During the year, and building on work in 2006 and 2007, COLICO developed the Pathways to Learning Programme aimed at cross-sectoral library services provision to users of the public, academic, national and specialised libraries in Ireland, to promote wider participation in the knowledge economy.
Pathways to Learning Implementation Team (PALIT)
Established in 2007 as a sub-committee of COLICO, The Pathways to Learning Implementation Team (PALIT) includes representatives from An Chomhairle Leabharlanna; LISC (NI); The British Library; and from each PAL project. The Chair of PALIT is the immediate past-Chair of COLICO, currently Mr Robin Adams, Librarian, Trinity College Dublin. An Chomhairle Leabharlanna provides project management and secretarial support to the implementation team and the programme.
Participants in the Cork PAL at the first Committee meeting
The Cork PAL, established in 2008, is a regional scheme for the Cork region where all participating institutions will offer free reciprocal access to their hard-copy resources. Participants include University College Cork, Cork Institute of Technology, Cork City Council and Cork County Council library services, Cork City and County Archives, Cork University Hospital, and Mercy Hospital.
The Cork PAL is co-ordinated by a committee representing all the participants, chaired by John Fitzgerald, University Librarian, University College Cork.
Members of the Music PAL Committee meeting in Dublin.
In 2008 COLICO hosted two meetings to discuss the feasibility of developing a ‘Music PAL’ co-operative scheme throughout the library and archives sector on the island of Ireland.
The aim of the scheme is to expand the range of music resources available to users of all participating libraries and archives, by establishing an agreed procedure for referral and access to relevant materials held outside the user’s ‘home’ library.
Following the meetings a Music PAL sub-committee was formed to develop the scheme. Music PAL is chaired by Roy Stanley, Music Librarian, Trinity College, Dublin and includes representatives from Queen’s University Belfast, Belfast Public Libraries, the National Library of Ireland, Cork City Libraries, Dublin Institute of Technology; the RTÉ Sound Library and Archive, and An Chomhairle.