It's not very often that a VNU Exhibitions event gets to appear in Private Eye, but this week's issue of the piss-taking satirical journal has a gentle dig at the Library + information show, now due to grace the NEC Pavilion in a fortnight.
An anonymous writer takes issue with marketing brochures for the show that emphasize the cutting edge technologies on display. It harrumphs: "The list of exhibitors hypes CD listing posts, animated message display boards, minimalist steel shelving, access to 2m blogs, and beautifully crafted custom furniture… But in a 1,100 word promo, books get just one mention."
We hesitate to use the word "Luddite" or "dinosaur" to describe the writer, lest we suffer the slings and arrows of anonymous poison darts in retaliation. But what s/he fails to observe is that the show isn't a book fair. Far from it in fact; it's about the resources that librarians and information professionals need to do their jobs more effectively in these fast-moving times.
Sources close to the show's manager, Nigel Clear, suggest he took the ribbing with good humour: "That's nice of them," he is reported to have said, "keeping up with us in these changing times." We shall keep peepers peeled for Private Eye hacks in Birmingham looking for more scandal and intrigue, although we won't hold our breath.
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