The A&SL committee run regular networking events for our members and partner with our colleagues across other LAI groups to share professional practice and knowledge share on current topics and challenges across the information profession.
Summer solstice celebration: Joint HSLG and A&SL network evening 2023
A joint networking event help by HSLG & A&SL groups, for an evening of networking and chat with a talk by Saoirse de Paor, teaching & learning librarian at Maynooth University library.
With her social media and communications hat on, Saoirse de Paor will be taking you through the different ways that social media platforms can enhance how libraries engage and interact with their users and how it can further promote library services.
Spoilt for choice or lost in the stacks. Online Event, Guest Speaker Andy Tattersall, September 2021
Examining opportunities and barriers to innovative technology adoption in libraries in a post Web 2.0 world. Presentation from Andy Tattersall discussing the issues and shining a light as to how we navigate this ever changing landscape of technology adoption in libraries.
Online webinar
Andy Tattersall is an Information Specialist at The School of Health and Related Research (ScHARR) at The University of Sheffield. He writes, teaches and gives talks about digital academia, technology, scholarly communications, open research, web and information science, apps, altmetrics and social media. In particular, their application for research, teaching, learning, knowledge management and collaboration.
Libraries and technology, digital or pre 21st Century have long been intertwined. Progressive and pragmatic technology adoption by the academic library sector has helped the community they support immeasurably. In addition it has aided libraries to remain an important, visible and relevant hub on campus. Technology has increasingly helped shine a light on libraries, that they are simply more than just books and shelves. This has been particularly noticeable since the advent of Web 2.0 in around 2004 and technology continues to impact libraries in ways none of us could have foreseen.
Yet with innovation comes a whole new set of threats and challenges. Thankfully academic libraries have shown they are adaptable to change. With the right support, librarians have the requisite technical skills, the networks and the curiosity to learn new tools and ways of working.
We now have a myriad of digital tools for librarians to help others but can we always know which will be the right tool given the wide choice of solutions. We run the risk of being stuck like a rabbit in the headlights, frozen through decision fatigue. We need to ask the right questions when adopting a new tool for solving problems, teaching, research and dissemination. Join us for this discussion with Andy Tattersall who will discuss some of these issues and shine a light in a few directions to help navigate this ever changing landscape.
“Taking charge of your career – adapting to new environments”, June 2020
Lively presentations from Rachel Pattinson, Marie O’Neill and Tony
Online Event
Murphy, who havwe moved away from traditional library jobs into other positions,where they could use their skills and experiences as information professionals.
#SkillsLAI19, Athlone Institute of Technology, October 2019
Certain technical competencies and sometimes, as ASL Chair David Hughes pointed out, “a tech curious attitude” can go a long way in helping library staff to develop their systems acumen. David admitted that he is an accidental systems librarian and encouraged people not to be afraid to dabble with technology to explore what it can do. There are many ways that library staff can avail of technical upskilling, talk to us in ASL and WRSLAI if you need something in particular and we can try to help you out through our contacts and networks.
AIT, Athlone
Event Review: (2019) What Are We Going to Do about Our Own CPD?, Views from Recent LAI Event in Athlone, WRSLAI. Available at: https://wrslai.wordpress.com/2019/10/17/what-are-we-going-to-do-about-our-own-cpd-views-from-recent-lai-event-in-athlone/ (Accessed: 21 October 2023).
14 Henrietta Street, site visit, July 2019
In a follow-up event from the Section’s AGM in January, the HSLG and A&SL co-organised a summer visit to 14 Henrietta Street on Friday the 25th July 2019. Set in a Georgian townhouse, 14 Henrietta Street tells the story of the buildings’ shifting fortunes, from family home and powerbase to courthouse, from barracks to its final incarnation as a tenement house. The event was followed by networking in the Black Sheep pub.
14 Henrietta Street, Dublin 1
Library Leadership Workshop with Andy Priestner, March 2017
This event took place on March 29th 2017 and was co-hosted by the Career Development Group of the Library Association of Ireland. This was a one-day course for emerging or new leaders in librarianship, designed to explore what effective leadership involves and explore different leadership approaches. The course focused specifically on what is required of leaders in libraries based on the current state of the industry and the opinions of library directors from all over the world.
Royal Irish Academy, Dawson Street, Dublin 2
A&SL & HSLG Annual New Year Gathering, Guest Speaker: Samantha McCombe, January 2017
The A&SL again collaborated with the Health Sciences Libraries Group (HSLG) to co-host the Annual New Year Gathering on Thursday 12th January 2017 in the Royal Irish Academy, Dawson St, Dublin.
Royal Irish Academy, Dawson St, Dublin 2.
Our Guest Speaker was Samantha McCombe, Librarian of the Linen Hall Library, Belfast, and she was introduced by Philip Cohen, President of the Library Association of Ireland. There was also a collection for Focus Ireland on the night.
Screening of The Safe House: A Decline of Ideas by filmmaker and poet Greta Bellamacina and journalist Davina Catt. February 2016
The A&SL Film Event for Library Ireland Week: The Safe House: A Decline of
UCD, Belfield, Dublin 4
Ideas took place on Saturday 3rd December at University College Dublin
Cinema. This was the Irish premiere of the film, which was written and directed by Greta Bellamacina & Davina Catt. This documentary explores the heritage and significance of the British Public Library, and documents its dramatic decline in recent years. There was a Q&A session after the screening with the filmmaker.
