Public Libraries: past, present, future
Wednesday 7 March
Lecture Theatre 8W 1.1
British public libraries have a history going back to the seventeenth century, but are perceived by many as currently being outmoded and consequently in decline. This lecture surveys in outline the history of the public library, looks at some of the challenges they currently face, and speculates on how they can adapt to our age of public funding cuts, increased personal affluence and the Internet. Politics aside, the lecture considers how publicly funded libraries are adapting to changing needs and, where supported, are finding new ways to engage their communities.
For more lectures, see the full Spring 2012 GULP programme.
Mr Howard Nicholson
Howard Nicholson has been University Librarian at the University of Bath since September 1992. Previously he worked as a Sub-Librarian at the London School of Economics and as an Assistant Librarian at the University of Sussex. He has served on SCONUL committees concerned with library buildings, service quality and copyright. Further professional interests include publishing, staff development, library statistics and quality assessment in libraries. He went to the University of Sussex as a mature student, having already started his career in librarianship. He gained a First Class honours in English and an MA in English Literature.