Some Ex-Colleagues in Newham Library Service

I have had a few interesting encounters recently (either directly or indirectly) with some ex-colleagues in Newham Library Service. These included: Pat Lloyd, Kathy Walker, George Bye, Anne Brooke, Andrew DeHeer, and Angela and Kim.

Pat Lloyd, for example, phoned me up saying that Kathy Walker had sent him a letter, and in it she had included an article of mine that she had downloaded from the web - 'Library Privatisation: fact or fiction?' -
see http://www.libr.org/isc/articles/17-Rikowski-2.html
So, that must suddenly have had an impact on her - interesting!

Anne Brooke is a member of Forest Voices Choir; Margaret Griffith was on the stall for the Newham Writers Group (which she is a member of) at the Forest Gate Festival this year and Andrew DeHeer was on the stall for the Forest Gate Library and Local Service Centre, known simply as 'The Gate'. Then, I bumped into Angela and Kim going round in the van with the Housebound Readers Service.

I guess the biggest surprise though was bumping into George Bye, who was sitting on a seat outside our local pub recently, 'The Golden Fleece' with someone. I hadn't seen George for years. My rapid exit from Newham Library Service was achieved in considerable measure through the handiwork of this person; and that was after I had greatly assisted him with the implementation of the Dynix library computer system there. I actually referred to this work of mine, in an article that I wrote for Managing Information (in the July/Aug 2003 issue, Vol 10, No 6), entitled 'Females, Computers and Libraries' saying that:

"When I assisted with the implementation of Dynix in the London Borough of Newham...I was designated the task of training all the staff on circulation on Dynix. This was a very large and demanding job, and yet it is a task that often falls within the remit of 'women's work' - training staff, helping staff, being available and helpful. There is often an assumption that women are willing and able to share their knowledge and information in this way. Indeed, that they should be willing and happy to share it. Yet, at the same time, I was not given the opportunity to be involved in the some of the important decisions, in regard to the implementation." (p. 8)