125 years since we received our Royal Charter from Queen Victoria, 2023 has been a year of advocacy, action, and new beginnings for CILIP.

To celebrate this century and a quarter of Royal Chartership, we created the CILIP 125, a group of 125 cross-sector librarians and info-pros who have shown outstanding work and talent in our field, that were announced CILIP’s leadership-focussed conference in July.

We continued our advocacy work for school libraries through the Great School Libraries campaign, with the “Equal Futures” report, published in collaboration with other sector bodies.

In July, CEO, Nick Poole joined leading writer, poet, former Childrens Laureate, broadcaster and columnist Michael Rosen and Margaret Greenwood MP (Wirral West, LAB) in the first of a series of events to engage MPs and make sure every child has access to a great school library.

In January CILIP launched Welcome to Libraries an induction pack that supports new librarians as they start out on their careers.

And in early spring, we completed our long-awaited move into the British Library, putting us in the heart of one of the world’s most historic library institutions.

As we celebrated 125 years of Royal Chartership, 33 library and information professionals attained chartership from CILIP, and six candidates received certification this year.

The Yoto Carnegies engaged at least 37,000 children in their shadowing programme, inspiring a new generation of readers.

Facet Publishing published 14 titles, including Lets Roll that brought tabletop gaming into libraries as a guide for the uninitiated, and The Scholarly Communication Handbook, the first in a new range of books aimed at academic librarians.

Our Green Libraries Partnership (now known as the Green Libraries Campaign) held its inaugural conference that brought 100s of professionals from local authorities and libraries from across the UK into discussions on the importance and impact of libraries during the climate crisis.

Green Libraries week inspired more than 250 libraries across the UK to lead on green activities and raising environmental awareness and sparking action at a grass roots level.

AI made the headlines on an almost regular basis in 2023 and our new Libraries Rewired conference was a sell-out success. The one-day event showcased tech solutions and got delegates and exhibitors talking about the future of libraries.

Managing safe and inclusive Services went live in September and provides public librarians with a practical guide for public librarians with a clear decision-making framework when dealing with complex and challenging issues.

CILIP’s sector-leading magazine, Information Professional published 10 editions covering everything from archives to Knowledge and Information management, showcasing the diversity and depth of our profession.

Free for members, a selection of interviews and features are always shared on the CILIP website and social media.

The CILIP news and Blog contains all the latest research, advocacy, tools and resources that took place in 2023, including Workforce Mapping, Know your Rights, AI thought pieces, CILIP Wales and Ireland Advocacy campaigns, CILIP Pathways. And so much more visit now: