CAN WE AFFORD NOT TO HAVE LIBRARIES?

Part of my weekend was spent catching up on my professional reading which included the Read On Get On campaign report, published by Save the Children http://www.savethechildren.org.uk/sites/default/files/docs/Read_On_Get_On.pdf – it makes for a rather depressing read. A lot of the evidence I already knew about but some of the research was commissioned especially for the report so it’s useful to have up-to-date statistics. And seeing everything put together in one document like this really brings home the situation regarding the appalling literacy levels of children in the UK.

25% of children at age 11 are not reaching the expected levels of literacy for their age. If you break this figure down into demographics, the highest number is white British boys in the low-income bracket (45%). The gender difference is one of the widest in the developed world and one of the things I found most shocking was the variance in language development of children aged three years, with the gap between the poorest families and those in the high income bracket being 17 months. There's more but I'll leave you to find that out ...

All these translate into problems in adulthood and impact on poverty, crime, well-being and unemployment. Another statistic for you to think about: 47% of adults with low literacy levels have problems reading the instructions on their medication.

And, as the report says, after 150 years of compulsory primary education, it cannot be business as usual because that’s not working. We are failing our children.

So what is the answer? Fortunately the report realises that this problem needs to be addressed regardless of which political party is in power and it has come up with four key areas of focus:

·         To create and celebrate the enjoyment of reading in all our communities

·         To support very young children in their language development before they start school

·         To provide support and information for parents

·         To support and enable teachers and schools

The aim of the campaign is to have all 11 years olds at a literacy level of 4b by the year 2025; it is an ambitious project but one that needs to be tackled and a paper is being produced ahead of the general election detailing what action is needed to address these four points. One thing I hope is recognised is the important role that professional librarians and libraries can play in this campaign. Librarians have skills and expertise that can feed into every single one of those four drivers; indeed many of us are already working in these areas from delivering rhyme times to babies in public libraries to promoting reading for pleasure across the school curriculum. To ignore this would be to waste a valuable and unique resource and, if we seriously want to address the issue of low literacy levels, then we should all be working together.

A final note: the report talks about the fact that it isn’t just disadvantaged children and adults who are affected by low literacy levels but that there is an economic cost to the country and new analysis has been carried out to assess this. These results show, based on a cautious scenario, that if the UK had taken action in recent decades to ensure children were reading well by age 11, then the GDP could have been around £13.8 billion higher in 2014, with an optimistic scenario putting it at £18.4 billion. The figures are extrapolated to 2025 with the cautious estimate being £32.1 billion and the optimistic, £42.9 billion.

I wonder how much it would cost to ensure that every child had access to both public and school libraries with professional librarians, working together with parents and schools to create a generation of literate children?

 

 

DO WE NEED TO BORROW FROM LIBRARIES?

Saturday is National Libraries Day and tomorrow (Friday) about 80 schools around the UK are taking part in a Guinness World Record Book Swap in celebration of this. From past experience I know there’s going to be a buzz around the activities and events happening but it’s rather dreadful that we have to use a day of celebration as an advocacy and promotional tool to support something that is so basic and fundamental to many people’s lives.

Time and time again we hear the argument that libraries are irrelevant, that people don’t use them, that you can download ebooks and find anything you want on the internet. None of these are true, by the way. Not everything published is available in an electronic format and even if it was, not every book lends itself to that particular medium (“That’s Not My Dragon - his ears are too tufty” on a tablet? …. don’t think it really works); you can’t find everything you need online; and people do use libraries – around a third of the population, with that figure going up to 50% in deprived areas. That’s over 19 million people in most areas … just think what the reaction would be if every single one of those library users decided to write to their local MP or the DCMS!

So that leaves us with “libraries today are irrelevant” and that made me think about my own library use. I am, as Ian Anstice said, “A librarian, a library user and a lover of libraries”. For as long as I can remember I’ve used my public library but, as I currently work surrounded by about 13,000 books, pick them up at various promotional events and am lucky to be able to afford to buy (some of) them, you’d be forgiven for thinking that I no longer need to use my public library. That it was irrelevant to me. But you’d be wrong. And I had a look at the last few years of my borrowing history to see exactly what type of stuff I’d been borrowing and why … so, in no particular order:

·         Guide books – I can never decide where to go next so end up borrowing a selection of books from the library to help me choose. I wouldn’t want to buy all of these because most of them wouldn’t be any use to me afterwards.

