CILIPS Conference 2023 – Lucrezia Gaion, East Branch

Branch: East Branch | Category: Blog, Branches and Groups, Professional Development

Lucrezia Gaion, School Librarian at Broughton High School, Edinburgh, received CILIPS East Branch‘s sponsored place to attend the CILIPS Annual Conference, June 2023 in Dundee. Lucrezia shares some reflections on the experience.

Before attending the CILIPS conference I had no expectations. It turns out that the organisation of the conference proved to strike the perfect balance between learning, breaks and networking. In short, it was a success. In this report however, I want to reflect on three epiphany moments I had throughout the excellent day. I will go in panel order, highlighting the points that struck me the most.

What is the value of libraries, and where do they sit in our world? This was the question that Josh Sendall asked. He spoke of libraries as hubs of knowledge and connection. Then he asked the following question: how do people become more and more radicalized in a time when access to knowledge and information is so widespread? Information (and disinformation) is everywhere, easily accessible at our fingertips. As information professionals we have a responsibility to support the public. And yet, dialogue is becoming more difficult as people are reducing the world into small boxes of right and wrong. Josh’s theory is that the separation of communities – deriving from cutting funds and the need to find a common enemy – creates a fertile ground for division and radicalisation. This has been exacerbated by the pandemic. This excellent presentation reminded me of an author talk I attended last week where Rebecca F Kuang said: ‘I am very suspicious of people who have all the answers’. Her new novel, Yellowface, explores racism, cultural appropriation and cancel culture. It asks a lot of questions, without providing answers. This was a running theme throughout the conference too: asking questions, opening up dialogues and reflecting on our lived experience and that of those around us in the hope of fostering connection, empathy and understanding.

The second epiphany moment occurred during a panel on how the celebration of diversity isn’t enough. Ellie Muniandy spoke about how a lot of organisations are focusing most of their energy on recruitment. But what happens after recruitment? Is the organisation and working culture sustainable for and supportive of marginalised people? We had the opportunity to chat in groups about what’s not working in our organisations and in my group two speakers reported the following (these are paraphrased):

• ‘As the only queer disabled person in the organisation I am asked to do all this work outside of my job description to educate people about my lived experience. Sometimes it’s okay, but sometimes I become fatigued, and recognising my boundaries, and what’s not okay is becoming more and more difficult. Of course I want to help, but sometimes that’s not my job even though people put that responsibility only on me.’
• ‘In my place of work I was asked to do a presentation on the Chinese New Year and a workshop on it. I’m not Chinese. I knew nothing about it, but as the only Asian woman in the organisation, the expectation was that I should lead on the project.’

How do we, as a sector, diversify our workforce while making it sustainable for marginalised groups? Our workforce is mainly white and middle class. It reminded me of when I heard someone say that anyone who is a librarian needs to have a university degree in information science. However, Ellie spoke about the gatekeeping of the profession, and it made me think more about how we find professional value in people: is only through degrees (which for marginalised groups are more difficult to access) or should we value it based on concrete professional outcomes? We all have internalised racism, misogyny, homophobia and ableism and classism because all of it is systemic. It’s important to be introspective, empathetic, and recognise our own positionality in it all. Changing the workforce is different than changing the workplace.

Finally, it was interesting to hear Professor Melissa Terras speak about the greatly feared AI. I know little about it, but I do know that people are scared of it. Melissa’s presentation broke down barriers of fear and ignorance when it comes to AI, reminding us all that libraries were at the forefront of AI development in the 1990s. Her question is: where are libraries now? Why are they being erased from the AI world?

AI development is now in the hands of business developers and furthers technologies for the capitalist west. She encourages information professionals to become part of the discussion and sit at the same tables as AI developers because we can provide something invaluable: ethics, empathy and value. It’s fundamental that information professionals and those working in the creative industry are part of these conversations because they bring humanity to technology. It’s daunting, but her tips on how to do that are tangible and accessible.

Overall attending CILIPS23 day two was an invaluable experience. I was able to meet my mentee from Glasgow, my chartership mentor, and met so many different librarians who are inspiring professionals in the field. Moreover, these questions will accompany me in the months to come, where I will interrogate myself as a librarian and strive to make my small space as accessible and inclusive as possible.