition.

At the annual meeting today in Washington DC of the Association of American Publishers – Professional/Scholarly Publishing Division – it was announced that the ‘Dictionary of Irish Biography’ edited by James McGuire and James Quinn was honoured with the 2009 American Publishers’ Award for Professional and Scholarly Excellence (PROSE) for Best Multivolume Reference work in the Humanities and Social Sciences.

Congratulating James McGuire and James Quinn on this prestigious award, Minister Martin Cullen said: ‘In a week in which Irish film creativity was recognised with the U.S. Academy Award nominations, it is tremendous that a unique nine volume work the ‘Dictionary of Irish Biography’ which is a collaborative project between Cambridge University Press and the Royal Irish Academy has now been honoured in the United States by its most prestigious scholarly publishing body. James McGuire, James Quinn and the contributors have devoted many years of work to producing this outstanding publication which documents 9,000 lives. Today they have been shown due appreciation by their American peers and we should all be very proud of their achievement.” The Minister added: “This award is further recognition of our cultural impact both at home and particularly overseas, and further enhances our ‘Irishness’ and Ireland’s reputation abroad.”

The Dictionary of Irish Biography is available in print and online, and its production involved 700 contributors. It includes the lives of Irish men and women who made a significant contribution in Ireland and abroad, as well as those born overseas who had noteworthy careers in Ireland from James Ussher to James Joyce, St Patrick to Patrick Pearse, St Brigit to Maud Gonne MacBride to Eamon de Valera.

Editor’s Note: The PROSE awards for Excellence recognise the very best in professional and scholarly publishing by bringing attention to distinguished books, journals and electronic content, published annually in 28 disciplines. The awards have been judged by peer publishers, librarians and medical professionals since 1976. Each year, publishers and authors are recognised at the annual AAP/PSP conference in Washington for their commitment to pioneering works of research and for contributing to the conception, production and design of landmark works in their fields.

Chambers Ireland has announced the shortlist for the 2009 Excellence in Local Government Awards which will be held in association with the Department of Environment, Heritage and Local Government.

Three Library Authorities have been shortlisted for an award:

• “Dublin: One City, One Book”, an initiative of Dublin City Public Libraries has been shortlisted for the Arts and Culture Award.
• South Dublin County Libraries has been shortlisted for the Outstanding Customer Service Award for their Self-Service Digital Space at County Library, Tallaght.
• Kildare County’s, Clocha Rince Library Project has been shortlisted for the Social and Community Development Award.

Offaly County Library services will receive a European Award for Languages – the Language Label 2009 for its involvement in a languages project in Birr Library facilitated by Martina Needham, Executive Librarian in Birr. The awards ceremony will take place in Dublin on Friday 25th September 2009. This is the first time that a library has received an award for its involvement in the project.

The European Award for Languages – the Language Label (EAL) is an annual award given to projects where participants have found creative ways to improve the quality of language teaching, motivate students, and make the best of available resources. The Award, which is coordinated by the European Commission, is managed in Ireland by Léargas.

The purpose of the award is to recognise the achievements of individual language learners. This award targets learners, from any sector, who have tackled challenges head on and have emerged with significantly improved language skills.

In Offaly Libraries, the project was a collaboration between the library and Modern Language Primary Schools Initiative (MLPSI). The project was held on the 26th September 2008 (European Day of Languages)

Irish libraries have a great record of success in the Awards and previous winners include Cavan County Council’s Johnson Centre Library and Cootehill Library (2007 and 2003); Waterford City’s Lady Lane and Ardkeen (2005 and 2003), and Donegal County Council’s Buncrana (2001). Irish libraries which were highly commended in previous years include Macroom, Milford, Thurles, and Tubbercurry.  For more information on past winners click here

Categories for the Public Library Buildings Awards UK and Republic of Ireland 2009 have been announced in Liverpool.

The Public Libraries Group (PLG) of the Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals (CILIP) and An Chomhairle Leabharlanna (The Library Council) today announced the categories of The Public Library Buildings Awards UK and Republic of Ireland 2009 at their annual conference in Liverpool.

The awards are recognised throughout the UK and the Republic of Ireland as indicators of professional library development and as benchmarks for public library facilities, reflecting the major changes in library provision in the 21st century.  The awards are jointly sponsored by CILIP, PLG and An Chomhairle Leabharlanna.

The categories of the individual awards focus on areas of key importance in building design, practice, management and use.   In each category a new, refurbished or converted library may apply.  In 2009 the categories are:

Architecture Meets Practicality – Sponsored by Axiell

Libraries of architectural interest which are functional and user friendly, where the building reflects the brief/specification and vision of the architect and delivers the needs of a 21st Century service.

Innovation – Sponsored by The Design Concept

Libraries that demonstrate excellence in innovation specifically in interior design and the use of new technologies to deliver modern, inclusive services that improve the customer experience and ensure libraries remain at the heart of our communities.

Partnership – Sponsored by 3M

Libraries built and/or managed in partnership with other agencies including dual or multi purpose libraries, PFI/PPP libraries etc

Sustainable Design – Sponsored by Demco

Libraries which demonstrate principles of good design which are smart, sustainable and energy efficient thereby reducing their carbon footprint on the environment.

The awards will recognise achievements within the above categories from 1 January 2007 – 31 March 2009.
For the 2009 competition there are the following Special Awards:

Mary Finch Accessibility Award

This is a Judges Award which is sponsored by BBC Audiobooks, The award is given to the shortlisted library which, in the opinion of the judges, most addresses access issues from physical through to cultural barriers.

Delegates Choice

This award will go to the shortlisted library receiving the most votes from delegates attending the PLA Conference in 2009.

Judging Panel
The Panel for the 2009 awards is:

Joint Chair of Judging Panel:

• Norma McDermott – Director, An Chomhairle Leabharlanna (The Library Council, Ireland)
• Angie Weatherhead – Branch Librarian, Brixham Library

Judging Panel Members:

• Representative from the PLG Marketing Panel: Julie Griffiths –Lead Librarian, Halton Lea Library
• 1 representative chosen by An Chomhairle Leabharlanna
• The recipient of the PLG Personal Learning Grant will shadow the judging panel.
• Specialist judges reflecting the category of the award will also be seconded to the panel.

Further information

An information brochure is currently available giving full details on all the categories and the entrance criteria.

An electronic application forms will be available from 1 January 2009 from the Public Libraries Group website at www.cilip.org.uk/plg/awards and the An Chomhairle Leabharlanna website at www.librarycouncil.ie/buildingsawards

Enquiries should be directed to:
Angie Weatherhead – email angie.weatherhead@btinternet.com