This Group is a forum for libraries and information services in the South Yorkshire and surrounding area that provide a business information service to the local business community. Its members include the public library business information services in South and West Yorkshire, the two University libraries, and several commercial libraries. Its role is to enable networking and the exchange of information, consider strategic issues and promote continuing professional development. All SINTO member libraries are invited to send a representative.

The last meeting of the Group was on Thursday 22nd February 2007. Claire Sharp (Wakefield), Margot Drury (Rotherham) and Joyce Grey (Sheffield) attended and we welcomed Brenda Desmond from Sheffield College to her first meeting.

The main item for discussion was the final report of the Libraries are Good for Business project. The research has shown a fairly strong provision of business information in most areas although this is threatened by cuts and restructuring in some areas. The research also demonstrated that a regional structure has evolved (I don't think anyone planned this) with a hierarchy of business information services. Sheffield and Leeds provide 'advanced' services providing support for the wider region. Other 'developed' services provide a good level of service to their own area which can be supported by referral to an advanced service while a few 'basic' services rely heavily on outsourcing or referral.
Co-operation between business libraries is well developed in South and West Yorkshire through SINTO. North Yorkshire is a special case and seems happy to be self reliant while Humberside has struggled to maintain local co-operation in recent years. The Humberside libraries have been invited to participate in SINTO. Contacts with local Business Links has always been seen to be important but can be patchy and there is a lack of a strategic approach to co-operation and partnership working.
MLA Yorkshire has use this work to support advocacy with Yorkshire Forward and in the Regional Economic Strategy for Yorkshire and Humber 2006-2015 there is a specific reference to the need for good connections with public libraries in the context of the Better Deal for Business Framework (BD4B). MLA Yorkshire has proposed to the Society of Chief Librarians Yorkshire (SCLY) that there should be a formal sign up of libraries to this framework which would raise the profile of public libraries as part of the regional business support network.
In discussion it was agreed that the report had been useful and the work on developing closer networks had been valuable. There was no evidence that Heads of Service had engaged with this work or that the SCL would be signing up to BD4B. It was suggested that there should be more effort in getting a response from Yorkshire Forward. Carl pointed out that MLA Yorkshire had said that this project was now finished and it was not clear if further advocacy would be done. He pointed out that in his original draft he had recommended that: Yorkshire Forward should consider the central role of information and knowledge in supporting economic activity and the key role of the information infrastructure. However MLA Yorkshire had changed this to: Public libraries should be prepared to develop their services in partnership with other libraries and agencies in order to secure the recognition for their role in the information infrastructure by regional decision making bodies such as Yorkshire Forward . This might be a better tactical approach but it did shift the emphasis away from YF.
Joyce mentioned that YF has issued a tender for the Regional Business Support Knowledge System. This will have an impact on the future of business information services.

All members of the Business Information Group are invited to send in comments on this issue.

The next meeting of the Group will be on Thursday 14th June 2007, 2pm room 6715, Adsetts centre, Sheffield Hallam University.