Scotland’s Library and Information Professional of the Year 2025

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.

We are delighted to announce that the shortlisted professionals for our 2025 award are:

• Tara Hepburn, Library Officer at East Dunbartonshire Libraries
• Gavin Johnstone, Digital Services Librarian at Falkirk Libraries
• Laragh Quinney, Maps Reading Room Manager at the National Library of Scotland

Tara Hepburn

Our judging panel:

This was a really strong application, centred on an excellent project with fantastic cross-sector outreach and engagement. Tara’s work demonstrates the powerful impact that we can have on our service users and we especially admired her ability to maximise Wintering Well’s potential, showcasing the value of the skills she is gaining to apply them beyond the project itself.

As a Library Officer for East Dunbartonshire Libraries, Tara spearheaded the Wintering Well project, collaborating with academic researchers at the Universities of Glasgow and Edinburgh as well as taking inspiration from international colleagues to help address Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD), social isolation, loneliness and mental health struggles in wintertime. Tara led the creation of 100 Wintering Well boxsets that library users can borrow, including a SAD lamp, a book, prompts for healthy thinking and a link to a full CBT course: together, putting resources for improved wellbeing directly into the hands of library users who need them. The boxes have since been loaned over 500 times and Tara’s programme has also involved coffee mornings, ‘winter warmer’ socials and ‘wintering well’ walks across the district, further alleviating social isolation. Wintering Well has received positive press coverage in several Scottish newspapers and on STV news as the first initiative of its kind anywhere in the UK.

Gavin Johnstone

Our judging panel:

We were particularly impressed by Gavin’s focus on digital literacy and the transformative effect this can have on library users’ lives, as well as his outreach work with underserved communities. This application evidenced strong positive impact for both his organisation and the wider sector, including through Gavin’s volunteer role as CILIPS Central Branch Chair which involves extensive event planning, strategic thinking and partnership building to support our professional community.

As part of his Digital Services remit, Gavin is active in promoting e-services and e-resources, producing a ‘show and tell’ day for elected members to learn about the changing face of libraries and the value we offer communities, as well as supporting Falkirk’s Science Festival. He has also secured funding from sources including Connecting Scotland and Falkirk Council Digital Communities to deliver projects like a digital lending library for social housing tenants and digital creativity services in branches, including coding, gaming and 3D printing activities. As project officer for Falkirk’s Public Library Improvement Fund project ‘Return Journeys’, Gavin has built a successful and sustainable relationship between local libraries and young travellers, a group without any prior engagement, and he works with multiple age groups to deliver activities that grow confidence and build inclusion using digital devices. Sector-wide, Gavin is Chair of CILIPS Central Branch and is active in arranging events and activities for members, as well as encouraging library staff to consider routes for Professional Registration, for which he has also supported Falkirk’s new Graduate Librarian.

Laragh Quinney

Our judging panel:

We particularly admired the strength of this application in terms of how Laragh has been reaching out and involving others in her work, advancing sector advocacy by demonstrating how library professionals can lead on key national and international priorities like environmental action. Her work in cascading Carbon Literacy for Libraries training through a collaborative approach evidences exceptional impact and we are delighted to highlight such a timely example of best practice.

As Programme Lead for the National Library of Scotland’s Climate Action Plan, Laragh has developed an entirely new role centred around collaboration, communication and project management. Her recent work has included rolling out Carbon Literacy for Libraries training to colleagues in the UK and in Ireland and helping to coordinate the 2024 Green Libraries conference. This was in addition to reducing her Library’s own carbon footprint by embedding sustainable working practices, engaging its wider community on climate and sustainability issues, and developing the NLS Sustainability Fair, all evidenced through the annual NLS Sustainability Report. Laragh has also played a key role in developing the Library’s new Climate Action Plan for the next five years, working with teams across NLS to set new targets and researching climate policy, tracking recent developments within the Scottish and UK governments, and identifying gaps in the Library’s current approach to inform ways in which these could be tackled.

Many congratulations to Tara, Gavin and Laragh – stay tuned for the announcement of our overall winner at the CILIPS Annual Conference!

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.

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

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 Innovator Award

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

The Ian McCracken Outstanding Achievement Award

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

The 2025 recipients of the Ian McCracken Awards will be announced at the CILIPS Annual Conference.