·         Guide books – once I’ve decided on my next trip, I like to have a selection of guide books to help me plan my activities. I do buy a guide book to take with me but looking at a few gives me more of an overview and I wouldn't want to actually buy that many. And websites don’t work in the same way … I’ve tried!

·         Stories on CDs – I have about a 50 minute drive to work and it’s a great opportunity to catch up on my “reading”. I also belong to a reading group so listen to the month’s book choice. It’s interesting how often I’ll carry on with a book on CD and enjoy it whereas I know if I was actually reading it I would give up.

·         Teenage/YA books – yes really! Even though you’d be forgiven for thinking that surely I’d have enough of these at work to borrow. But sometimes the book I want to read is popular and always on loan. I know I could pull rank and borrow it but that feels too mean to me so I borrow a copy from the public library. Sometimes I’m waiting for the paperback to be released (those hardbacks can be a bit expensive plus students don’t always like to borrow them … they have enough to carry around without adding a weight tome to their bag) but I want to read the book so I’ll reserve the hardback. Sometimes I want to read a book before I decide whether to buy it for my shelves.

·         Baby books – these have been a recent borrowing addition due to the granddaughter and, whilst I already have quite a collection for her amassing in my living room, I love taking her to the library and letting her choose what she wants to bring home to read. This is where reading for pleasure and that life-long love of books starts.

·         I also have a stepdaughter about to become a teenager and, since she’s been in my life, I’ve turned her from an “okay” reader into a book-obsessive! This is fantastic but there’s no way I can keep up with her reading tastes and demands … plus part of this process was regularly taking her to the library and letting her choose (that word again!). And we still go.

·         Totally random books that have caught my eye:  Just My Type, a book about fonts by Simon Garfield. I found this fascinating, in fact, so much so that I have now bought my own copy. The Network Effect – a business book. Core Strength Training – didn’t work! 60 Baby Knits – why would I want to buy it when I only wanted to use one pattern?

·         Those coffee table books that are lovely to dip into but cost the earth, things like “London’s Bridges”, “Wildlife Photographer of the Year”, etc.

·         Books that have been recommended to me … for example, The Rosie Project by Don Tillman which I enjoyed so much that I bought several copies as gifts for friends. It’s unlikely that I would have bought the book personally but I’m glad I read it.

·         The latest book by an author I enjoy but don’t want to wait for the paperback to be released.

·         Magazines! I was amazed at how many of these I had borrowed.

This is just a selection out of several hundred books borrowed in a relatively short time for all sorts of reasons. It’s a very haphazard and eclectic range but illustrates well the relevance of the public library to me personally, and I haven’t even mentioned those items borrowed for study, self-development or to extend my understanding in a particular situation. Surely I can’t be the only person out of 19 million who does the above.

So, the next time somebody says that libraries aren’t relevant, tell them to ask a library user what they’ve recently borrowed!

Happy National Libraries Day #NLD15

A LIBRARY SCHEME WITH NO LIBRARIES?

So … the Government have launched a library scheme to support dementia sufferers; from February, GPs and health professionals will be able to “recommend a selection of 25 approved books for people with dementia or their carers.” http://www.thebookseller.com/news/library-scheme-support-dementia-sufferers

This is a fantastic project. It is already well documented that reading can improve your health and well-being so targeting specific health problems this way makes sense, especially as the organisers have said that this is a cost-effective way of delivering community care and support. I personally know how valuable it can be to have access to books to help explain various health matters.

As a school librarian I’m used to departments not being aware of what others are studying. That’s why the librarian is in a unique position as we are usually the only person in the whole school with an overview of the curriculum – which means we can ensure our resources get as much use as possible and departments don’t have to waste their budgets purchasing duplicate stock. We can see that the books purchased for use by History can also be used in English or that those selected for a Geography topic will also be useful in Science.

But what amazes me about this launch is that Norman Lamb, Minister of State for care and support, and Ed Vaizey, Minister of State for culture and the digital economy, were both there. Now the former could be excused for not being aware of the current situation regarding the mass closure of libraries with the handing over of many others to volunteers but Mr Vaizey has no excuse. Libraries are his remit, he is fully aware of the devastation of the public library system that is occurring throughout the country because he refuses to do anything about it. He knows that the structure for delivering this scheme is probably non-existent.

So I’d like to ask …

How is this library scheme to support dementia sufferers meant to work when there are no libraries to run it?

