Visit the National Libraries Day website here

National Libraries Day is a day devoted to promoting the work of libraries in all sectors, including public, school, academic, business or special collections, as well as being a nationwide celebration of libraries, librarians and library staff.

It is backed by a host of national organisations including the Chartered Institute for Library and Information Professionals, the National Literacy Trust, the Reading Agency, the Women’s Institute and the School Library Association.

Our brief was to produce a strong call to action – a site that would encourage people to organise and join in with local events as well as sharing details of National Library Day through as many social media channels as possible.

It needed to be colourful and engaging with lots of clear signposts showing how people could get involved. The finished site therefore includes a range of interactive features including integration with Twitter and Facebook, a Google map for people to add their events and find out what’s happening near them as well as dedicated YouTube and Flickr pages.

It also uses the BuddyPress community platform to add features such as groups, forums and a way for users to make friends and keep track of their activity.

Onlineability director Lisa Hutchins said: “National Libraries Day is an event very close to our hearts. As people working in an information profession ourselves we know just how under-appreciated librarians and library staff can be.

“They do magnificent work helping people get the information and resources they need and, very often, their work is so seamless and efficient that people don’t notice just how important a contribution they make.

“If we forget to appreciate our libraries and library staff we will lose them. That would be a tragedy for communities all around the UK and so we’re very proud to have been asked to build the National Libraries Day website.”

• If you’re a library user in North Herts or Stevenage, don’t forget to check out We Heart Libraries, a campaign to celebrate and champion the public libraries in our area.

The Immersive Writing Lab competition aims to attract writers who can create a storyworld – described as a setting big and encompassing enough to allow the audience to get totally lost and absorbed in it. Popular examples given by the organisers include the films The Matrix and Star Wars, popular TV shows Lost and Doctor Who and comic book publisher Marvel’s story universe.

The winner will see their storyworld developed with a £6,000 fund by Portal Entertainment, a cross-platform production outfit that has worked on Doctor Who. And five runners-up will have their work reviewed by Sarah Clay, Executive Multiplatform Producer at the BBC, whose work includes Becoming Human, E20 and Waterloo Reunited.

The competition involves working through a series of exercises in order to produce, polish and prepare a story treatment for submission, the challenge that Onlineability directors Lisa Hutchins and Andy Darley are now taking on with their own entry.

Update: We got there! You can view our entry on the Circalit site here.

Lisa said: “As soon as we saw this competition was in the offing we knew it was for us. Much of our day-to-day work involves factual writing with strict constraints – so we both love to tackle something a bit more imaginative and genre-busting from time to time.

“We’ve had some great experiences with alternate reality and other kinds of gaming, so this feels made for us. I’m not sure if we’ll hit the target this time but it’s a fantastic opportunity to stretch our boundaries and have some fun doing it.

“If we can come up with a really compelling and exciting storyworld idea in the process, I will be delighted.”

There are still more than five weeks to the competition deadline – so, if you also have a head full of ideas and a bit of spare time, and you fancy a crack at it yourself, use the links above to find out more.

Whether that’s a website that’s clear and easy to use or proper access to a local library service, it all comes down to the same things – accessibility, being user-centred and available when people need it, in ways that they find convenient.

The We Heart Libraries community site

Libraries in the UK are in a lot of trouble right now. Austerity measures have meant less money available for local government and some councils are making huge cuts to their services including closing down branches, cutting mobile rounds or replacing paid staff with volunteers.

Here in Hertfordshire no branches have been closed but opening hours have been cut by a third and Hertfordshire County Council is now exploring ways that voluntary and community organisations can get more involved with the service.

Trouble is, we believe that library cuts are a false economy. You might think of a library as a place to go to borrow books or read newspapers, or maybe to get Internet access, but these days it is so much more.

Libraries provide services that underpin our communities – whether it is information for entrepreneurs and would-be business owners, support for parents, learners and educators, or advice on how to deal with the many different problems that life throws up before they get out of hand.

And that’s without everything they do to make people’s lives richer – by helping them pursue interests, enjoy their leisure, get more involved with their communities or take part in arts, literary or cultural events.

