MCAST librarian visits West Midlands libraries

The MCAST Library and Learning Resource Centre is one of the two major projects MCAST has embarked on for the coming academic year. It is a major investment that will be used by full- and part-time students and academic and non-academic staff.

With the aim of ensuring a library building and service that meets MCAST's present and future needs, both the architect in charge, Deborah Borg, and library manager Laurence Zerafa visited several libraries abroad. The architect's visit took place before designs started being drawn up, whereas the library manager visited in early July, just before plans were finalised and construction work started. Mr Zerafa visited college and university libraries in the West Midlands. He visited Coventry, Warwickshire, Wolverhampton and Birmingham.

A few years ago, Mr Zerafa, who is a MaLIA (the Malta Library and Information Association) council member, met the international relations officer of CILIP WM (UK West Midland Branch of the Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals), Dr Mike Freeman. There is a twinning arrangement between MaLIA and CILIP WM and when Mr Zerafa took over the post of library manager, Dr Freeman was only too pleased to organise a library tour which specifically meets MCAST's needs.

The trip also included a three-day library conference entitled Umbrella 2003, at UMIST Manchester. It was organised by CILIP (Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals). This conference covered developments in library practice and networking with other library professionals. Library products and services were available at the adjoining library suppliers fair.