ERADICATING CHILD ILLITERACY

So Nick Clegg has pledged to eliminate child illiteracy http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-30869083, a commendable aspiration and one that I’m sure we all agree with. And as we’ve managed to eradicate smallpox and rinderpest worldwide surely this can’t be that difficult. Although I seem to remember Michael Gove saying the same thing not that long ago http://www.telegraph.co.uk/education/10883176/Michael-Gove-says-Tories-will-aim-to-wipe-out-illiteracy-within-a-generation.html

The problem with this idea is that he hasn’t thought about what you really need to do to create literate children … get them reading. And to read you need access to reading material. And where do you find access to reading material, enough to satisfy every demand, every interest, every level of ability? Certainly not in the majority of homes considering National Literacy Trust research shows that one in three children do not own a book http://www.telegraph.co.uk/education/educationnews/8934429/4m-children-in-UK-do-not-own-a-single-book-study-finds.html

And forget about the idea that you don’t need books because everything is available on the internet (it isn’t) since this doesn’t take into account the 17% of households who do not have internet access  http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/rel/rdit2/internet-access---households-and-individuals/2013/stb-ia-2013.html. Besides, how can you read a pop-up book or explore those touchy-feely books on a screen?

The answer is libraries, both public and school. Libraries with librarians.

Nick Clegg has concentrated on the education system and promises more money to deal with literacy problems. But creating readers has to start before a child gets to school. A child needs to learn that those symbols on a page equate to words; sounds that they associate with things, feelings, actions. And this is done by reading with and to them. We need to support parents by providing the facilities and resources (and by this I mean both stock and people) to do this and shutting their local public library is not helping them.

And when those children do get into the education system, throwing literacy initiatives and reading programmes at them is not going to engender a love of reading. It’s probably going to have the opposite result. I’m not saying that other aspects of literacy are unimportant, capital letters and full stops have their role to play but you cannot write unless you can read! Children need to be exposed to a wide range of reading material and given the chance to explore it so they can make their own discoveries. And where in a school can you find this? What department will have such a range of resources, selected by a professional who knows what is available, who has the time to find out what individuals are interested in and what type of readers they are? Yes, it’s the school library. The one and only place in the whole school that inclusively supports reading for pleasure. So closing school libraries is not helping children either.

I would say to anybody who is serious about eradicating illiteracy that public and school libraries have to be the support system in this initiative. Take them away and it’s like removing the skeleton from a body, it will end up a crumpled mess on the floor.

 

Reading as a Cultural Activity?

I was delighted to attend the recent ASCEL conference on “Libraries – Reading- Culture – Creativity” (although I missed the group of young readers speaking so passionately about what books and libraries meant to them http://www.nicolamorgan.com/heartsong-blog/3265/ you can read what they said on Nicola Morgan’s blog).

I took part in a question time panel about “children’s reading and its role within the artistic, cultural and creative life of the nation.” The panel was chaired by John Dolan (consultant, Libraries and Regeneration and a CILIP board member) with the other panellists being Philip Ardagh (author), Hedley Swain (Arts Council), Dawn Williams (Bridge North East) and Sue Wilkinson (TRA). We didn’t have any idea of the questions in advance but each one could easily have filled the whole 90 minutes as they were all so interesting.

Reading as an art form is a fascinating concept. Knowing I was attending this event got me thinking about this aspect ... reading is such a basic requirement, far more than the ability to recognise different musical forms or art genres. And often, if you were to list the proponents of culture, then books would possibly not be included, reading is not generally thought of as a cultural activity. Yet stories are one of the oldest art forms, that oral tradition that has been handed down through the centuries ... and which eventually translated into writing stories.  But the actual cultural form needs to be acted on to become a cultural activity. Thus we have music being played and listened to, art being created and looked at, and books written and read.

I can’t help feeling that reading, if it is counted as a cultural activity, is somehow lower down in the pecking order. If it wasn’t then we would not be having libraries closing. Maybe it’s because it is not as exclusive as the other forms, because it is such a basic necessity? Yet it plays a major role in people’s lives bringing many benefits. And it isn’t just the act of reading (even though doing so reduces blood pressure and stress), it is what you read and the effects that are important … escapism, self-improvement, relaxation, increased knowledge …effects that can be both immediate and long-term; how many other cultural activities can lay claim to all this?

As a school librarian I see the consequences of reading all the time. Those students that develop into readers become more confident and better at articulating themselves, both verbally and in writing. Research shows that children who read attain better grades in all subjects. But it’s hard to measure the impact we have. If I turn a student into a reader and they then get better grades in two years time. ... that achievement will be assumed to be down to their teachers. The effect of this improved and wider reading will not be taken into account and yet reading impacts on everything.

Until this, and the role that librarians play in the process, is acknowledged … we will never have reading recognised as the important cultural activity it is.