We think that cutting access to libraries will simply mean that calls on other public and voluntary services will become more acute and put them to more stress and expense. And, because we think it is really important that someone is speaking up for libraries locally, we decided to do just that.

Accordingly, we’ve built the We Heart Libraries website with the aim of celebrating everything that’s great about libraries in North Herts and Stevenage – and championing them in times of trouble. This isn’t a project of the company but a separate, voluntary cause that we’re supporting because we think it’s really important and worthwhile.

Onlineability director Andy Darley said of the project: “I grew up in Hitchin and the library was like a second home to me. As a child it was a place of magic and wonder, and it really matters to me that people all across our area – whatever their ages or backgrounds – should have the same opportunities I had.

“Libraries are more than just buildings with books in them. Their combination of resources, facilities and highly-trained staff mean they can act as a hub for a whole town or district. By spreading knowledge, culture and information, a strong library network builds a strong community.”

So, why not pop along, take a look and even sign up to start helping campaign for our local libraries. We’ll be needing all the support we can get to make a big splash for National Libraries Day on February 4. We hope you will join us.

Well, the short answer is that we work with clients to make the web easier to understand and manage. A slightly longer answer has just been given by Onlineability director Lisa Hutchins to the Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals (CILIP), of which she is an affiliate member.

Lisa is Onlineability’s information architect – that is, the person that plans how information on a website will be organised and ensures its users can find it as easily as possible.

That’s a relatively new career, and one that has come into being alongside the information and communications technology boom of the last few years. It’s a role with a lot of parallels to librarianship and similar information management jobs, although a very non-traditional one.

If you’d like to find out more, and learn how this helps us create better websites, please follow the link below.

See Lisa’s profile on the CILIP website here >>

Lisa, who is embarking on CILIP’s certification qualification, is also a contributor to the organisation’s members’ blog network, which aggegates members’ writings on a wide variety of information topics. You can check that out here and, if you find it interesting, subscribe via RSS feed.

She said: “Joining CILIP has been a terrific career boost for me with really strong opportunities for professional development. It’s also been tremendously welcoming to me as an information professional even though I work in a very non-traditional role.

“I’m now looking forward to demonstrating the value of my work as an information architect by working towards certification over the next few months.”

Whether it’s joining police dog handlers on a busy shift or MPs in the Houses of Parliament, riding in the cab of a train or talking to Bomber Command veterans, our chosen careers have given us some wonderful insights over the years.

The Puretech Racing simulator in action

These days we’re more often or not a fixture behind a computer doing all those tasks you need to do to keep a company running, as well as looking after our clients and keeping our own websites up to speed.

Which makes the chances to get out with a notebook and pen all the more valuable.

So, when we were invited to drive down to Horley in Sussex for the launch of Puretech Racing’s new simulator centre, we only had to think about it for around 30 seconds before agreeing.

And 29 of them were spent wondering about the route.

We had a great day meeting the people behind the project, which aims to create a new fan-friendly sport allowing participants to race against each other, form teams and leagues, and generally get much more closely involved in motorsport than has hitherto been possible without a massive commitment of time and resources.

Also present were some of the racing drivers that use Puretech’s simulation technology to work on set-up, learn new tracks or hone specific skills. As well as chatting to them we tried the simulators for ourselves.

Although with considerably less effective results.

Give it time…

We covered the experience in some detail on our racing site Brits on Pole – you can find links to all our coverage here.

We hope you enjoyed reading about it as much as we enjoyed getting out of the office and reporting on it.

Duncan Tappy

Duncan is one of Britain’s most complete racing talents. Twice nominated for the country’s most prestigious racing prize, the McLaren Autosport BRDC Young Driver of the Year Award, he is a past winner of the Formula Ford Festival, the Formula Renault UK title and a former BRDC Rising Star and Superstar.

When he needed to update his website for the 2010 season, when he returns to Superleague Formula with the Brazilian club Flamengo and racing for a full season in the Auto GP series for DAMS, he worked with Onlineability to produce what we feel is one of our strongest designs to date.

The site is based on the WordPress platform which means it will be easy to update and upgrade and will perform well in search engines. And the content and design are managed separately which means that, when the time comes for a new look, it can be achieved with minimal disruption.

