The ABSIDE Project

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Ministero per i Beni e le Attività Culturali
Direzione Generale per i Beni Librari e gli
Istituti Culturali

• The ABSIDE Project
• Pier Giacomo Sola, Amitié, Italy

Bologna, 16-17 January 2003
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ABSIDE Apprendere in Biblioteca la Società
dellInformazione contro la Discriminazione e
lEmarginazione
Abside is a project carried out within the
framework of the EQUAL Programme, launched by the
European Union to facilitate inclusion of
disadvantaged population.
The acronym means Learning in Libraries the
Information Society facing discrimination and
exclusion
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The Background The Cremisi Project
The Cremisi Project, promoted in 1997 by
Ministero per i Beni e le Attività Culturali
Ambientali Direzione Generale per i Beni
Librari e gli Istituti Culturali (the Italian
Ministry for Cultural Heritage), created a
network of multimedia halls in National
Libraries, focusing on providing training courses
either for librarians, workers and citizens. It
ended in 2000.
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The Idea Library is an Open Learning Space
Abside starts from the consideration that the
library, one of the few structures uniformly
distributed in Italy, can be a perfect place for
learning.
This resource is particularly efficient towards a
public who can perceive the library as a
friendly source, open and available for the
most part of the day, reachable without long
journeys, otherwise necessary to attend courses
offered in big cities.
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The Objective Developing New Training Models
The project, to be ended in November 2004, will
develop and test new training models to support
people who are in a weak and situation with
regards to labour market.
The pedagogical methodologies used in the
framework of the project integrate individual
training, Open and Distance Learning and
practical activities, in order to create a
flexible and useful fruition for the
beneficiaries.
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The Training Offer
The ODL materials developed and used in the
framework of the project will provide horizontal
knowledge regarding new technologies - their
potentialities and their specific applications to
telework and professional competencies, both
generic and transversal ones.
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The Beneficiaries Criteria used to identify
them
A) Market opportunities, to promote the
development of SMEs on the market B) Young
people, to promote skills for self-employability
and entrepreneurships
C) People living in rural and mountain areas,
facing little training and working opportunities
forcing them to move towards cities D) Social
exclusion, especially focusing on people in or
quitting prison, offering training course to
promote social inclusion and job opportunities.
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The Beneficiaries Criteria used to identify
them
E) Linguistic discrimination, to facilitate
integration of recent migrants F) Youngsters,
mainly in main cities suburbs, to guide them
towards new professions
G) People physically and psychically disabled,
increasing experience of pilot libraries and
documentation centres especially set-up for
them H) Gender discrimination, addressing women
who encounter difficulties in entering or
re-entering the labour market.
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The Beneficiaries Criteria used to identify
them
I) Cultural discrimination, limiting job
opportunities to young people with a humanities
degree J) Access to information, to support
educational and training systems easily
accessible by everybody in each library, wherever
located. 
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The Training Offer
1. Creating Learning Spaces within public
libraries training librarians to act as
tutors 2. Identification, design, development
and purchase of training materials for the ODL
3. Activation and experimental supply of courses
4. Development of a credits system 5. Support,
awareness raising, information and dissemination
activities 6. Transnational exchanges with
similar experiences
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The Multimedia Halls
Each multimedia hall is (will be) equipped for
e-learning with PCs, printers, etc., and
connected to the Internet so as to promote a
collaborative learning environment
Their main role is to be a demonstration centre
to facilitate partnership with other
organisations interested in promoting local
cultural and economic development.
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The Project Management Connecting the Social
Actors
Research Centres Amitié Professional
associations Associazione Italiana
Biblioteche Companies Comerint Higher
education Università della Tuscia Trade
Unions Cisl and CGIL Sectoral
associations Associazione CDH (disabled)
COSPE (migrants) Lilith (women)
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Policy Issues Impact on Local and National
Agenda
The following organisations are supporting the
project Ministero per i Beni e le Attività
Culturali Ministero della Pubblica
Istruzione Ministero di Grazia e
Giustizia Regione Abruzzo, Calabria, Campania,
Emilia-Romagna, Lombardia, Piemonte, Puglia,
Sardegna, Toscana, Umbria Comune di
Roma Province di Parma e Salerno
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Conclusions
- High communication and relational competences
are requested to librarians. - He/she does not
play only the traditional role of static
interface to the fruition of knowledge, but also
assumes the role of tutor, consultant, guide for
people going to the library. - The approach is
flexible, because it adapts modalities, quantity
and typology of the services offered, according
to the specific local needs.
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Conclusions
The librarian/tutor does not substitute other
people and organisations already present on
his/her area, but becomes the main reference
point (one stop shop) of the training needs,
providing advice and addressing the users to
other offices with more specific competences.
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Conclusions

• The role played by the national, regional and
  local administrations in the project is very
  important, because it guarantees
• - the quality of the process of updating the
  skills of library personnel
• - the availability of spaces dedicated to
  learning, hosted by public libraries
• - a close connection with the other
  organisations working on social issues.

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To Know Something More
Tel [phone] Fax
39.051.65.60.402 Email amitie_at_amitie.it URL
http//www.abside.net