The winner of Scotland’s Library & Information Professional of the Year 2026, generously sponsored by Bolinda Digital, is Sally Bell!

Now Operations Manager at Open Journals Collective, Sally received our prestigious 2026 award in recognition of her outstanding work as Head of Collection Development at the University of Glasgow, diversifying her team’s impact by developing their digital skills and leading a range of innovative initiatives in collection metadata, auditing and decolonisation.

Our award judges praised the variety of activities across which Sally has achieved a positive impact, with the diverse themes of her professional practice all united around evidencing the role of the library as a uniquely vital and valuable centre for progress. Our judges also admired Sally’s commitment to encouraging her colleagues, coaching and inspiring them to grow their own skills, and her willingness to use sectorwide opportunities for knowledge sharing to further the impact of her projects.

Congratulations Sally from all at CILIPS!

Award Sponsors

Bolinda Digital is an industry leading audiobook publisher, supplying libraries with audiobook content for over 30 years. Bolinda’s innovative lending platform BorrowBox, is the number one solution in the UK and offers a complete end-to-end service to libraries, with the best and most exclusive range of eAudiobooks and eBooks, since digital lending began. BorrowBox allows users to browse, download and borrow eContent in one easy to use app. It is the library that never closes.

www.bolinda.com

Sally was selected as overall winner from a shortlist of three talented finalists:

Sally Bell, Head of Collection Development, University of Glasgow

Building on her work investigating uses of AI to help translate the catalogue records of rare foreign language material, for which she received the Ian McCracken Innovator Award 2025, Sally has continued to coach and encourage her colleagues at the University of Glasgow to develop their digital skills in generative AI and Python scripting, diversifying their impact as a team and streamlining workflows to make their day-to-day activities as efficient and enriching as possible. Her colleagues have praised her ‘professionalism around collection care, access and management’, further exemplified by Sally leading the migration of collection metadata to a new library management system at the university library, as well as an innovative project to audit and then score film and magnetic tape recordings to assist with prioritisation and funding bid planning.

Sally has collaborated with colleagues across the UK to develop the RLUK Decolonisation Curriculum, a partner resource to the SCURL EDI Toolkit that she was also instrumental in creating. This work and similar innovations led by Sally have been disseminated across the profession in a variety of formats, including in CILIPS webinar and at the CILIP MDG Conference, and Sally will also contribute to the wider sector throughout 2026 as a peer assessor for SLIC’s How Good Is Our Public Library programme.

Silvia Spaltro, Senior Library Administrator, Glasgow Caledonian University

Silvia’s passion for creating an inclusive and supportive workplace environment is exemplified by her role as one of the library’s EDI leads and her university-wide work as an Endometriosis Champion, catalysing much-needed discussions about women’s health. This work includes hosting research cafes and helping to coordinate the university’s multidisciplinary Women’s Health Fayre, both of which bring advocacy co-benefits in highlighting the unique role of the library in supporting staff and student wellbeing. Silvia has also supported the training of a student working in the library via the university’s Employ Autism scheme, and she facilitates a masterclass on EDI for students: establishing an interactive space for discussion that blends books with student-produced zines to spark conversations and support learners to reflect on what inclusion could and should look like across their institution.

Sector-wide, Silvia is a founding member of the SCURL EDI Discussion Group, and she also authored a chapter – ‘A Day in the Life of a Feminist Librarian’ – in the 2026 Facet title Feminist Librarianship: Principles, Practices and Provocations, edited by Kirsten MacQuarrie. Silvia’s colleagues admire how Silvia is ‘actively contributing to a wider cultural shift within librarianship’, praising how ’she inspires others, strengthens collective awareness and supports the ongoing effort to create a more just and inclusive profession.’

Our award judges especially admired the innovation that Silvia brings to EDI work across her institution. They praised Silvia’s ability to inspire meaningful change and encourage both her colleagues and the wider sector to think ambitiously about what themes fit into our library work and what broader societal challenges can be tackled by making the most of our spaces and skills.

