A practical highlight was the opportunity to discuss ‘The Digital Pivot’ to online teaching. If you missed this session, I definitely recommend a catch-up viewing! Some really insightful and helpful tips were shared by IPs from Open University and University of Dublin, who have much experience in teaching online. The sharing of skills amongst colleagues was clearly valued by its attendees, and the feel for the whole session was encouraging. A take-home message was that the ‘Pivot’ was a ‘change in strategy, not a change in vision’.

Kester: The day itself was sadly lost on me due to illness, so the first major highlight for me was that the online platform allowed me to go back and see all the sessions.

Picking just one highlight is a challenge but Libraries for Sustainability was a brilliant session, with lots of ideas within those presentations which could be explored in our professional and personal lives. What impressed me the most, and has made me go back and re-watch this session more than once, was that the three speakers looked at these crucial issues from very distinct but complementary ways, from the role of the arts, culture and imagination from Bridget McKenzie, through the IFLA case studies presented by Petra Hauke through to Harry Sahavirta who emphasised the imperative of libraries to share the responsibility of examining procedures, infrastructure and partnerships to reduce their impact on the environment as well as their vital role of tackling misinformation.

Whilst this session was my particular highlight, I must give special mention to the fantastic input from public libraries throughout the conference. The majority of my library career has been spent in public libraries and this ended three months after the country went into lockdown. The presentation, Public Libraries Save Lives was very emotive for me; the recollections of the day by day changes leading up to lockdown naturally caused me to reflect on our libraries’ closure on Friday 20th March. The experiences I had that week, speaking to vulnerable service users, disoriented and perplexed by the closure, were very difficult. That week is my last memory of being in a public library building. The panellists drew on the very things that made me so proud to work in public libraries and the many ways those services touch lives in so many powerful ways. The name of this session is no word of an exaggeration.

Other speakers from public libraries, such as Bruce Leeke, who spoke from Suffolk Libraries did a fantastic job of reminding us of the incredible role libraries play in society. Angela Short spoke brilliantly about digital exclusion, especially since the advent of Universal Credit. Again, this work saves lives but remains largely unseen by those who aren’t affected. I was really pleased to see the conference providing a platform to tell these stories and pull no punches.

Binni Brynolf chairing the New Voices session

Can you describe one thing you came across during the conference that you will take back to your work/study?

Jenny: Covid-19 has had an immense impact on the way that libraries interact with our readers. CILIP2020 has reminded me that, although many of us are still ‘working from home’ we are not alone. I found it reassuring to hear how colleagues have been experiencing similar feelings of tiredness, insecurity, self doubt and anxiety. More importantly I heard how they (like me) found ways to combat these fears. How many found it exhilarating to be able to connect to our readers in new and different ways. Living alone and having switched to working from home is a massive change. This conference gave me the opportunity to chat with colleagues about their experiences and reassured me that many had experienced the same thoughts of isolation. I felt part of a community and it was a good feeling.

Katrina:
I will take the ‘Teach Back’ technique back to my work. In context of health information and how we can ensure people have understood the health information they are receiving. Steps to Teach Back are:

1. Communicator takes responsibility
2. Tell me
3. Re-explain as needed
4. Continue until both happy with understanding

(As presented by Ruth Carlyle in the session entitled Empowered digital citizens - The role of librarians and knowledge specialists in building health and digital literacy.

Pippa: Both Judy Broady-Preston and Richard Ovenden encouraged us to take a ‘broad perspective’ to the Knowledge & Information Profession, and I would agree that a holistic and reflective outlook is extremely important for us to take back to our work, and something that I shall keep firmly in mind.