 

CILIP BIG DAY Speech

Have been asked to make the text of my speech for the CILIP Big Day available. Easiest way is to put it here ... this is what I wrote to read out. It was originally longer but as I was aware that we were running late and people had trains to catch (plus it had been a long busy day with many members getting up early to be there) I cut bits out so haven't included those. I also paraphrased some bits as I was talking - if you've ever given any sort of presentation, you'll know that sometimes things do come out differently than how you've written them!

 

CILIP BIG DAY – President Speech

This morning, I said that today was going to be a day for celebration, inspiration and challenges and it’s certainly been that!

We have watched three remarkable videos showing the work of some inspirational librarians, people who really do make a difference:

·         The Kids Hub in Hertfordshire that runs closed sessions with tailored activities for children with additional needs.

·         Studio 12 in Leeds that is encouraging young people from the local BME community to express themselves and grow in their personal development.

·         And the Enterprize Hubs in Northamptonshire who are providing support for the self-employed and job seekers to get back into the job market.

 

All of these projects are working collaboratively with other partners to open up libraries to areas of the community that are not regular users, projects that have an influence beyond their initial impact. And they are not only changing people’s lives, they are changing the public’s perception of libraries as well which is so important. Well done to all the finalists and congratulations to the winner: Enterprize Hubs - as William Sieghart said, “copy them”!

All of the candidates should rightly feel proud of the work they do. When you see the outreach these projects have and know that similar activities are happening across the country, you wonder how anyone can ever question or doubt the importance or necessity of libraries. How people can think they are just rooms full of books that are irrelevant and that nobody uses is beyond me.

We have heard about the Carnegie and Kate Greenaway Awards and the incredibly successful Shadowing Scheme, – a reminder of the figures involved – over 5000 groups, over 100,000 children. What a wonderful example of the pull of books and reading. This is a venture that inspires children to enjoy a wide range of authors and genres and I have first-hand experience of the impact a shadowing group can have on students and how it can motivate and enthuse their reading. My students are still talking about this year’s winner and recommending the book to their friends 3 months after the event (despite the media accusation of it being dark and disturbing) … and that’s a long time in the life of a teenager where “what’s in” changes almost weekly.  

We have also congratulated a phenomenal number of members who have achieved Certification and Chartership during the year … around 180 in total, not to mention over 100 members revalidating. This isn’t a sign of a failing organisation; it’s an indication of a group of active and engaged professionals who, by progressing with their CPD, are helping to advocate, raise the level of the profession and build a stronger organisation. I wish every one of you success with your career, whatever stage you are at, and it was my pleasure celebrate your achievements with you today. 

If that wasn’t enough … we have awarded six Fellowships and a further six Honorary Fellowships to members in recognition of their contribution to the profession. I was honoured to be involved in the selection process for the first time this year and understand that there was rather a lot more than usual nominations resulting in an extremely strong field of candidates thus making the final decisions difficult. Thank you to all of you who make such a significant impact to the information profession.

And, last but not least, we have celebrated the Mentor of the Year Award, congratulations to Sam Wiggins. As a CILIP mentor myself, I know how much time and commitment it can take to help a fellow professional through the registration process but I also know how rewarding it can be and how it can help you to focus on and think about your own CPD. As Sam said, it’s a reciprocal process where both parties benefit. It’s also an opportunity to give something back to CILIP by helping those with less experience than you grow and develop, and, with the increase in candidates for professional registration that we’ve heard about today, we are certainly going to be needing a lot more mentors so perhaps this is something that some of you may want to consider.

I’m delighted to be able to officially launch the CILIP Digital Inclusion Statement today, entitled “Driving Digital Inclusion: the role of library and information professionals”. It has been produced by the Information Literacy Project Board, of which I am Chair, and we hope this will be the first of several statements dealing with this important aspect of our work. One of CILIP’s aims is to be seen as a key stakeholder and participant in the wider Information Literacy agenda across a range of issues; only by being visible in this way will we be included in any strategies and decision making. The purpose of this statement is for it to be used with external stakeholders as an advocacy tool, showing the part information professionals play in the digital itinerary. Please take a copy away with you today and use it to support your roles. When you read statements such as the fact that 11 million people in the UK are offline and you know that professionally led library and information services are essential in helping these people, not only to get physical access to technology but to gain the necessary digital skills, you again wonder how libraries can be considered unnecessary and be closed. Where are these 11 million expected to go to get internet access? And who is going to help them do that?

