Maja Maricevic is awarded the Presidential Citation in recognition of her outstanding work as a driving force behind the evolution of the Green Libraries movement. 

Green Libraries has benefitted from an extraordinary scale of partnership amongst founding partners - Arts Council England, the British Library, Libraries Connected and Julie's Bicycle – and also excellent leadership from across all sectors of our profession.

Nevertheless, Maja’s contribution particularly stands out. She stepped in as the Chair of Green Libraries at a crucial time and has played a pivotal role in expanding the reach of what was initially a public libraries-focused initiative, to become the wider Green Libraries Campaign we see in place today. Demonstrating exceptional skills in partnership working, over the past 2 years as Chair, Maya has welcomed 6 new partners to the Green Libraries Campaign: SCONUL – the Society of College, National and University Libraries, CONUL – the Consortium of National and University Libraries, ASCEL - the Association of Senior Children's and Education Librarians, Research Libraries UK, the National Library of Scotland, and the Sustainability Community of Practice from NHS Libraries.  

At the British Library, now Director of Science and Improvement, Maja has also been at the centre of the British Library’s sustainability strategy.

Phil Bradley is awarded the Presidential Citation in recognition of his impact, across all sectors of the information industry, as a prominent educator and as a representative of the profession. 
Serving as President of CILIP not once but twice, Phil has shown unerring commitment to the profession. Well known to fellow members as an author and trainer, Phil has enabled generations of library and information professionals to build their knowledge and improve their skills, and inspired them to apply these to modernise the delivery of information services. 

Skilled in ‘unpacking’ complicated aspects of information science - specifically related to internet search, the use of AI tools and social media – Phil has run thousands of courses, and trained many tens of thousands of people, given countless talks, and visited more than 50 countries, sharing his skills across the world. Here in the United Kingdom he has taught at top universities, worked for blue chip companies, schools, charities, public and corporate libraries, and both Houses of Parliament.  

Widely published as a highly respected, authoritative voice focused on bridging the gap between digital literacy and education through the practical use of information technology, Phil has also represented the profession, speaking about the internet and library-related issues on national radio and television and in the press in the UK and overseas.

Dr. Carla Hayden is awarded the Presidential Citation in recognition of her distinguished career and her global influence as a role model.

An inspiration to librarians everywhere, Dr Hayden earned a place in history as the first woman and first African-American to serve as the Librarian of Congress. She led this world-renowned library, which is truly international in scope and service, for some nine years.  

A brilliant communicator, Dr Hayden started her career telling stories to autistic children at Chicago Public Library, soon moving on to lead services for children and young adults. Later, as Director of the public library system in Baltimore, Dr Hayden introduced innovative outreach services. Memorably demonstrating her commitment to community in the heightened atmosphere of the 2015 Baltimore riots, she made the decision to keep the public library open. I quote, "we knew that [people] would look for that place of refuge and relief and opportunity" – values which we all hold dear.  

Speaking in Oxford in March 2025 via livestream, Dr Hayden spoke eloquently about the importance of libraries as bastions of truth and centres of communities. She said: “Libraries are the great equaliser and when you have a free public library, in particular, you are providing an opportunity center for people of all walks of life. And you are giving them the opportunity to make choices on which information, entertainment, and inspiration means the most to them.” This encapsulates what brought so many of us into this profession.