This was my first CILIP conference as a member of the LIRG committee and I was very excited to be on our stand and meeting delegates. It was also the first time I’d met some of my fellow committee members in person as we’ve been meeting on Zoom since I joined. We had post-its and pens to give away as well as a competition to win a place at one of our future events and were very pleased with the engagement from delegates. We did have chocolates too but I’m sure that’s not the only reason people came to talk to us.

From fab keynotes and networking opportunities to interesting sessions it was two days well spent. I also tweeted on behalf of LIRG at the conference so if you want to know more follow us on Twitter @cilipLIRG and look for tweets with #CILIPConf22

Key take aways from the Conference:

• When you lose access to knowledge you lose the ability to think for yourself (Sayf Al Ashqar Secretary General of Libraries, University of Mosul, Iraq – opening keynote day 1). This was an inspirational keynote telling the story of the rebuilding of the library after the destruction by ISIS.
• University presses have an important role to play in open access publishing and the global impact is the most compelling reason for Deans to back such a venture (Dr Paul Ayris, UCL, breakout session on Open Knowledge, Open Science)
• Intellectual freedom and censorship is a thorny issue but CILIPs new policy is aiming to provide help to information professionals on this issue. If you want to get involved in the consultation more information here: https://www.cilip.org.uk/general/custom.asp?page=intellectualfreedom (Intellectual Freedom and Libraries, a policy consultation – breakout session)
• We are all continuing to learn, if you think you’ve learnt it all as a librarian it could be time to move on or out (Krystal Vittles, Deputy CEO of Suffolk Libraries – closing keynote, day 1), full of energy and a great speaker, couldn’t have had anyone better for an end of the day keynote when we were all starting to flag.
• COVID affected our emotional responses, heightening them and making rational policy decision-making about big issues more difficult (Professor Jacqueline McGlade, Professor of Natural Prosperity, Sustainable Development and Knowledge Systems at UCL – opening keynote day 2)
• Information Literacy teaching and resources need to adapt to include new/different concepts and skills in order to be sustainable into the future, including open research topics (Karen Veitch, University of Strathclyde – part of the New Voice, Big Ideas breakout session)
• The IFLA storytelling manual helps you to present your value and impact to stakeholders. More information here: https://librarymap.ifla.org/storytelling-manual (Evidence Impact with IFLA’s Storytelling Manual, breakout session)
• Anyone can make data driven decisions, they just need training - Amy’s book “Data Driven Decisions” aims to address this by providing a toolkit for people new to data, but also for managers (or data lovers) to work with others to develop them (Amy Stubbing, University of Westminster)

The final session of the conference gave a number of speakers the opportunity to talk about what CILIP means to them and how being a part of CILIP has supported them in their careers, whatever stage they are at. This was a really positive end to two days of interesting conversations around all aspects of the information profession. If you’ve not attended a CILIP conference before maybe check it out next year and look out for bursary opportunities to help with attendance. As a special interest group we were able to offer a bursary place to the conference this year and you’ll be hearing about our winner’s conference experience in a future blog post.

The CILIP Conference + Expo (7-8 July, Liverpool) is one of the largest and most eagerly anticipated events in the library and information sector and LIRG can offer one full delegate place with one night’s accommodation as a bursary place. Please note travel expenses are NOT included in the CILIP bursary place.

For the first time in three years, the event will be in person, and will be taking advantage of all the benefits of meeting face-to-face. The sessions will encourage free-flowing conversations, collaborations with like-minded professionals, the sharing of ideas and experiences, as well as being packed with practical tips and inspiring presentations. 

CILIP Conference + Expo brings together around 500 professionals from across the sector to share experiences, knowledge and expertise. The keynote speakers include Professor Jacqueline McGlade, Sayf Al Ashqar, and Vanessa Kisuule. The programme is being finalised but you can see an outline of the session content here. Keep up to date by following @CILIPConf22.

To submit your application for the bursary place, please email a 100 word statement to Cath Dishman supporting why you should be selected to attend on behalf of LIRG and in particular how the conference could support you in your research and/or practice.

The deadline for applications is Monday 25^th April.

The winning statement will be selected from a panel of LIRG Committee members. The winner will be expected to attend both days of the conference and write a blog post for the LIRG blog after the event.

We are particularly interested in hearing from people who have never been to the CILIP Conference + Expo before, and who wouldn’t ordinarily be able to go.

LIRG will have a stand in the exhibition hall, so remember to come and say hello, find out about our event schedule and see you can get involved with our projects.

Alternatively, early bird discounts are available until 27th May and you can book these directly on the CILIP Conference website. Remember to log in to the CILIP website before booking so that it recognises your membership status and offers you the correct delegate rate.