ILIG committee members - CILIP: the library and information association

ILIG committee members

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Lesley Pitman – Chair

I became Chair in January 2022, having joined the Committee following my early retirement as Librarian of the UCL School of Slavonic and East European Studies in November 2017. I worked there for almost 30 years, and for nine of those years I also served as Chair of COSEELIS (the Council for Slavonic and East European Libraries and Information Services, giving me the opportunity to work with colleagues from across the world. At UCL I was also involved in helping to set up and support an overseas campus in the Gulf. My first professional post was at Chatham House, then known as the Royal Institute of international Affairs, where I was responsible for the collections on Russia and the United Nations. In 2015 I published a book called Supporting Research in Area Studies, a guide for academic libraries. Further details of that and other publications can be found on my Humanities Commons page.

Recently I have been keeping up my interest in international library matters by writing it, and I can be found on BlueSky as @lesleypitman.bsky.social

Aidan Baker - Vice Chair

Retired Member, formerly Librarian of Haddon Library of Archaeology and Anthropology in Cambridge. I served on the Committee of ILIG (and its predecessor, IGLA) from 1993 to 2008, and rejoined in 2016. I am currently serving as Vice-Chair.

I am also signed up to the Academic and Research Libraries Group, the Publicity and Public Relations Group, and the Rare Books Group. I am on CILIP’s list of mentors.

Away from libraries, I am active in the organisation Global Justice Now, which campaigns politically on rich world / poor world questions. I sing tenor in the Cambridge Philharmonic Society choir, and do much of the society’s tweeting. I worship in St Matthew's church, Cambridge. I have taken part in writing projects organised by the group 26 Characters, and published poems in numerous outlets including the magazines Orbis and Popshot. I blog my published poetry, and my assignments for things that require assignments to be completed as blog posts, at www.blurtmetry.blogspot.co.uk.

Anna Jablkowska - Committee Member

This is Anna's beautiful dog, Tamino, taken outside the Royal Albert Hall. Formerly CILIP ILIG’s Secretary.

Sarah Brain - Secretary

Current Secretary of CILIP ILIG (2025 - ). Formerly, Joint Honorary Treasurer (2019 - 2024). I value the important work of the Committee in creating an international community of librarians across borders. In my day job I am a Subject Librarian for Economics, Finance and Management and spend much of my time helping international students to access the information they need for their studies.

Sally Bell - Treasurer

Phil Segall - Social Media

I have been a member of the committee since 2014 and am the former Editor of CILIP ILIG’s journal, Focus on International Library and Information Work.

The international aspect of librarianship has been a passion of mine ever since I attended a summer school event at Stuttgart Media University in 2010. I have volunteered with some excellent projects working across borders, for instance as Data Officer for the International Librarian Network. I completed five tours with the amazing Cycling for Libraries too, taking me across much of Europe and part of Canada as well! I participated in a staff exchange to the USA (Michigan, Illinois and Wisconsin) and have attended library conferences abroad. One example is the First International Conference on Green Libraries in Croatia, with sustainability being another key interest of mine.

Thanks to support from CILIP in the form of a John Campbell Trust Bursary, I attended my first IFLA World Library and Information Congress in 2018 in Malaysia. Through my experiences of collaborating with library colleagues around the world, I continue to work to highlight the importance of a global outlook for our profession.

Jamie Finch - Digital Champion (Website & Social Media)

Proud Fellow of CILIP, career Business Librarian, and former CILIP ILIG Chair 2019-2021.. From glorious Cymru (Current Chair CILIP Cymru Wales) but with a global library view.

Alice Tyler - Committee Member

Haider Ali - Event Coordinator

With over two decades of global experience in library and information management, I bring enthusiasm and expertise to my role as Event Coordinator for the International Library and Information Group (ILIG). I earned an MLIS in 1997 and an MBA in 2002 from the University of the Punjab, launching my career in healthcare library management that same year. Since then, I have held international positions as a global librarian and knowledge specialist, focusing on academic libraries, research support, and knowledge dissemination.

MI have led projects on institutional repositories, digital archiving, digital libraries, and data analysis as an INASP Research Fellow at Ticer, Tilburg University. Additionally, I have presented research internationally, supported by scholarships to the USA. Since moving to the UK in 2021, I have worked within the NHS and affiliated academic institutions. I focus on supporting learners, ensuring access to critical resources, and promoting academic success. In 2024, I joined ILIG as an Event Organiser, where I connect individuals with knowledge through innovative information management and resource accessibility. I aim to deliver impactful events for CILIP while fostering best practices and networking opportunities in global librarianship.

Gill Swales - Committee Member

After starting my career in Government and University libraries, most of my career has been spent in Children’s and Schools Library Services management in Scotland, latterly for Live Borders and Scottish Borders Council. I have been involved in a lot of development and partnership work in the Early Years field, as one of the Co-ordinators of the Scottish Early Years Bookbug programme, and a member of the Libraries Early Years Strategy Group (Scotland).

I have worked with some of the Scottish Book Festivals, including the Edinburgh International Book Festival and its outreach programme. I organised events at the Borders Book Festival, as well as launching a linked writing competition for young people, Write On!

I was also on the committee that helped set up the annual Book Festival in Wigtown, Scotland’s Book Town, as part of the International Book Town movement.

Since retirement as well as ILIG I am on the committee of YLG (Scotland).

Joanne Fitzpatrick - Editor - Focus

I began on the committee in late 2022 and I am the editor of Focus. I work at Lancaster University Library as the Research Data Manager, where I have experience supporting the international campuses, and in 2020 I won Lancaster University’s International Impact Award for my bibliometric work with world rankings. I am also one of the CILIP125 - a list of emerging leaders in the sector.

I have previous editorial experience on The Bibliomagician blog, and I'm currently a peer reviewer on the editorial board of JLSC (Journal of Librarianship and Scholarly Communication) and manage the communications for EBLIP (Evidence Based Library and Information Practice).

Premila Gamage - Committee Member

I am a Chartered Librarian with more than 35 years of work experience in university and research libraries in Sri Lanka. I hold a PhD in Information Management from Leeds Metropolitan University, UK.

As an active and keen worker for IFLA I served in various sections and committees of including the Governing Board of IFLA. As an Accredited Trainer of IFLA, I have conducted a number of workshops on training for librarians in Lebanon, India, Nepal and ASEAN countries on various topics including Leadership. Currently I am a member of IFLA’s Standing Committees of Asia and Oceania Section and Library Theory and Research.

I have held many posts within the Sri Lankan Library Association and co-ordinated the numerous internationally funded tsunami affected library projects which included funding from CILIP. With the financial support of CDG, CILIP I initiated a library development project at Macaldeniya Tamil School which is located in a very remote city in Sri Lanka.

I was the first Sri Lankan to be awarded the Honorary Fellowship of CILIP for my efforts to extend library and information services to youth in the remote regions of Sri Lanka and fostering their education. As a Guest Member of ILIG I am looking forward to work - learn - share.