A broad perspective can apply to our view of ourselves, and of the role of ourselves and others within our teams. Judy warns against ‘defining roles too narrowly for these times’, hinting ‘over-specialism’ might not allow us to cope well with change and cuts, or maintaining relevance. Developing our skills in their breadth as well as depth, and collaborating cross sector to learn and build your network will increase our professional flexibility and resilience. Richard echoed this: ‘cross sector learning and building a broad professional network… is something that people often say has been a key pillar of support in their careers’. This was a good reminder as an emerging IP, to grow wider as well as deeper in my CPD. Strategies planned include remembering the scope of the information profession whilst networking, and the value of cross-fertilising ideas and skills. Incorporating some cross-sector professional volunteering will be a good way to achieve this.

A holistic view to tackling work tasks and problems can assist practical future-proofing… or, in other words, a well thought through ‘just in case’ might become a ‘thank goodness for that’ in a few months’ time! Considering a broad perspective in potential users and uses of our services and information promotes, for example, building in accessibility to teaching tools from the start; or arguing the case for retaining currently ‘superficially redundant’ metadata which may be of use in future systems. This is difficult, when working in a fast paced, stressful time and environment, fighting fires constantly; but, a good reminder to take a step back, breath and think: how will this work?

A final take-back thought, reflecting all the ethics, values, holistic perspective above and the strong sentiments expressed in the lightning talks, would be: look out for each other’s mental health (and your own). Many IPs are on the front line of providing vital, undervalued services, whilst others are solo home-working, frustrated and lonely. CILIP is addressing tough issues, such as professional diversity and equality, but these issues also stir deep feelings. Whilst we are busy providing our services, check in with each other and maintain your networks for support. The community feel at the conference was high, and I hope that it grows stronger.

Kester: There was so much to be learnt in this conference, and I hope to attend physically in the future. For me at this time, I will draw as much as I possibly can from the speakers on green librarianship and aim to ensure that our processes are as sustainable as possible whilst working with colleagues, partner organisations and the public to inform, educate and inspire action.

Tracie D. Hall talking about "Information Redlining: The Urgency to Close the Socioeconomic Divide and the Role of Libraries as Lead Interveners"

If you were to encourage a colleague to apply for a similar bursary, what would you say?

Jenny:I would strongly recommend anyone trying for this type of bursary. Writing a short piece about why it would be useful is really not difficult – you only need to look at the programme to realise how valuable events like this are. In addition to the presentations - the networking opportunities, even online, can be incredibly useful. I have often picked up new inspiration from the networking sessions, as people bring their own ideas, generated by the talks they have attended. This year’s conference was particularly exciting as it was all online – I felt a little intimidated at the complexity of the platform – but was welcomed on arrival and there were ‘live chat’ guides available to help point me in the right direction. EXCELENT EXPERIENCE. Thank you very much again for giving me the bursary.

Katrina:I would encourage folks to apply for a bursary by telling them of my past bursary adventures which include attending the 109th American Medical Library Association in annual meeting in Honolulu, Hawaii, in May 2009. Total attendance was 1,425 Medical Librarians. An incredible experience that I would otherwise never have been able to access and all thanks to a bursary I applied for from the CILIP Health Libraries Group. Go for it, you have nothing to lose in applying!

Pippa: Go for it! The bursary allowed me the chance to do something that I would not otherwise have been financially viable, which has in turn opened up opportunities and allowed me to make contacts. Even the process of constructing the application was a helpful exercise – writing funding applications is a valuable skill!

The tricky health situation faced globally as forced much interaction online: but this creates the ability to attend events by circumventing some logistical issues, and travel virtually all over the world! Changing costs means some bursaries can be offered more cost-effectively. Keep looking for opportunities, both to attend and present at events, and definitely apply for anything that inspires your interest!

Kester: I would certainly recommend anybody working in libraries to apply for a bursary to attend this conference. Wherever you work in the profession there will be so much to learn. With such a diverse range of speakers, you can’t help but come away feeling inspired and proud to be part of a profession that plays such a vital role in so many parts of our society. At a time like this where people are living and working more in isolation than ever, this has been a really timely reminder for me of the important work we are all doing.