CILIP ACTS TO ADDRESS BLACK AND MINORITY ETHNIC UNDER-REPRESENTATION
Research recommends workplace-based professional development support
Black and minority ethnic staff are seriously under-represented in the library and information profession - especially at management and senior levels - and CILIP: the Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals is determined to do something about it. So it is exploring the possibilities of establishing a work-based professional development scheme for minority ethnic groups provisionally called Compass.
Research commissioned by CILIP from the leading consultancy Tribal, and published on CILIP's website today, considered a number of different models for rolling out such a scheme. Tribal finally recommended a combination of workplace development backed up by personal and management development support provided directly by CILIP. Candidates' participation in the scheme will also contribute towards Certification or Chartership under CILIP's Framework of Qualifications.
Tribal's final recommendations were put to CILIP senior managers on 22 June 2007, following a forum attended by representatives of leading library & information organizations and of existing initiatives to support professional development among Black and minority ethnic employees. At the forum, attendees warmly welcomed the proposals and there was general agreement that CILIP was the most appropriate organization to take the work forward.
'This has been an exciting piece of work to be involved in and it has been gratifying to see how committed the larger LIS community is to pursuing this initiative,' said Ayub Khan, Chair of the Compass Steering Group. 'We now have a chance to create a mechanism that might help us to address the under representation of Black and minority librarians within the profession in general and especially at a more senior level.'
Ayub was joined on the Steering Group by former CILIP President Margaret Watson and Sonia Dixon MBE, African and Caribbean Services Manager at Walsall Libraries with Guy Daines, Director of Policy and Advocacy at CILIP, supporting the work of the Steering Group.
'Having a more diverse LIS workforce can only be a good and healthy thing for our profession and society at large,' Ayub Khan continues. 'This report sets up the framework to help address the issue of diversity in the profession. This is the first step and a lot more work needs to be done to make this a reality.'
The final report from Tribal can be found on the CILIP website.
Notes to editors
CILIP: the Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals is the leading professional body for librarians, information specialists and knowledge managers. It forms a community of around 35,000 people engaged in library and information work, of whom around 22,000 are CILIP Members and around 13,000 are regular customers of CILIP Enterprises. CILIP members work in all sectors, including business and industry, science and technology, further and higher education, schools, local and central government, the health service, the voluntary sector, national and public libraries. For more information visit www.cilip.org.uk.
Tribal is a leading UK provider of consulting and professional support services. It helps a wide range of clients improve the quality of their services to customers - over 2,500 in the public sector alone. Its clients include central government departments, local authorities, housing associations, schools, colleges and universities, the NHS and primary care trusts, as well as the private, not-for-profit and third sectors. Its numerous assignments cover issues such as high standards in education and lifelong opportunities for learning and self-improvement. More information available at www.tribalgroup.co.uk.
Further information can be obtained from Guy Daines, Head of Policy & Advocacy at CILIP:
Tel 020 7255 0632
guy.daines@cilip.org.uk
Updated: 24 January 2008