Today has definitely been inspiring. And I’m not just talking about all the wonderful award winners but also about our two keynote speakers: William Sieghart and Jan Parry. I found William’s comments encouraging and positive and look forward to the report coming out. Let’s ensure that it really doesn’t end up on a shelf somewhere like so many of them do. What was interesting was his comment that he was “flabbergasted” when he found out the sort of things that librarians actually do and that he didn’t realise this. You have to ask, why don’t people know? If ever there was a call for us to get out there and tell them then this is it. CILIP can and does do this but they can’t do that unless we tell them what we do. So pass on your success stories to Mark, I’m sure he’ll be happy to receive them.

And Jan – what an extremely emotional talk. I was transfixed and I’m sure you all felt the same, the room was totally still and silent, you could hear a pin drop. But what a powerful example of the difference the correct information makes and the trust people have in our profession.

So that’s the celebration and inspiration part of the day. But what about the challenges?

Well, I guess I’d better mention the AGM – and with the Scottish referendum happening during the same week, I feel that my life has been dominated by voting! CILIP is a democratic member institution, despite what some people may think. It is run by a council who are members themselves, they discuss and put forward what they consider to be the best options for the organisation and these are made looking at the whole picture, allowing for various factors, often things that members are not aware of. Before I became part of the Presidential team, I certainly didn’t realise how many aspects had to be taken into account. Some decisions require member approval … council hope that members will agree with their suggestions but if they don’t then, as is the way of any sort of democratic process, the majority decision is abided by.

Today we had an important vote on the Governance proposals. There has been much written and said about these so I’m not going to go into any detail here but members have decided not to accept all of them. CILIP is a strong organisation and it will carry on with the excellent work it has been doing, advocating for the profession and supporting those who work in it. We “lost” two votes at the last AGM and still went on to have a great year. 2015 will be no different.

However, I’m sure no-one will disagree with me when I say that we all face challenges of one sort or another.

In 2010, CILIP began a five year strategic plan to introduce changes and improvements and I know from talking to members that many have noticed the difference within the organisation. If we look at some of the aims of the current plan, they include growing the membership, increasing the range of members, recognising the different routes people take into the profession, and having an active, engaged and positive member community. And there is still a further year to go before the end of this period although the Strategy Board are currently working on the plan that will take us up to 2020, which sounds like it should be the title of an Arthur C Clarke novel!

So what’s been happening? The branch and group structure has been rationalised and we have heard from various members about their involvement at this level; the VLE was implemented and the PKSB has exceeded everyone’s expectations. We now have a core of student members – the Chartership and Fellowship candidates of the future? – and almost 100 new members from the Government Knowledge and Information Management community. There has also been an increased focus on advocacy as anyone who receives the monthly media update is aware.

I’ve already mentioned the quantity of people going through various stages of professional registration, committed and dedicated members who want to be part of their profession: from January to August 2014, a 34% increase in those enrolling for Chartership, a 43% increase in enrolment for Fellowship compared to the whole of 2013 and a 700% increase in members revalidating in 2014. I always feel a bit guilty when I mention revalidation because I’ve registered but so far haven’t submitted any evidence - I’m sure you understand when I say I’ve been a little bit busy this year!

No doubt some will say that this isn’t enough. That membership numbers are at their lowest since CILIP began, that these low figures foretell doom and gloom for the organisation. I disagree. Yes, we need members to exist, they bring in money in the form of membership fees but our current financial situation is stable and CILIP’s income is derived from many sources including Facet Publishing and lettings. In an ideal world, all librarians and information professionals would belong to CILIP – how fantastic would that be? But let’s be realistic; we know that’s not going to happen. That’s not to say that we don’t need or want new members, we do ... new members are important to the organisation and CILIP has put several strategies in place to attract and retain members. One of these is increasing support and benefits, things that members want. However, many of these are delivered via the branches and groups structure, and this is driven by the membership - without members getting involved, much of this wouldn’t happen. So I think it is better to have a smaller number of pro-active and engaged members, the sort we have heard speak to us today, supporting each other, advocating for the profession, and working with CILIP to make their organisation stronger than having a larger number dis-engaged and not connecting with anybody. Do we want quantity or quality?

