CILIPS Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals in Scotland
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CILIPS Students & New Professionals Community

Welcome to the Students & New Professionals Community for Scotland!

We are a group aiming to help people in the early part of their careers in the information and library sector to connect, share information and advice, and network. Whether you’re a LIS student, a recently-qualified librarian, somebody who is in their first library/information role or who is looking to change careers and learn more about library work, you are welcome in this group. Please see our Terms of Reference for more information on our purpose.

We have developed a list of useful resources that helped us when starting out in the profession. We hope you will find them helpful in some way too and will be adding to the list frequently.

We also run the New Voices blog, a space where new professionals can share their perspectives. We are keen to gather up some case studies from early-career professionals outlining their journey in the profession so far. Please see the resources on the right-hand side of this page for some guidance on writing one of these.

If you’re looking for helpful interview tips and tricks, the wonderful Cleo Jones shared some advice at the Emerging Leaders conference.

CILIPS X SNPC: PODCAST TAKEOVER!

Interested in hearing recent LIS graduates’ experiences of starting their professional journey? 

Well SNPC have teamed up with CILIP Scotland to present: “Reflections on entering the library and information sector as a new professional” podcast!!

SNPC Event Coordinators Matthew Ferrie and Chaeli Brown, along with former Social Media Coordinator Filipa Pedrosa, share their stories of working as new LIS professionals in three very different fields. Matthew works as an Information Assistant at Edinburgh Napier University, Chaeli an Information Scientist at ThinkAnalytics whilst Filipa is in London working in school libraries. Hear their insights and how they’ve applied  the knowledge and skills from their degrees in the context  in these roles. 

Listen to the podcast here and feel free to let us know your own experiences! 

 

Upcoming Events:

SNPC Pub Night. The Griffin, Friday 25th October from 7pm.

Join the SNPC on 25th October and welcome the new academic term with a celebratory drink! Whether you’re a current or former ILS student, it’s a great way to meet some of the committee and chat with fellow students and LIS Professionals. 

No need to RSVP- just come along if you can! Email us at snpc@cilips.org.uk if you have any questions.

Date: Friday, 25th October 2024

Time: 7 pm

Where: The Griffin, 266 Bath St, Glasgow, G2 4JP

Past Events:

2024

We collaborated with LocScot to host this in-person event exploring the ins-and-outs of two iconic Glaswegian libraries – the Royal College of Physicians & Surgeons (GRCPS) and Glasgow Women’s Library! The behind the scenes tour was a unique way to learn about and see what’s involved in running these two libraries, as well as meet fellow students and professionals. We stopped for lunch along the way and ended the day with a pint at WEST Brewery!

LocScot and SNPC Present: Glasgow Libraries Tour

2023

We celebrated the end of the semester on Sunday 10 December at our CILIPS Students and New Professionals Community at our End of Semester Pub Night!

Held at Bon Accord in Glasgow, it was a time to unwind and celebrate the end of another successful semester with fellow students and new professionals. The night was fun-filled, with lots of laughs and great company. And it was a fantastic opportunity to socialise, make new friends, and catch up with old ones. We hope to see more of you there in the future!

Our first event of 2023 was held on the 29th of April, chatting with the wonderful Sue Williamson MBE about all things public libraries.

2022

Bookish online quiz (Wednesday the 7th December). We encouraged our members to take a break from their exam studies, or the end of year work stress, and join us for an hour of Christmas jumpers and laughter! We also met up in-person on Friday the 9th December.

At Taking Different Paths: Open Source Library Solutions, we looked at career paths beyond the traditional idea of being on a library front desk. Eilish McLaughlin and Fiona Borthwick shared insights into their job roles at PTFS Europe, discussing how their library backgrounds have given them the knowledge and experience to work with open source library solutions! If you missed out, you can watch the recording, or check out our closed captions.

Previous Events

We also have an impressive rap sheet of previous events spanning our history as a committee! In August 2020, we ran our first ever event – an online Careers Workshop with Heather Marshall, Senior Librarian at Glasgow Caledonian University. If you missed out, you can view a recording of this session.

We had our first ever (virtual) social on April 15th 2021! We hosted a quiz which was followed by time for chatting and getting to know fellow students and new professionals. We were also delighted to be participate in the Festival of Pride and Knowledge in June 2021 with the CILIP LGBTQ+ Network and CILIPS!

Happy Half Hour event link
Our first Happy Half Hour events were held in September and October 2021. These were relaxed evenings for attendees to wind down with other students and new professionals after a day of studying or working!

Our Professional Registration event took place on Monday 22nd November 2021 at 6.30pm. This was an exciting event where we found out what Professional Registration, Certification, and Chartership are and what they involve.

Please get in touch with us with your New Voices contributions or if you have an idea for an event or resources we could offer – we would love to hear from you! Email snpc@cilips.org.uk.

If you would like to keep up-to-date with our work then join our mailing list and follow us on Twitter.

Organising Committee Members

Secretary: Marta Trogu

Twitter: @martatrogu

Hi! My name is Marta and I work as Chief Library Assistant in the Acquisitions and Access department at the University of Glasgow Library. After my BA(Hons) in English, I undertook a MSc in Information and Library Studies and graduated from the University of Strathclyde in 2018. I am originally from Sardinia (Italy) and I like to spend my free time reading and writing.

