National Policy Advisory Group
The Welcome To Your Library project had a National Policy Advisory Group. Membership changed over the lifespan of the project.
Members
At the time the project ended (November 2007) members comprised:
- Name
- Position
- Tony Durcan
- Head of Libraries, Information and Lifelong Learning, Newcastle (Project Participant and representing Society of Chief Librarians)
- Berhanu Kassiyie
- Strategy and Development Team, Praxis
- Loan-Anh Nguyen
- Team Manager - Southern Team, Refugee Action
- Mauro Tadiwe
- Refugee Programme Manager, hact (The Housing Associations' Charitable Trust)
- Adrian Whittle
- Head of Libraries and Culture, LB of Southwark (Project Participant and representing Society of Chief Librarians).
In our application to the Paul Hamlyn Foundation for the Welcome To Your Library project, we proposed that the National Policy Advisory Group would comprise:
- At least one national Refugee Community Organisation
- Organisations in relevant sectors – eg education, housing, health
- Central government
- The Museums, Libraries and Archives Council (MLA)
- The Society of Chief Librarians (SCL)
- One of the library services participating in the project
In the life of the project the NPAG included representatives from all of these categories and selection was based on this composition. It also took into account knowledge and expertise of the library, information, refugee and other sectors and ability to support and benefit the Welcome To Your Library project.
Role of National Policy Advisory Group (NPAG)
- Advocate the key role public libraries can play in supporting the needs of refugee communities and broker connections relevant to the Welcome To Your Library project (WTYL) project
- Provide support and feedback to the WTYL project and to the WTYL Project Co-ordinator
- Ensure the project and evidence from it is fully linked into wider library policy and development activity to bring the work into mainstream public library provision
- Ensure the project and evidence from it is fully linked into wider policy and development activity beyond the library sector as appropriate
- Act as a discussion forum and sounding board, providing knowledge and expertise to achieve maximum value from the work.
The NPAG did not have an executive decision-making role but could make recommendations. We offered to pay reasonable out-of-pocket expenses although members were not remunerated.
Responsibilities of National Policy Advisory Group
Members were expected to:
- Attend four meetings a year
- Make themselves available on an informal basis in between meetings as required – to fulfil the functions of their role and to act as a sounding board for the Project Co-ordinator
- Draw any conflict of interest to the attention of the Project Co-ordinator.