To me, as a school librarian, one of the most important functions of a library is that of supporting reading. Apart from people needing basic literacy skills, there’s a lot of research showing the benefits of reading including increased well-being and improved life chances. But you cannot read without access to books and other reading material, and the most obvious place to access those is in a library. This is not a difficult concept to grasp yet the decision-makers still think they can raise literacy levels without having school or public libraries nor any sort of professional librarian managing them. However ... whilst my school library may be a centre for reading, it is also so much more than that and this is true of public libraries. Many who visit libraries, don’t want a book! The concept of what a library is, what it does, is going through a period of transition. We cannot be part of people’s lives in the 21^st century without change – and yet change is uncomfortable, some people feel threatened by it rather than seeing it as an opportunity. We are here to serve our communities– and if we don’t do that then what is our purpose? If we don’t provide what people want they will get their needs met from elsewhere and we will become irrelevant.

I’m not saying that we throw out all the old traditions and I love those huge quiet libraries with rows and rows of wooden shelves full of books but their place isn’t within a living evolving community …

The digital revolution has transformed the information world. Nevertheless libraries still have a significant role within society, they will always be linked to literature and reading but they are also important for creating cultural content and they must be social centres engendering a sense of ownership by involving the local community – be it school, business or the general population - and embracing the needs of all generations by encompassing equality and access.

It’s also no good just saying libraries are important - we have to show how we affect the issues within our locality. We have seen how libraries are doing that today with the Libraries Change Lives Award. But we cannot do this by remaining static, we have to both move out into the world and bring that outside world into the library. It’s a two-way process. Work with trends, pro-actively seek groups and engage with them. The more we do this, the more our voices are heard, the more impact we have.

Many people are confused as to what a library is in 2014, they hold that conventional view and are unaware of the amazing work that we do – as William said - so they don’t see us as being part of their lives.

It doesn’t help that we, as a profession, also don’t agree on what constitutes a library and if those of us who work in them cannot concur on what they are, how can we expect anyone else to? This is a challenge because “one size doesn’t fit all” … and that’s also true of CILIP members. We are drawn from a very diverse range of experiences and occupations yet we need to have a unified vision because that will make us stronger. This means recognising and accepting that other members may well have different priorities, needs and concerns than yours.

It also means realising that CILIP, the organisation, cannot totally focus on just one issue or sector. It has limited resources – time, money, staff. And the latter, whilst they are all passionate about their jobs - I’ve worked with them for the past two years and know how much they care - are not volunteers.

Social media is wonderful. It connects us, it allows us to share things, to communicate, to use it as a force for good – I couldn’t have organised the Mass Lobby for School Libraries or the Guinness World Record in support of National Libraries day without it.

But it has a downside.

Things are taken out of context. Only part of a message is passed on. Words can be manipulated to give them a different meaning. People tend to criticise without being productive. However, as Aristotle said “there is only one way to avoid criticism: do nothing, say nothing, be nothing” which doesn’t exactly help our cause.

So I prefer the words of Hilary Clinton, who said, “I try to take criticism seriously but not personally.” Nevertheless, there’s more than one way to give criticism and it has more value if it’s given constructively. Discussion is essential and necessary as it’s a way of ascertaining people’s views, of questioning and asking for explanations but generalised statements without evidence is not good professional practise.

I also wonder what impression someone joining the information profession would get about its members from looking at comments on social media. If I was joining any organisation, I would not only check out the official stuff but I’d also want to know what the members were like, would I be connecting with a supportive, enquiring community, one that acknowledges the achievements and works together with its professional body, one I felt compelled to join?  Perhaps this message is something we all need to think about?

One of the things that has surprised me during the year is how often people have been confused over the role of President and forgotten it’s voluntary. As are all the council member positions. And I’ve definitely met an “us and them” attitude - I’m used to this in a school with teaching staff verses support staff but when I became President I didn’t realise I was going to become part of the “them”. I certainly don’t consider myself like that.

Doing this isn’t like being the Queen, I wasn’t trained from birth! I didn’t even think about it when I became a librarian as I had no aspirations for this office. So I balance this voluntary work with my interests, my family (which now includes an adorable granddaughter who most definitely is going to become a reader, she has no choice about that!) and the day job of being a school librarian.

Yes, I’m obsessed with books and reading – when I’m out shopping with my daughters they drag me across the road if they spy a bookshop ahead as they know I’ll get distracted – and libraries, in all their wonderful guises from old archives to modern community spaces to the downright quirky.  And I wish I could get everyone to love libraries the way I do. To appreciate their benefits. To recognise that a room full of books is not a library; that it needs that special person – the librarian – to bring out its secrets and marvels. To see how important a library is to its community, in so many ways.

I don’t have all the answers. I wish I did. I wanted the answers before I became President and I want them even more now because of the responsibility I feel in representing all of you. Wearing this medal hasn’t suddenly made me different and I’m sure the same goes for anyone who is elected to council. Underneath it I’m the same school librarian as before, fighting to get that message out there. Fighting to get people to believe in libraries. But I’m not perfect and all I can do is my best.