Duncan said: “In motorsport, image is everything, especially in regard to potential teams and sponsors. Drivers need a site that looks classy and professional and that is easy to keep updated.

“I’ve got a busy few months in front of me, with a full season racing in Auto GP plus appearances in Superleague Formula – so, most of all, I need it to work smoothly and be easy to access on the move. I’m confident it will do this.”

Onlineability director Andy Darley added: “It’s been a pleasure to work with Duncan. Not only does he have one of the best racing CVs around but he’s also a great ambassador for any company, with a mature and professional attitude. The benefits to us of partnering with him have been powerful.

The new site built for Duncan by Onlineability

“We were looking to create a site that was distinctive, contemporary and eye-catching, but also easy on the user, capable of providing all the information on Duncan’s career that fans, investors and the racing community could want in as accessible a way as possible. I am really pleased with the result we have achieved.

“Now, with Duncan embarking on his first full season of racing since his 2008 Superleague Formula season with Tottenham Hotspur, we want to make sure the site keeps working really hard for him in the future.”

• You can follow Duncan’s career as well as those of other exciting British motorsport talents by visiting our racing site BritsOnPole.com.

Onlineability is working with Sam Bird in 2010

Sam is one of the most exciting up-and-coming talents in British motorsport, competing during 2010 in the GP2 series that supports Formula One.

Our brief on taking over management of Sam’s site on behalf of his management company CJ Motorsport was to provide an update to his existing design that reflected his needs for the 2010 season.

We did this with new photography and branding that recalls the livery of his new team, GP2 front-runners ART Grand Prix, as well as integrating a regular podcast feature.

The site, which also carries frequent image updates and reports of Sam’s race performances, should provide an essential resource for fans who want to keep up with his career.

Onlineability director Andy Darley said: “Sam’s site is one of the best designs for a racing driver out there and we are really delighted to be working on it with CJ Motorsport.

“The challenge of this project was to keep the elements that work so well already while making sure it still reflected the needs of Sam, his team, his sponsors and his fans.

“I’m pleased with what we’ve been able to do and hope that it will prove to be a must-visit destination for race fans this year.”

The Nurdler's new custom wordpress theme

We had several aims with this project. Firstly, we needed to reflect The Nurdler’s growing profile with a custom look that showcased our design skills better than its existing off-the-shelf look.

We also wanted to try our hand at a particular design style and reflect the fact that The Nurdler tries to be an authentic voice for cricket fans – that’s how we came up with design features like the scoresheet and pen.

We hope it will remind you a little bit of the pleasures of watching sport on a sunny summer day. And now The Nurdler is gearing up towards England’s next Ashes campaign (seems no time since the last one, does it?) we hope to have some equally good content for you too. Subscribe to The Nurdler’s RSS feed here.

Technically speaking, this is a custom WordPress theme – and it certainly proves that you can get a long way from the horizontal header image and white background that is associated with basic WordPress design.

We are always happy to create custom themes for clients so, if you are looking to commission expertise in this area, do get in touch and have a chat with us.

More than 50 female competitors, marshals, officials and volunteers gathered at Silverstone, home of British motor sport and the 2010 Santander Formula 1 British Grand Prix, to support the Motor Sports Association’s Women in Motorsport Group and to highlight women’s importance to motorsport.

Women in motorsport visit Silverstone for International Women's Day

According to the Motor Sports Association (MSA), the UK’s official governing body, motorsport is one of the few sporting activities in which men and women compete alongside each other on an equal footing.

Yet, as they make up only 8 per cent of registered licence holders, women are hugely under-represented among motorsport drivers.
 
There are nevertheless an estimated 50,000 women actively involved in British motorsport. Their roles include organising events, heading teams, running clubs and associations, timekeeping, marshalling and fulfilling a host of other support roles without which the sport itself could not continue.

As a director of Onlineability, Lisa is a supplier of web services to drivers and management companies, and a team sponsor through the company’s support of the YourRacingCar programme. She is also co-owner of the well-regarded Brits on Pole website, which reports on British drivers in open-wheel racing worldwide, and a supporter member of the British Women Racing Drivers’ Club (BWRDC).

