Legal Research

CILIP - Vote for change

By scott

It’s election time in the world of our professional organisation ? CILIP. Regular readers will know I have quite strong opinions on CILIP and how it represents its members ? leading me a few years ago to let my membership lapse. I am still not a member. For that reason, if you are a member ? feel free to ignore what I am about to say, and take the quite valid view that if I’m not in it, I shouldn’t now be about to say why I think you should vote and who I feel can help bring about a CILIP that would re-attract me to sign up once again.

CILIP is meant to represent those working in public libraries, university libraries, school libraries, specialist libraries, private sector libraries, librarians and information workers of all types. This is not easy to do and over the last few years when I have spoken to friends who work in these various sectors most have felt that CILIP spends too much time on sectors that are not their own and/or see it as being too SE England and London centric.

At a time where are profession faces one of its hardest battles (including questions by many on the outside of why you need a qualification ‘to stamp books’) we desperately need an organisation that is prepared to make itself heard.

In the candidates standing for council and vice president this time around I, at last, see reason for hope. All Five people standing for CILIP Council and the two VP candidates would I’m sure bring some of the qualities that CILIP needs if it is to survive. To quote candidate, Andy Dawson: “we need to re-evaluate what CILIP is trying to do and who it is trying to represent. We cannot afford to keep the old blinkers on when our relevance is being increasingly questioned ? often even by those who should be our core members.” Fellow candidate Katy Wrathall adds: “People don?t understand what we do. The profession is at a crossroads which can either lead to a better understanding and recognition of what we do, or a gradual oblivion. CILIP must be central to ensuring we take the former route.” Gareth says: “It is no longer time for silence in the libraries, but for us to shout from the roof top. No voice should be louder and more regarded than our professional body. ”

So who do I think would best help to bring CILIP kicking and screaming into meeting the true needs of all its members and being a beacon to the profession?

With five candidates and four posts open on the council, it seems a shame that one of the five is going to lose, the field is that strong. However, if I had a vote to cast this time around and could only pick two people, I would go for Gareth Johnson and Katy Wrathall. This is nothing against the three other candidates ,but it is because through blogging and Twitter I am more broadly aware of their wider views and feel that both would help bring about the kind of change that would make me want to rejoin CILIP (although I’m not promising anything guys).

For the same reason I would favour Phil Bradley over Edwina Smart in the vote for Vice President.

Edwina sounds like a fascinating character, and I have to say she is obviously also an expert campaigner, as her statement ends with the wonderful slogan: Vote wisely - vote Smart (seriously Phil, if you don’t win, you need to work on a slogan for next time). However, my choice would be Phil, because I know Phil. I first encountered him through blogging and indeed he was one of the reasons I began doing so myself. He seemed to me then, as now, someone who recognized that libraries, librarians and information professions in general need support at all levels and that their professional body should be leading use into the future and not following us out of the past.

The point being, whilst you don’t necessarily have to use Twitter, Facebook etc yourself you do need to know what they are and why others DO use them. Too often over the last ten years as the web2.0 bubble expanded, CILIP essentially pretended it was something other people did. Not good enough.[To be fair to CILIP there has been a big improvement on this front in the last 12 months] This doesn’t mean jumping on every bandwagon for the sake of it, but when the ‘cost’ of doing so in nothing or next to nothing you have little to lose by dipping your foot in the water.

So, if you are a CILIP member I’d urge you to vote. [Who know’s you may help bring me back into the fold - although on second thoughts you might want to avoid that …]

I’ll leave the final words to Phil ” CILIP needs to lead and advocate by example - it should not be afraid to try new things, highlighting what works and what doesn?t. I want to draw attention to the good, enthuse the average and help improve the poor.”

Full post as published by Information Overload on October 19, 2010 (boomark / email).