I challenged you earlier to find somebody to talk to who you didn’t know and I’m now going to leave you with another challenge. Which ties in with what William Sieghart was saying – about people not knowing what we do.

I would like you to identify somebody who inspires you, somebody you admire, who has used what they do to advocate about the profession, speaking out about the benefits of libraries and librarians. Somebody who has spread that positive message outside their circle into the wider world. You don’t have to know them, it can be somebody you connect with online or even just somebody you follow.

And I want you to do the same. Use what you do, your commitment to the profession – and I know you’re all committed because you’ve given up your Saturday to be here today - your passion for libraries, to spread that important message …. that libraries matter because libraries make a difference!

CILIP Governance Review

I have decided to blog about the recent events surrounding the proposed changes in CILIP Governance … even though I’d much rather be talking about school libraries, books or reading initiatives and I’d much rather be spending my time reading or knitting. But there have been a lot of online comments about this recently, following the resignation of a council member, many of which are half-truths and misconceptions and, as an information professional, I’m appalled at how some people (who are information professionals themselves) are assuming these are correct and retweeting without checking or verify the facts. I tell my students from the age of 11 years to always verify anything you read online and this is certainly true of anything written in blogs or on Twitter (so please don’t assume that what I’m saying is the truth … verify it with other people!).

I’m also aware that people will assume that I’m “following the party line” as I’m currently CILIP President but those that know me will know that I try to explain how I see situations from my own perspective. If I was writing this as President then I could understand that reaction but I’m not. This is MY blog and, whilst I’m tactful and try not to be rude or offensive to anyone, I try to write honestly … and I’m also very good at seeing the other side (this trait is not always an advantage I may add)!

So … I am going to try and address some of the issues that have come up recently …

Last year, when I became VP, it was only meant to be for a year as the Governance review was due to be voted on in 2013 and introduced in 2014. However, after the renaming episode, CILIP decided to postpone it for a year to ensure that members were informed, consulted and able to respond. Thus began an extensive round of meetings, emails, articles in Update, etc. I don’t have the exact figures to hand but I know that CILIP SMT, together with trustees, have engaged with as many Member Network groups and SIGs as possible, going to meetings to give presentations on the Governance Review and gathering feedback. I attended 4 myself in an official capacity and spoke unofficially at several others. As well as asking for questions, I also said I would be happy to answer any emails and pushed for members to send comments (positive or negative) to CILIP. And CILIP have taken on board these comments, producing an online FAQ, although some of them were unable to be answered immediately as the legal situation needed to be checked. And I know that CILIP have engaged with branches over this, being proactive and pushing for a response rather than just sending information out. There have also been regular emails sent out to members and articles in Update so for anyone to say now, at this late stage, that they have not been consulted is ludicrous. If they really think like that then I would suggest that they are not engaged with or connected to any of their branches or SIGs, are not registered for email newsletters and do not read Update regularly. And if this is the case then why are they so upset about any changes in CILIP as they are obviously not that bothered about the organisation?

When I became VP, I wasn’t really involved in CILIP other than being on the SLG London & SE committee and attending occasional branch meetings. It was a steep learning curve! And I can remember, at my first meeting, discussions about the Governance Review … so this has been under consideration for a long time. I am not an expert on governance although I have sat on various committees, been involved in several charities and am currently a school governor. And, although I have had training on governance and included this aspect in my CPD this year, I do not consider myself an expert which means I am completely happy to accept the recommendations of the Governance Review Board. These people have far more experience than I do and I could not imagine why they would suggest a structure that would be damaging or detrimental to CILIP. The Chair of the review board was Phil Bradley and I will not accept that he would suggest anything untoward or undemocratic. Further, these proposals have been scrutinised by the Privy Council and Charities Commission and they find them acceptable. And who am I to argue with them?

Much has been said about these discussions happening in secret. As I see it, there are various reasons for this. One is that they were just proposals and ideas, and needed to be firmed up after consultation regarding their legality. If these were made public then we would end up with the situation we have now with everyone putting in their ideas as to what we should have … and I have to say that I’ve read about so many variations on this that I am totally confused! It wouldn’t be so bad if everyone wanted the same thing but they don’t! I also think it’s important for council to be able to discuss things in a private conversation, especially if it’s at the development stage. Sadly there are people who are quite happy to take statements out of context giving the words a completely different meaning. And the problem with this is that a tweet of just a few words is often taken as being the definitive statement on something … a lot of damage can be done this way and it is hard to redress the balance. And what about somebody who may originally be against an idea and says so but, after discussion and research, changes their mind? There’s bound to be somebody who picks this up and attacks them with being indecisive! Besides, I don’t want to have to spend my time defending myself against a malicious tweet or blog comment. Because, let’s face it, if people think it will help their cause then they’ll happily twist words and statistics. Politicians do it all the time!