Lisa at Silverstone

She said: “The most impressive thing about the day was the sheer range of women that attended. Racers in their 60s were lining up alongside teenagers. Every kind of car from karts to dragsters was represented.

“And it’s not only the women behind the wheel – it was inspiring to meet the marshals, officials and volunteers who keep the whole show on the road and give racing fans so many hours of enjoyment.

“I’m expecting the profile of women in motorsport to get dramatically higher over the next few years. Girls now take up karting before the age of ten, exactly as boys do, and are graduating in increasing numbers to junior open-wheel racing formulas – and many other kinds of racing.

“It should be an exciting time for motorsport and we are looking forward to reporting on these young women’s successful racing careers on Brits on Pole.”

Attending the event were Go Motorsport ambassador and ITV’s British Touring Car Championship presenter Louise Goodman, reigning Ginetta Junior Champion and 2009 BBC Young Sports Personality of the Year long-list nominee Sarah Moore – the first female driver to win a major British motor racing championship – and Formula Renault UK competitor Alice Powell.

Goodman said: “It was a fabulous experience to come together with all these other women involved in the sport to show that motor sport is not just for the men. I really hope that this inspires more girls to consider the sport; one of them might just turn out to be the new Jenson Button!”

Sue Sanders, Chairman of the MSA Women in Motorsport Group, said: “This has been a fantastic opportunity to demonstrate the diverse range of roles that women undertake within the sport at all levels.

“We believe that motor sport is truly fair and equal but there is plenty of room for more women. We hope that this gathering will celebrate those already involved and stimulate others that may be interested in getting started.”

MSA Chief Executive Colin Hilton said: “Motor sport still tends to be seen as a male-dominated activity, so we need to create female role models to inspire the next generation.

“We are seeing a substantial increase in female participation among the junior ranks, especially with the Let’s Go Karting initiative that gives young people a first experience of karting for just £5. Similarly, the Go Motorsport message that we are taking to schools across the county is aimed equally at girls and boys.”

• For more information on getting involved in motorsport, as a competitor, volunteer or spectator, visit the Go Motorsport website.

Sam Bird at Sakhir Circuit, Bahrain. Credit: Bridgestone

Onlineability, the Hertfordshire-based communications agency that powers the highly-regarded Brits on Pole motorsport site, will be working in 2010 to keep Sam’s website updated as he takes to tracks around Europe as part of the prestigious GP2 series. Visit the website here.

Sam’s early career saw him race in a number of well-regarded junior open-wheel series including Formula Renault UK and British F3 International with top team Carlin, as well as qualifying on the front row for the Macau Grand Prix, Formula Three’s all-star race.

In 2008-09 he graduated to Formula 3 Euro Series as well as testing with the Williams F1 team. He is now driving for reigning GP2 Series champions ART Grand Prix alongside Jules Bianchi, recently signed to Ferrari’s driver development programme.

One of a clutch of young Brits driving in GP2 after a spell during which little home-grown talent featured in the series, he is currently a bright prospect to follow drivers like Nico Rosberg, Lewis Hamilton, Timo Glock and Nico Hulkenberg into Formula One.

The GP2 series was set up in 2005 to provide an affordable training ground for talented young drivers wanting to make a career in Formula One. So far four of its five champions and numerous runners-up have made the step up.

The series races at all the European grands prix giving its drivers a chance to show off their abilities in front of the sport’s movers and shakers on classic tracks such as Monaco, Silverstone, the Nurburgring and Spa-Francorchamps.

Onlineability director Andy Darley said: “After two years of writing about motorsport and the careers of British drivers at BritsOnPole.com, it’s a trememdous thrill to be able to announce this partnership with Sam Bird.

“Talent is only half the battle for young drivers. To be able to market themselves to fans and potential sponsors is crucial, and this is where having an engaging and up-to-date website comes in.

“Sam already has one of the best-looking websites on the grid. Our aim, now we are responsible for its maintenance, is to ensure it’s similiarly on pole position for quality of content, speed of updating and ease of use.”

• For more information about how we can help you make the most of your web presence, contact us.