Oliver jumps into CILIPConf 2022

Attending my very first CILIP Conference not only as a librarian but also as Chair of CDEG was an overwhelmingly positive and constructive experience.

This was one of the very first times I had seen another librarian let alone conversed with them on issues in the sector.

My eternal gratitude goes to Trista, Bertha and John for helping me represent CDEG during the conference. It was great to sit in our little booth and speak to those walking by. I met many interesting people and gleaned many useful pieces of information. It was also wonderful to be situated next to the Disability and LGBTQ+ booth with yet more CDEG representation in the form of Carol, who was also a marvelous help. It was also great to see our bursary recipients enjoying their time at the conference; hopefully we can provide similar opportunities in the future.

Highlights of the conference for me include the keynote speech by Sayf Al-Ashqar, Secretary-General of Libraries, University of Mosul, Iraq. The story of how he helped build up a library that had been targeted by terrorists because of the knowledge and therefore power it held was awe inspiring and reinforced how pivotal libraries are to communities all over the world. The discussion on Intellectual Freedom in Libraries was riveting and no doubt an issue in which CDEG will have a hand in the future. Learning about Decolonisation (a topic to which I am new) was incredibly interesting and also something in which CDEG should become involved. No doubt the main highlight of the conference for me was the Allyship in Action workshop, partly helmed by our own John Vincent, in which the topic of being a good ally to marginalised groups was discussed. A lot of great ideas and discussion points were made and it gave a lot of thought both for me personally and for CDEG going forward.

Krystal Vittles said in her keynote speech that “no librarian is an island”, and after years of being the only librarian in the school it was lovely to feel part of a wider library community. I believe for CDEG this can be the start of something much bigger, where relationships and ideas have been formed that may later grow into bigger things. Watch this space.

All the best,

Oliver

CDEG bursary recipient Corin Peacock shares their experiences of CILIP Conference 2022

Attending the CILIP conference as a soon-to-graduate library student has been the highlight of my degree. Having never attended a conference before – or any in-person CILIP event – I had no idea what to expect. It was like going to a museum for the first time as a child: I was almost overwhelmed by the range of new and fascinating things arrayed before me!

My first impression upon walking in was that it was like a freshers’ fair tailored to my interests. Thirty-one stalls showcased everything from the latest in library tech to specialist digital services. I felt very wide-eyed approaching the various stallholders, many of whom were clearly experts in their field, but they were all lovely and took the time to speak to me about everything they do. I learned about a wide variety of different services and opportunities, and I really value having been able to speak with people offering such a breadth of experience.

The conference was far more than just freebies, though, and the opening keynote from Sayf Al Ashqar was an immediate indication of the quality of the sessions I would enjoy over the next two days. Describing how the University of Mosul Library came back from destruction, Sayf stood as proof of the resilience, flexibility, and tenacity of librarians when it comes to fulfilling the needs of their community.

 This level of passion and talent continued to be displayed across all the sessions I attended. My favourite from the first day was Equality, diversity, and inclusion – practical advice for the workplace, led by Beth Montague-Hellen. It covered a broad variety of EDI issues and focussed on the practical steps individuals and groups can take to ensure all feel welcomed in the workplace. Three tips that will stick in my mind are:

1. When inviting questions, always ask a woman to speak first – studies have shown that this will lead to a greater number of women contributing in comparison to if a man speaks first. Alice Corble added on Twitter that this should ideally be a Black woman or woman of colour.

2. If you’re asked to speak at an event, check who else will be speaking. If they’re all like you, decline the invitation and suggest other qualified individuals who would introduce diversity into the line-up.

3. Ensure venues and workspaces are accessible for all. For example, they should be step-free, have gender-neutral and accessible bathrooms, maintain appropriate Covid-19 safety measures, and provide microphones and other acoustic support.

That evening, there was another treat in store: the conference’s drinks reception took place at the National Museum of Liverpool. This time, I literally was let loose in a museum of fascinating new things, but more interesting still were the people! Networking has always sounded formal and intimidating to me, but it turns out that – in the context of the CILIP Conference, at least – it means getting to talk to wonderful people who are just as enthusiastic about libraries as you.

The second day of the conference was filled with yet more inspiring people and incredible sessions. For me, the most impactful was Allyship in Action, led by Shirley Yearwood-Jackman and John Vincent, which facilitated small-group discussions about the meaning of being an ally. Through this discussion, it became evident that allyship is a constant process of actions – a journey, not a destination. This understanding is something that has stuck with me and will continue to guide me as I enter the workforce.