Hi there! My name is Filipa, I’m a MSc Information and Library Studies student at the University of Strathclyde and currently one of the student placements at the Andersonian Library. Previously, I lived in Portugal where I completed my BA in Painting, Fine Arts. In my free time you can find me having Italian food, talking about dragons, or listening to Taylor Swift – or maybe all of those at the same time!

Events Coordinators:

Chaeli Brown

Hello! I’m Chaeli and I am an Events Co-ordinator with CILIPS SNPC.

After graduating from the University of Strathclyde with a MSc in Information and Library Studies in 2023, I now work as an Information Scientist with ThinkAnalytics.

I’m originally from the United States and grew up attending international schools in Syria and India. In my free time I enjoy reading, hiking, trying new restaurants and going to the cinema!

Matthew Ferrie

“Hi! My name is Matthew and I’m one of the SNPC Events Coordinators. I’m from Falkirk and I graduated the University of Strathclyde in 2023 with an MSc in Information and Library studies. Before that, I graduated with BA with Honours in History at the University of Stirling. Currently, I work as an Information Assistant in the Craiglockhart Library at Edinburgh Napier University.

In my spare time I like movies, reading books, and taking naps.”

Website Editor: Antonietta Colasante

Hello! I’m Antonietta and I’m the Website Editor for the  SNPC website.  I graduated from the University of Strathclyde with a MSc in Information and Library Studies in 2023 and now work as a Library Assistant in public libraries.

Originally from Melbourne (Australia), I completed a Bachelor of Arts with Honours in English Literature at the University of Melbourne. I moved to Glasgow to undertake my Masters after falling in love with Scotland as an undergraduate exchange student – and do not mind the cold climate at all! In my free time, I love reading, writing, listening to music and going to the theatre and movies. I’m also a frequent dog-sitter for my sister’s deceptively cute multiple-poo, Maxy.

Secretary: Eleanor Rydén

Eleanor with her black cat

Hi! My name is Eleanor and I have an MSc in Information and Library Science from the University of Strathclyde. Before moving here, I studied English in Northampton, meaning that I now own way too many books that I mostly haven’t even read. Before that, though, I am from Sweden, right outside Stockholm. My free time is usually spent reading, knitting, or, whenever we’re in the same country, hanging out with my dog.

Past Committee Members

Former Website Editor: Dana Copeland

Twitter: @danastoddart

Hello all! I’m Dana, and I’m a university library librarian. I completed the Information & Library Studies MSc at Strathclyde in 2020, starting my job a few weeks later! I also have an undergraduate degree in English Literature from Glasgow University. As you may have guessed from these degrees, I read a lot in my spare time! I love learning new things, so since I left university I’ve completed a Beekeeping course, been learning Gaelic, and become addicted to crocheting.

Former Chair: Chloe Elder

Twitter: @chloe_v_elder

Hi! I’m Chloe, and I work as a Library Assistant at St George’s School for Girls, Edinburgh. I’ve enjoyed working in libraries and archives since graduating with my MSc in Information Management and Preservation from the University of Glasgow in 2018. With a background also in Book History and Comparative Literature, I like all things bookish. Originally from Florida, I love living in and exploring Scotland with my partner. My hobbies include dance, violin, climbing and cooking.

Former Events Coordinator: Elizabeth Carney

Twitter: @emcarney94

Hi there! My name is Elizabeth and I work as a Health Librarian for NHS Forth Valley. I always knew I wanted a career in libraries and so following my undergraduate degree and a year working full-time as a Library Assistant at the University of Glasgow, I undertook an MSc in Information and Library Studies, graduating from the University of Strathclyde in 2019. Outside of work, I like walking, playing the piano, and one of my favourite things to do is visit the Glasgow Women’s Library!

Former Social Media Officer: Eilish McLaughlin

Eilish McLaughlin

Hi folks, I’m Eilish! I previously worked in academic libraries in Bradford and Belfast and also worked in a large international school library in Bangkok. I am currently working as a sales and marketing consultant for PTFS Europe, an open source software library solutions company and I’m also in my final year of a masters in library and information science with the University of Ulster. Previously, I was the Students and New Professionals Officer for CILIP Ireland and was co-director of an independent art gallery in Belfast.

Former Social Media Coordinators:

Elizabeth Nagy

Elisabeth Nagy

Twitter: @elisabeth_na

Hi there, my name is Elisabeth!  I graduated from the University of Glasgow in 2021 with a degree in Museum Studies and am now working as a Library Assistant with the University of Glasgow.

I’m originally from Germany where I studied English Language & Literature as well as Communication Science. Next to coffee and reading, I also really enjoy music, including both going to gigs and playing in an orchestra.

Filipa Pedroso 

Hi there! My name is Filipa, I’m a MSc Information and Library Studies student at the University of Strathclyde and currently one of the student placements at the Andersonian Library. Previously, I lived in Portugal where I completed my BA in Painting, Fine Arts. In my free time you can find me having Italian food, talking about dragons, or listening to Taylor Swift – or maybe all of those at the same time!

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