Caroline Messer, Customer Services and Libraries Team Manager, East Lothian Council

Caroline’s collaborative and constructive style of leadership has supported her team to strengthen community engagement, expand access to a diverse range of services, and ensure that their libraries remain welcoming, inclusive, and responsive spaces for all. From supporting early years literacy through family learning cafes to championing digital inclusion, making partnership working possible across the wider community, and developing targeted outreach for isolated or vulnerable residents, Caroline’s approach is described by colleagues as ‘kind and empathetic’, grounded in a ‘commitment to equitable access’. The positive impact of Caroline’s leadership was further demonstrated when her team was Highly Commended for Library Team of the Year at the 2025 SLIC Awards.

Across the sector, Caroline is part of the APLS Resilience and Business Continuity Group and she is the current chair of SCoPL. To celebrate the National Year of Reading, Caroline has also played a key part in the working group that has created a new Reading Strategy for Scotland, due to launch later in 2026. Under Caroline’s leadership, her team has further advanced literacy strategies through Reading Schools accreditation and by developing bespoke school library policies, whilst always ensuring that their services remain inclusive and flexible for vulnerable young people.

Colleagues praise Caroline’s ability to ‘identify emerging needs and design imaginative solutions—whether through digital engagement, community partnerships, or rethinking traditional library offerings’, which has created meaningful positive change across East Lothian and helped their library service to remain ‘relevant, resilient, and future focused’.

Our award judges were especially impressed by the range of activities delivered by Caroline and her team at East Lothian, noting their extensive potential for ongoing impact. The judges also particularly admired Caroline’s use of partnership working to support East Lothian’s communities, and her engagement with wider sector initiatives to the benefit of both her patrons and the profession as a whole. 

Sponsored by Bolinda Digital

Scotland’s Library and Information Professional of the Year Award, generously sponsored by Bolinda Digital, is given to an individual for outstanding work in libraries or information during the past twelve months.

Nominations are judged on the following criteria:

• Making a positive contribution to the lives of the nominee’s service users and/or library community
• The nominee’s commitment to wider profession
• Outstanding practice and/or achievements within the nominee’s workplace or service
• Innovation in the nominee’s role or service

Shortlisted candidates all receive a free place at the CILIPS Annual Conference, where the award winner’s name is announced. The winner also receives a prize of £500.

The Ian McCracken Awards

Two additional awards for professional practice have been made possible thanks to a generous donation by former CILIPS Trustee Ian McCracken. Ian served on the CILIPS Board for a number of years, in addition to several sub-groups, and he is an Honorary Member of CILIP Scotland.

The Ian McCracken Outstanding Achievement Award

This is a £350 prize for an individual who has achieved something outstanding within the past 12 months.

For 2026, the Ian McCracken Outstanding Achievement Award was given to Claire McCormick, in recognition of her well-evidenced impact in doubling branch footfall at the recently relocated and relaunched Girvan Library.

Our award judges admired the breadth and depth of how Claire has worked to expand her library branch’s offer, including its Lend and Mend Hub and local history activities; the latter further enriched by Claire’s efforts to develop both new and existing partnership opportunities across Girvan’s wider community.

The Ian McCracken Innovator Award

This is a £500 prize for an individual who has carried out innovative work in their role and created change.

For 2026, the Ian McCracken Innovator Award was given to Amanda Berrisford, in recognition of her outstanding commitment to library-led environmental action in South Ayrshire and her innovative approach to environmental partnership working.

Our award judges were impressed by the quantitative and qualitative evidence of Amanda’s positive impact, reaching over 250 people via in-person workshops, over 10,000 on social media, and over 25,000 through her library’s displays on green topics such as home energy, food waste and recycling and repair. Partnering with Council colleagues and local environmental stakeholders, Amanda has highlighted the role that libraries can play in advancing climate justice through innovative activities linked with Food Waste Action Week and Zero Food Waste Day.