I additionally appreciated the opportunity to hear from fresh and diverse individuals in both the New Voices, Big Ideas session, and as part of Kate Robinson’s presidential address. Not only were these speakers articulate and inspiring, but the inclusion of alternative voices and new professionals made me confident that even my thoughts and ideas are valuable.

I had a phenomenal time at the CILIP conference; not only did I learn so much and meet so many kind, intriguing, and passionate people, but I came to feel like one of those people myself – like a real member of the profession. I am so grateful to CDEG for providing me with this opportunity; it has refreshed my love of librarianship and made me excited to enter the world of work. Fingers crossed the next CILIP conference I attend will be as a fully-fledged librarian!

Bertha Calles Cartas joins the CDEG committee

by Trista Smith

Bertha is a new and very welcome recruit to the CDEG committee! She brings a wealth of experience and an international perspective.

What is your current role?

I am a clinical and outreach librarian at Mid and South Essex Trust.

How did you get involved in equality, diversity and inclusion work?

I have an intellectual but also personal interest in equality, diversity and inclusion. Since I was very young, I have wanted to understand diversity, equality, and barriers to inclusion. As a female, I learned to normalise gender inequalities, discrimination and violence. I came to the UK from Mexico 17 years ago. Back then, when I arrived here, as a woman, I felt a sense of security and freedom I hadn't felt before in my country.

Before coming into librarianship, I studied indigenous peoples’ struggles and discrimination as part of my MRes in International Development. Through my friend Dr. Hazel Marsh, I learned about the Gypsy, Roma and Traveling community struggles. It took me sometime to understand gender, racial and cultural inequalities in the so-called developed countries. I joined the BAME group at Southend Hospital as soon as I started my role here at the Trust. In 2020, at the highest point of the Black Lives Matter movement, I started supporting the BAME group with knowledge management: I created a current awareness bulletin. This started as a local distribution that evolved into a national distribution.

What made you decide to join the CDEG committee? What are you hoping to do as member of the committee?

I was invited to be part of the committee to have a larger representation of health libraries. As a new member of the committee, I am looking forward to the first meeting.

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Welcome, Bertha!

Nabila Cruz joins the CDEG committee

by Trista Smith

We are delighted to introduce one of the new members of the CDEG committee, Nabila Cruz.

Nabila joined us in March and we are so pleased to be getting to know her, and to have the benefit of her knowledge and experience on the committee. We had a quick chat so the rest of the group can get to know her as well.

What is your current role?

I have 2 jobs at the moment: Research and Development Data Officer at King’s College London Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience (IoPPN) and also Part-time Library Supervisor at City, University of London. I am actually moving to a new position in King’s Social Sciences and Public Policy Faculty in June, when I start as Senior Faculty Research Officer and will continue working in research information management.

How did you get involved in equality, diversity and inclusion work?

A couple of years ago, I successfully applied to be a Gender Co-Champion at the IoPPN, representing professional services to try to advance pay parity and promotion opportunities for women. I then started attending the Athena Swam meetings in the faculty which opened my eyes to the immense amount of work still needed to achieve equality of opportunity for staff and to stop bullying and harassment. This made me even more passionate to achieve real change and I recently chaired meetings for a newly created Race Equality in Research in South East London network with fellow research managers to try to find solutions to underrepresentation of racialised people research, both as researchers and as participants in research. We still have a lot of work to do.

What made you decide to join the CDEG committee? What are you hoping to do as member of the committee?

I was looking for opportunities to get involved in EDI in libraries and enquired about the advert for the position Secretary. I quickly realised that with 2 jobs, it would be too much to take on but Karen was kind enough to invite me to join the committee, which I was excited to accept. I am keen to learn more about the work of the committee and help influence change in our profession so that we better serve the diverse communities we work in.

What do you get up to when you're not working?

Unfortunately not much at moment, apart from going for a run or trying to relax by bingeing any new series in Netflix. In pre-pandemic times, I would probably be at a museum or trying a new restaurant with my friends. In all honesty, I completely failed at finding a new hobby during lockdown and I am envious of anyone who did! (Editor's note: You are not the only one...)

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Welcome, Nabila!

