ABSIDE: Learning in Libraries: the Information Society facing discrimination and exclusion Pier Giacomo Sola, Amitié INTERNATIONAL WORKSHOP CAMBRIDGE, 4/5th September 2003

The Background: The Cremisi Project The Cremisi Project, promoted in 1997 by Ministero per i Beni e le Attività Culturali Ambientali – Direzione Generale per i Beni Librari e gli Istituti Culturali (the Italian Ministry for Cultural Heritage), created a network of multimedia halls in National Libraries, focusing on providing training courses either for librarians, workers and citizens. It ended in 2000.

The Idea: Library is an Open Learning Space Abside starts from the consideration that the library, one of the few structures uniformly distributed in most countries, can be a perfect place for learning. This resource is particularly efficient towards a public who can perceive the library as a friendly source, open and available for the most part of the day, reachable without long journeys, otherwise necessary to attend courses offered in big cities.

The project, to be ended in November 2004, will develop and test new training models to support people who are in a weak and situation with regards to labour market. The pedagogical methodologies used in the framework of the project integrate individual training, Open and Distance Learning and practical activities, in order to create a flexible and useful fruition for the beneficiaries. The Objective: Developing New Training Models

The Beneficiaries: Criteria used to identify them A) development of SMEs on the market; B) skills for self-employability of young people; C) people living in rural and mountain areas; D) people in or quitting prison, to promote social inclusion; E) integration of recent migrants; F) Guiding youngsters towards new professions; G) People physically and psychically disabled; H) women with difficulties in entering the labour market; I) young people with a humanities degree; J) promoting access to information, to support educational and training systems easily accessible by everybody in each library, wherever located.

Recent Activities 1.Creating Learning Centres within public libraries; training librarians to act as tutors: Besides improving the Learning Centres already created by Cremisi, other libraries have been encouraged, by organizing meetings and presentations, to set up multimedia halls and become demonstration centres. Many libraries were involved in Abside in the last months, covering most Italian Regions. Learning Centres are located in: Ascoli Piceno, Bari, Bologna, Cagliari, Cosenza, Cremona, Firenze, Genova, Gorizia, Milano, Modena, Napoli, Oristano, Parma, Piacenza, Potenza, Roma, Torino, Trieste, Venezia

An agreement has been reached with the Italian Ministry of Justice in order to stimulate the creation of Learning Centres offering courses for people in or quitting prison. Recent Activities

2.Identification, design, development and purchase of training materials for the ODL. Besides updating the materials already developed in the framework of the Cremisi project, new training materials will be focused on the following themes: The PULMAN Guidelines Manuals Knowledge Management in the Library Marketing for Libraries The "one person library The on-line information service: Access to Public Information. The multi-lingual and multi-ethnic Library Recent Activities

The Prison Library Multimedia, Internet, Electronic Information Services Basic Competences: Literacy and numeracy. Encouraging the access to the library Managing Digitisation Programmes Recent Activities

3.Activation and experimental supply of course Currently, the Abside platform includes: 3 Forums: General, News, Librarians A choice among 20 training materials on different subject, (documents and files in pdf and html format) 121 users have signed up until now 4 tutors 4. Development of a credits system The partnership is working on the creation and development of a credit system which should guarantee the fruitful use of the skills achieved during the training activities in the labour market, both for intermediate (librarians) and final (people suffering discrimination) groups. Recent Activities

5.Support, awareness raising, information and dissemination activities: Several meetings have been organized to promote Abside at a national level. The last ones on July 2003, Napoli, Press Conference, and Rome, meeting with Italian national libraries. Abside Transnational Partnership took part in the international events organised on August 2003, Berlin, during the IFLA Conference. 6. Transnational exchanges with similar experiences Next transnational workshop will be held on 29/30 October during the Bibliocom Congress in Rome. Recent Activities

Research Centres:Amitié Professional associations:Associazione Italiana Biblioteche Companies:Comerint Higher education:Università della Tuscia Trade Unions:Cisl and CGIL Sectoral associations:Associazione CDH (disabled) COSPE (migrants) Lilith (women) Partnership

The following organisations are supporting the project: Ministero per i Beni e le Attività Culturali Ministero della Pubblica Istruzione Ministero di Grazia e Giustizia Regione Abruzzo, Calabria, Campania, Emilia-Romagna, Lombardia, Piemonte, Puglia, Sardegna, Toscana, Umbria Comune di Roma Province di Parma e Salerno Public sector involvement

To Know Something More Tel: Fax: URL: Francesca Magrefi, Chiara Scorzoni, Pier Giacomo Sola, Alessandra Tagliavini Amitié via Val dAposa, 3 I BOLOGNA