CILIP Ireland was delighted to offer a bursary to the recent Edge Conference in Edinburgh to support the professional development of our members. The lucky recipient was Dr Mary-Ellen Lynn. Mary-Ellen is the Belfast City Area Manager at Libraries NI. Read Mary-Ellen’s conference report below.

I was delighted to attend the Edge Conference in Edinburgh on 13 and 14 March 2025 and I would like to preface this blog post by thanking CILIP Ireland for awarding me the bursary to facilitate my attendance.

It is worth nothing that I have shown remarkable restraint in writing this blog post; every single presentation was eye opening and inspiring – I certainly have come back enthused, reinvigorated and inspired by all of the exciting programs and projects that were shared with us; from hearing about the learning outcomes (refreshingly the ups and downs) of the recent renovation of Paisley library to Leeds Libraries’ innovative use of space to meet the needs of new audiences and purposes such as Wellbeing Pods in libraries for use by the NHS midwifery teams. From the innovative technological programming (harnessing the potential of AI) happening in Arapahoe Libraries to the National Library of Scotland’s co-curated and co-produced community research project on Andrew Watson – Scotland’s (and the world’s) first black international football captain) – which brought together young adult community curators from minority communities to develop research skills and information literacy, EDGE 2025 was testimony to the groundbreaking work that is currently taking place in our libraries globally.

One of the highlights of the conference for me was meeting Leslie Burger, Interim Executive Director of the American Library Association, whose plenary on libraries as transformational spaces was inspiring and thought provoking, particularly when she shared her experiences while working for Princeton public library. She spoke on the extraordinary change libraries have witnessed in recent years – positive technological advancement, the rise of eBooks, the power of social media as a communication tool to help us extend our reach to communities and the fact library spaces are constantly being reimagined to attract the younger generation. From a specifically American perspective, though, she spoke about the challenges faced by libraries at present. Polarisation has become a huge problem, and American citizens are increasingly frightened about their liberties. American libraries are threatened by funding decreases and library closures are being experienced. One of the takeaways for me was the role American libraries play in civil engagement – libraries are places of conversation, debate and democracy; and staff are informed, developed and supported to engage in these difficult but imperative conversations.

Probably the most rousing presentation was from Shamichael Hallman, director of Civic Health and Economic Opportunity at Urban Libraries Council who spoke on reimagining libraries as places which bridge divides, foster belonging and strengthen democracy. Hallman laid down his vision of libraries as a space to challenge segregated, polarised societies. With public trust in democratic institutions eroding, political polarisation deepening and barriers to participation (low income, colour, etc) increasing, misinformation being on the rise and social connections being in decline, the role of the public library has never been more crucial. The role of libraries as a space for civic education and renewal cannot be overstated. At the heart of his presentation was the question, ‘How much more resilient would people be if they strengthened their wellbeing and make connections?’ As library professionals, we all know that there is an epidemic of loneliness and isolation in our societies at large. The pandemic forced us to look more closely at the ramifications of social isolation and made us more astute to the fact that people need a culture of connection – and I personally think it is what libraries do well by creating that third space of opportunity for interconnectedness.

Hallman exhorted delegates to consider their ‘just cause’, their vision of a future library that does yet exist. He explained that, for libraries, this means envisioning spaces that not only provide access to information but actively strengthen the civic fabric of communities through intentional connection-building. He shared his belief that the ‘just cause’ for libraries should be:

1. Idealistic (bold and ambitious but ultimately achievable)
2. Resilient (able to endure social and technological change)
3. Service oriented (putting others first)
4. Inclusive (open to all who wish to contribute)
5. For something (optimistic and forward thinking)

Like Burger, he spoke about the realm of civic discourse, bringing communities together to talk about issues and having the calibre of staff who can engage in this work, informed and passionate in subject areas and issues affecting our societies (e.g. race, reproductive health, etc.). It was well posited that libraries cannot be neutral spaces – they need to stand for truth, justice and be prepared for the hard conversations.

Another highlight for me was Ned Potter’s presentation on public library social media in a post-Twitter world. Having read his book, The Library Marketing Toolkit, this was one of the talks that drew me to EDGE 2025. We all know that the social media landscape is more fragmented than ever, and it can be hard to decide where to hang our hat, but Potter presented some excellent takeaways which I’d like to share with you:

1. Facebook remains essential for libraries.
2. Instagram is the opportunity for libraries as it is where the millennials live and its use in the cultural sector is huge. It is important to use Instagram correctly: it is best used on the go, capturing moments as they happen, basically making people feel comfortable coming through our doors. When it comes to the grid – pictures of words do not work and are a waste of design time – people want to see behind the scenes, beautiful library spaces, people, books.
3. X is so toxic that it is arguably reputationally damaging for library professionals to be there.

When it comes to social media, Potter encourages us to aim high – after all, we are basically asking people to change their behaviour every time we post. We need to utilise these tools to articulate our values. Basically, the point of marketing is to represent our brand; that is, what people say about us when we are not in the room. To that end, “we need to tell the right people at the right time in the right way about what we have that they need.”

When it comes to how we go about our marketing via social media, the biggest takeaway for me was that consistency is overrated. Our social media does not need to be consistent in tone. Diversity is key and different voices are not only good but imperative if we want to attract all elements of society to our libraries. If social media has one corporate voice it risks having no personality at all. We are likely to reach more people with more voices. Library marketing can often be too staid – the challenge Potter presented at EDGE was to be creative and see how the community responds. The purpose of our marketing should always be to avoid blending in - we want to stand out.

Two notable projects were brought to our attention over the course of the conference that I would also like to share in this post before I bring things to a close:

1. Sunflower Dreams Project – The Sunflower Dreams Project: Art from Ukrainian Children | Little Hope Gallery

In Ukraine, since the invasion in February 2022, two artists – Natalia Pavliuk and her daughter Yustyna – have been bringing the healing power of art to hospitals, orphanages, and bomb shelters to help children work through trauma. The Sunflower Dreams Project is a volunteer-led initiative which works towards hosting the artwork of these Ukrainian children across Europe, the UK and North America to raise awareness and support for these young artists.

David Elley spoke passionately about his involvement in the project, talked about the pervading images and emblems running through their art and had many pieces exhibited as a testament to the strength, courage and resilience of Ukrainian children. David is always thrilled to hear from prospective exhibitors so please do reach out if this is something that you could facilitate in your libraries.

2. The Sudan Art and Design Library - SADL

Khalid Albaih joined the conference remotely to talk about the challenges he faces trying to establish a library for art and design in Sudan. Albaih, a political cartoonist, had a vision of setting up a library service in Sudan after spending time in Scandinavia where his experience of public libraries as integral to democracy and community was life changing. However, attempts to establish the library were halted when war broke out in Sudan and all the library’s books and resources were lost. Albaih and his team remain hopeful and committed to their mission of establishing the library and welcomes any assistance or advice from library leaders across the globe to see this vision fulfilled.

At the heart of Conference, a central observation ran clear – libraries are spaces of power and resistance. In fact, as Doctor Peter Mackay, Scotland’s Makar aptly stated in his ‘ode to libraries’ at the close of the Conference, “there’s a reason Gothic literature loves libraries”.