Review of event: Review of A&SL’s Screening of The Safe House: A Decline of Ideas. Available at: https://www.libfocus.com/2017/02/review-of-screening-of-safe-house.html (Accessed: 22 October 2023).
Cryptoparty – online privacy and digital security
training, August 2016.
The A&SL Committee hosted a Cryptoparty – online privacy and digital security training on August 6th -7th 2016. There were two consecutive workshops with the aim of introducing the basics of practical online security and data protection.
Dublin Business School, Aungier Street, Dublin 2
It was a free event held at Dublin Business School, and was booked out. Topics
covered included concepts in encryption, the role of librarians in online privacy, browser plugins and password best practices. There was also a hands-on session exploring tools and practices, threat modelling, TOR Browser, data and communication encryption.
The A&SL Summer Networking event, LexIcon Library and Culture Centre, July 2016
The A&SL Summer Networking event was a site visit to the award winning LexIcon Library and Cultural Centre. The visit included a tour of the library which took just over an hour, after which there was an opportunity to network and socialise locally. The event was very well-attended.
dlr LexIcon, Queens Road, Dun Laoighre, Dublin
A&SL & HSLG Annual New Year Gathering, January 2016
The Annual (Post) Christmas Networking Evening was held on January 13th 2016 in the Royal Irish Academy, Dawson St, Dublin, co-hosted by the HSLG.
Royal Irish Academy, Dawson St, Dublin 2
The guest speaker was Dr. Sandra Collins, Director of the National Library of Ireland, who gave a very engaging presentation on the National Library’s connection to 1916 and its 2016 programme of activities. The presentation was followed by drinks and canapes
The Librarians and Privacy talk with Alison Macrina, Library Freedom Project, and Dr. Eoin O’Dell,
Trinity College Law Lecturer, August 2015
This event took place at the Royal Irish Academy on 6th August 2015. The subject was the role of librarians in raising public awareness (and their own awareness) of security online. The Library Freedom Project runs training in the US to teach librarians about online privacy rights.
RIA, Dawson Street, Dublin 2
The event was very well-attended and feedback was very positive
Event review: Reflections on Online Privacy. Libfocus, Tom Maher, Available at: https://www.libfocus.com/2015/08/reflections-on-online-privacy.html (Accessed: 23 October 2023).
A&SL Networking Event: 1916 Rebellion Walking Tour, October 2015
Joint Christmas/New Year networking evening. Guest Speakers: David Clark and Ciaran Deeney on the work The Man on the Bridge Photographic Project, January 2015
The Annual (post) Christmas Networking Evening was held on 29th January 2015 in the Royal Irish Academy in Dublin and was co-hosted by the HSLG. The demand for attendee places was very high from both members and non-members, it reached the maximum possible amount in advance and there was a very good attendance on the night. The speaker on the night was David Clarke of the Man on the Bridge project. The presentation was followed by drinks and canapés and it was a very enjoyable night for all in attendance.
RIA, Dawson Street, Dublin
Event review: HINT. (2015) ‘Review of A&SL/HSLG New Year Networking Event’. Health Information News and Thinking, Volume 13 (Issue 1), pp. 2–3. Available on: https://hslg.ie/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/hint-131.pdf
Library Camp, Joint event with Career Development Group, May 2015
So for any wondering what is a library camp, it is an informal gathering of all those interested in libraries who would like to come together and discuss the ‘hot’ topics in the field of information science. Library Camp Ireland is one of a number of library camps that have taken place all over the world. This is an unconference, a gathering without set speakers where people come together to discuss what is most important to them. And what is most important? Well that is for YOU to decide.
Event review: (2015) Library Camp 2015. LAI CDG, Available at: https://laicdg.wordpress.com/2015/05/29/library-camp-2015/ (Accessed: 23 October 2023).
Joint Christmas/New Year networking evening, January 2014
The Joint Christmas/New Year Networking Evening was held in the Royal Irish Academy on Tuesday 28 January 2014. Over 70 attended two presentations by Nicola O’Shea, Trinity College Library and Mary Dunne, Health Research Board.
Royal Irish Academy, Dawson Street, Dublin 2
Newsletter Writing Seminar with the Health Sciences
Libraries Group (HSLG) and the Irish Writers’ Museum
November 2014
A Newsletter Writing event organised by A&SL was also available to HSLG members. It took place in the Writers’ Museum in November and places sold out very quickly. Based on this year, there appears to be a strong preference for hands-on practical events and this will guide our CPD agenda for 2015
Irish Writers Museum, Parnell Square, Dublin
Site visit, The Little Museum of Dublin, October 2014
Library Camp, Joint event with Career Development Group, June 2014
Woodquay Venue, Dublin 8
The second annual Irish Library Camp took place in the
Woodquay venue in June 2014. At each Library Camp
the participants lead the agenda for the day by making
suggestions for ‘pitches’ on the Library Camp Wiki site.
The day started with a speed networking session and then
continued on to the pitch
A&SL 