CILIP Conference 2020 - Reimagined: impressions of a new professional

by Jamie Yu

     The CILIP Conference 2020 - Reimagined is an e-conference held on an interactive online platform. The platform allows attendees to join conference sessions in Zoom, browse exhibitions and interact with speakers and participants via web chats. What is special about this conference is that, in contrast to the traditional two-day CILIP conference held in past years, it happened all in one day - on the 19th November 2020. One could feel the intensity of the conference if one was determined to make the best out of the rich content created by a total of 54 speakers. Fortunately, CILIP provides conference attendees with access to the platform and the recordings of all conference sessions until next year. The conference organisers keep their audience in mind and make the best use out of the video communication platform to ensure a rich experience.

The conference has gathered information and cultural professionals’ voices to say how librarianship is a mission to uphold core values and what we can do to accomplish this mission together. The keynote speakers took their lead in advocating for this message. Richard Ovenden’s opening keynote reminded us of the fragility of information and the core role of librarians in protecting information and preserving knowledge. He took us trips across time and space, where we revisited the origin of the nature of our work. Other keynote speakers’ discussions explained how this core role of preserving knowledge extends to many sub-levels and how modern issues leave us with important tasks within this role. Tracie Hall from ALA interpreted the modern mission of a librarian as one to stand up against information redlining. Her powerful speech drew our attention to the impact ethnic minorities face due to the disinvestment in libraries. With the loss of these valuable resources in society, the normalisation of literacy, socio-economic mobility, and democratic engagement also lose their ground to grow.

Speakers for CILIP including Head of Sector Development Jo Cornish and president Judy also outlined some strategies to tackle challenges we face in this profession. Jo argued that for us to make sure that we achieve our mission as information professionals, we need to connect to society and the people we serve. It is essential to highlight elements such as representativeness, diversity, and accessibility as some of the critical elements of a future profession of information professionals. Judy quoted Nick Poole, CEO of CILIP, to say that “professionalism is nothing without critical reflection”. We need to maintain a questioning attitude towards our profession and the values we hold, keeping in mind the interrelationships between our identity at an organisational, professional, and national level. By doing that, we continue to explore how we share experiences on different levels and improve our services. By doing that, we also ensure that we know what unites us as professionals and be comfortable in the culture that we drive to maintain.

On the other hand, speakers in the self-chosen sessions highlighted important issues that we should be working on. They discussed in detail what professionals have been doing and some practical actions that should be done in the future. Bridget McKenzie, Harri Sahavirta, and Petra Hauke (Dr) enlightened us on how librarianship is incorporated in local and foreign (Finnish and German) institutions to approach a green economy. It was interesting to learn how librarianship combines with the values of sustainability. In Bridget’s case, librarianship comes into play in her non-library roles such as a cultural manager and an activist in the Climate Change Museum. Her sharing inspired me to see the values and skills behind librarianship in a broad sense and their potential in contributing to unconventional careers. My curiosity to explore librarianship has grown. In Harri and Petra’s case, they actively pursue the goal of disseminating accurate environmental information and reducing energy consumption in their libraries with strategic planning. Reflecting on the potential ways in which libraries could contribute to making changes, I started to think of ways different roles within a library, including non-leadership roles, could participate.

Another self-chosen session that left me a strong impression was “The everyday activists of our profession who are driving change” led by Marilyn Clarke, Adenike Johnson, and Angela Short. Marilyn’s experience in advocating for decolonisation, particularly the “liberate my degree” campaign in the Goldsmith University of London, was felt by me as genuinely personal. A library led movement on this subject sounds new, but it makes logical sense since resources for learning are managed and partly curated by the library. According to Marilyn, diversifying collections and creating subject guides and reading lists representative of different cultures are some of the ways libraries could participate in combating a eurocentric curriculum.

Having studied in Hong Kong as the ethnic majority and in the UK as an ethnic minority, it felt strange to remind me of the two experiences studying in a eurocentric curriculum in two different identities. It is important to be aware that white supremacy in the history of higher education has left a legacy around the world. The changes we are trying to make are not merely about the local curriculum but the heavily biased idea of scholarship and wisdom. The journey in making changes could be a long one, but this is why informational professionals need to be always wary of the power of the resources we preserve, the resources we disseminate, and the resources we curate. We need to be careful of the power and be appreciative of it at the same time.

I hope to develop further the insights I got from the conference via discussions with fellow librarians and accumulate my experiences. I found the CILIP conference 2020 - Reimaged a great opportunity to understand different aspects of the library profession, a great starting point for me to imagine my future career, and a great encouragement for achieving the values we hold as information professionals. I am grateful to the Community, Diversity and Equality Group for sponsoring me to attend the conference.