In many ways 2020 has been a year of disappointments, yet it has also offered up opportunities that otherwise might not have been possible. For instance, I had the chance to attend my very first annual CILIP Conference. The event was fully virtual and held on the Pheedloop platform; really exciting!

In my opinion, you could not have had a more inspirational opening speaker than Bodley's Librarian Richard Ovenden. The depth of his expertise and enthusiasm for the preservation of knowledge would move even the most stoic of listeners. His speech reminded me of the importance of the archival aspect of our profession and the immense responsibility that comes with it (slides from Richard’s presentation). Whilst I was always fascinated by the beauty of old books, and the rarity of archive items, I had never previously regarded librarians as frontline fighters for the preservation of truth. Given the opportunity, I could have listened to Richard for hours, completely fascinated and submerged in the journey through history. I was so inspired by his speech that I rushed to order his book in the lunch break.

In the past, I had imagined the CILIP conference to be a congregation of highbrow professionals radiating knowledge and authority. I remember at the start of my career, my manager offered me a place at one of the CILIP conferences in London: I read about it and refused. I did not feel confident enough to talk to the imposing people I imagined, with their immense expertise and stream of letters after their names. What could I bring to the conversation working as I did as a library assistant in a rural school? But how wrong I was!

One of my favourite things about the event, even virtually, was the way the cross-sectoral discussions between information professionals of all ranks continued well after the conference came to an end. A short conversation with CILIP President, Professor Judy Broady-Preston, during one of the breaks, was an excellent example of how approachable members were. I noted the importance of such short debates and wondered if face-to-face events offered even more of an opportunity for them. To be honest, everybody – the CILIP representatives, the speakers, delegates and the exhibitors at the conference were incredibly friendly and supportive, and the whole experience was relaxed, yet enriching.

Another revelation was the New Voices – Big Ideas selection of short presentations that I chose to listen to (presentations from this session). The fact that some of the speakers were on the first step of their career ladder and had already made their way to addressing such a big audience made me think: “If they can do it, anybody can do it – I can do it!” The young professionals gave plenty of food for thought, but what I liked most was the different angles of approach to ideas that I have tried to execute in the past. The presentations of Alison King and Kimberley Lawson were personally closest to my heart as they both work in schools and often encounter problems similar to those in our library. I liked Kimberley’s practical tips on introducing a staffroom reading club, and Alison’s original idea of creating a CILIP mental health support hub, especially in the current COVID-dominated time.

In contrast, the elaborate presentations in the Digital Pivot session provided mental stimulation in areas completely unfamiliar to me ( presentations from this session). I wrote down several innovative ideas offered by Dr Fulton and Dr McGuinness, such as introducing digital badges for learners, a student led digital advice page and “virtual field trips” aimed at developing reflective skills in students. And, whilst I now realise that many of them would be difficult to apply in a school, it gave me a massive range of new information to learn, and list of new technologies and platforms to explore. They underlined some details that must be considered when designing synchronous or asynchronous lessons, which for me – a novice in digital teaching, were very important. After the conference, I also spent a considerable amount of time exploring the case studies Shifting your IL teaching online gathered by the CILIP Information Literacy Group, which contained a vast amount of pioneering ideas that could be applied in the day-to-day work of a school librarian.

I was astonished with the power of Jo Cornish’s passion for cultivating highly qualified information professionals – a “new generation of leaders” who will drive the profession forward (slides from Jo’s presentation). She emphasised the importance of Professional Registration and highlighted the role of CILIP in advocating the value of our jobs as well as being an institution that will unite us all. “United, proud and strong…” – those are the three words that I copied from Jo’s slide, which clearly underline her stand for pride in the profession. Jo was also a member of the panel in the Future-proof yourself session, where she, alongside her colleagues, gave some useful tips and advice for those of us embarking on the path to Professional Registration.

The eye-opening speech of Tracie D Hall, Executive Director of the American Libraries Association, on information redlining and her fight against information poverty left me truly humbled (slides from Tracie’s presentation). Tracie used the recent Deutsche Bank study to show the devastating correlation between the spread of COVID-19 and the access to information of the poorest citizens. The study also demonstrated a “racial tech gap” leading to an unemployment abyss, with Black and Hispanic Americans lingering ten years behind the digital white population. Tracie highlighted that the UN identified Universal Broadband and all-inclusive access to information as a central goal, which, however, by the opinion of some experts is still 30 years away from its accomplishment. She talked about “The Third Great Wave of Library Services” with information scientists at the forefront in eradicating the digital literacy gap and called for the mobilisation of all information professionals to secure the “fifth” freedom – the freedom to read!

For me, the CILIP conference was a breath of fresh air, especially after months of tough restrictions and the currently overwhelming workload we face in schools due to COVID-related regulations. I joined the conference aiming to broaden my understanding of other sectors and create connections with fellow professionals. I received all of this in abundance.

I found the most difficult task prior to the conference was choosing which sessions to attend, since every single one of them seemed interesting to me. Ultimately, I still hope to be able to attend a traditional, face-to-face CILIP Conference, however, having it on a virtual platform gave the participants the incredible opportunity for a retrospective view of all the sessions. And my plan for the first few days of the Christmas break is to watch them at my leisure with a bucket of popcorn!

Perhaps, in the future, CILIP should continue to record such events in full enabling them to be watched again, and to share and spread the wisdom of such conventions to a larger audience.

Natalia Ward,
Librarian
Pocklington School

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