CILIP Conference and Expo is taking shape, with a new look and feel. After two years as a virtual event, this year’s conference returns to an in-person event, giving CILIP members and the wider information professional community the chance to meet up and share ideas.

CILIP Conference and Expo takes place in Liverpool this summer. Rob Green looks at what you can expect from the event and speakers. To book an early bird place visit CILIP Conference website.

Place and space will be an important part of this year’s event, which takes place in Liverpool on 7 and 8 July, as delegates, speakers and exhibitors look to make the most of being under one roof again. There are new collaborative areas to encourage new professional connections and the exchange of ideas and best practice.

A central Conference and Expo area will serve as a meeting point for delegates, giving them the chance to network with colleagues, meet with exhibitors, discover the latest tech, and connect to CILIP and its network of Special Interest Groups and regional representatives. There will be informal networking opportunities and conversation zones, as well a series of event spaces to help delegates discover as much of conference as possible.

Sustainable futures

Sustainability is a central theme of this year’s Conference and Expo, highlighting the growing role of libraries, information and knowledge management in helping to secure a more sustainable future. Keynote Speaker Professor Jacqueline McGlade will cast a light on her research, which looks at “knowledge systems that express the dynamics of our planet, its ecosystems, geophysical processes and interactions that human societies have with the natural world to survive and prosper”.

Emma Noyce, Assistant Director, Culture and Information Services at Hampshire Council; Rowan Williamson, Associate Director Library Services and Support at University of the Arts London; and Richard Gaston, Head of Knowledge and Research at Addleshaw Goddard, will be hosting a session exploring the journey to net zero and looking at how the information and knowledge professions can deliver solutions for cutting carbon use.

The Green Manifesto is a joint project between CILIP, Libraries Connected, Arts Council England (ACE) and the British Library, which looks to set out ways in which public libraries can work with partners and communities to tackle global warming. CILIP’s Rabeea Arif will be joined by Sue Williamson, Director, Libraries at ACE; Sarah Mears MBE, Programmes Manager at Libraries Connected; and the British Libraries’ Head of Higher Education and Science Maja Maricevic for the official launch of the manifesto.

The venue has also been working hard to reduce its environmental impact, with a range of carbon-cutting measures already in place – including 100 per cent renewable energy use, zero waste to landfill, solar panels to generate electricity, and rainwater harvesting helping to cut water use by 40 per cent.

New Voices, Big Ideas

Binni Brynolf, Digital Resources Librarian, at The Royal Institute of ¬International Affairs, will be hosting this spotlight session for new voices. The session is an opportunity for people new to conference speaking to share their ideas on the theme of “What is sustainability”. Six speakers will be invited to present a lightning talk to conference, and applications are open now. The aim is to identify emerging voices in the profession and to share new and thought-provoking perspectives. The six speakers selected for session will each have five minutes to discuss their Big Idea, with an opportunity to answer questions.

Anyone interested in speaking in the sessions should send a video or short statement introducing themselves and explaining what they want to talk about and why. Entries are open until 2 May and should be emailed to Events, marked Lightning Talks Application. CILIP is particularly keen to hear from people who have never spoken at a conference before, and are looking for a representative group of speakers bringing a broad variety of perspectives and experience to these lightning talks. Those chosen will receive a free delegate place for the day.

Keynotes for 2022

Three keynotes have now been confirmed, with Sayf Al Ashqar, Krystal Vittles and Professor Jacqueline McGlade all joining this year’s Conference and Expo.

Sayf Al Ashqar

Sayf Al Ashqar is Secretary General of Libraries at Iraq’s University of Mosul. In 2014 the library at the University of Mosul was destroyed by Islamic State (IS) fighters, who burnt it to the ground after occupying the Iraqi city. The library re-opened in February of this year and Dr Sayf Al Ashqar will explain how staff have resurrected the library, reflecting a new hope for the city after IS forces were forced out of the city.

Professor Jacqueline McGlade

Professor Jacqueline McGlade is Professor of Natural Prosperity, Sustainable Development and Knowledge Systems at UCL. Her research focuses on sustainability and environmental impact and how data and knowledge systems can be used to deliver climate change actions that help the planet and provide prosperity for all. Sayf Al Ashqar.

Krystal Vittles is Deputy Chief Executive Officer at Suffolk Libraries. She will be looking ahead to the post-Covid future, and how services can focus on recovery and growth in a new era of relevance and visibility for libraries.

To book an early bird place visit CILIP Conference website