The Governance Review was discussed at the July council meeting, not for the first time but in detail, because this was when we were taking into account the member feedback received (and if anyone didn’t feedback their objections or concerns then it’s a bit late to do it now … everyone has had several opportunities to do so). And the majority of this was positive. Yes, there were a few who didn’t like certain aspects of what was proposed but you can’t please all of the people all of the time. Again I don’t have the statistics to hand but they will show that of all the responses, very few were negative. Council listen to these responses and have changed the proposals so that the Chair/President will now only be elected from those council members who have been elected and not appointed.

So … let’s have a think about the office of the President. There has been much made of the fact that if the changes go through then the President would not be elected by the members. Well, I’m sorry to inform you but I wasn’t elected by members and neither was our Vice President, Jan Parry. The reason being … that no-one else stood for the position! And I’m not sure what members think the President does? Judging by various comments I think a lot of people are confused over this role, that of the trustees and the fact that CILIP also have a paid staff who carry out the strategic decisions of council. But it’s an ambassadorial role, the President doesn’t have any voting rights and yes, I do speak up at meetings but I don’t have any power or influence. At least under the proposals you’d end up with a President who had actually been elected! And, as political analogies have been used by various people, I’m going to use one now … people do not vote for the Prime Minister, he is selected by other MPs who have been elected by the public. If it’s good enough for parliament then it should be good enough for us!

Another issue that has arisen is membership figures. The statistics being quoted have obviously been taken at a time when the figures were at their highest (lies, damn lies and statistics people!!!) … if I went far enough back I’m sure I could find a year when the figures were lower than they are now! And these are taken completely out of context. How many libraries have closed since then (280 school libraries closed last year) or professionals replace with para-professionals or jobs downgraded so that you no longer need to be Chartered? And I’m not getting into the discussion about libraries closing as it’s not what this blog is about but I’m also tempted to ask how many of those are members who have died because we seem to be in danger of becoming a top-age heavy organisation with fewer younger professionals joining us … and no wonder when all they hear is this in-fighting and bickering! That said the CILIP staff responsible for membership are doing a fantastic job with a range of strategies and initiatives, and to suggest that CILIP aren’t doing anything about this is not only rather insulting to all their hard work but shows a lack of knowledge. Maybe instead of focusing on numbers we need to think about quality over quantity?

There are a lot of other things that I’d like to comment on but I’m aware that this blog is becoming rather long.

Things like the fact that, once a decision has been made by a council or committee, then it’s not usual practise to reopen the discussion when new members join. If you did this then you’d never move on from anything. I’ve been in this situation and it is so frustrating to rehash everything!

Things like the fact that every committee runs along the lines of a majority decision. How else could you do it? If you insisted on a complete majority then you could find yourself in a situation when nothing moved forward. I’ve been on committees where I don’t agree with everyone else but accepted the final decision – this is part of what being on a committee is about. And if it’s something you feel strongly about then you build up relationships with other committee members (which takes time) so that you can discuss issues from a stronger position – advocacy doesn’t happen overnight!

Things like the fact that much has been made of the four appointed council members and yet the current constitution already allows for three appointed members so it’s not really such a big change (and check on the CILIP website if you don’t believe me). Anyway, every committee has appointed members … can you imagine what it would be like if a school governing body consisted of just parents and teachers? And yes, I know we could buy in the expertise but the costs could become prohibitive … much better for the finances (ie: member’s money) if people could be co-opted. This would also mean a much better engagement from them than if someone was paid to deliver a service.

The final thing I would like to say (and well done if you have read this far!) is that why on earth do people think that council would appoint people who would damage CILIP. We are all volunteers, giving up our time (and yes we do get our expenses paid but is that so bad? My salary as a school librarian is not exactly huge and I would not be able to do my Presidential activities if I had to pay for my own travel) and any appointments would be scrutinised by the Audit panel anyway.

Throughout society people elect committees to make decisions on their behalf. There are times when you have to let go and trust those people to make the right decision for the whole. It may not be what you personally want but most people aren’t in a position to see the complete picture. There are also times when you have to let go of the past …