Grace Kempster Director Information Services The British Council Knowledge sharing and communities of interest….. Internet Librarians at the centre

 “it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity” Charles Dickens THE KEY QUESTION

A digital continuum â connected - but disparities of use â a revolution behind closed screens â a new literacy â illiterate - functional - advanced? â Mediacy - reading the texts, the images, the moving images and minds

Meshing the Morass  Negative motivations  Making the least of rather than making the most of  Exclusion by language  Melding books with technology driven by people

…where knowledge and learning connect because  people want it  a connected world  multilateralism  mutuality - futures together  economic realities  partnership imperatives

Dissolving the walls The new public space (virtual and physical) through which the British Council interacts with its audience

Knowledge animateurs  understand the psychology of searching  see the person and their journeys in a lifetime  accelerate the impact  creatively connect  paint rich pictures, tell stories

Knowledge and Learning Services: ordering knowledge for the chaos of creativity  Combination of physical and virtual services  Appropriate use of IT  Valuing the individual  Room for social space  Building communities of interest  Access to multilateral discussion forums  Sharing and creating new knowledge  Making the most of our complex organisation  Partnership for content

Knowledge choreography Understanding people Just do it - launch and learn Impact talk Finessing people/power/politics

Faster, smarter, just more fun QIS the Internet Librarian at the centre? AOnly if we connect

“Even the most misfitting child Who’s chanced upon the library’s world Sits with the genius of the Earth And turns the key to the whole world.” Ted Hughes, Faber & Faber

Grace Kempster Director Information Services The British Council