Keep collaboratively working, Scottish SIGs: Organising a joint event between SLGS and YLGS
Category: Blog, Branches and Groups, Professional Development, SLG Scotland
2023 began positively with the first joint School Libraries Group Scotland and Youth Libraries Group Scotland event being held. We’ve long promoted each other’s training and events on our respective social media channels, and the realisation that we are mostly serving the same audience brought us together to host a joint event. Lack of time and money across all library services and sectors often now sadly means that opportunities for CPD are limited, so joining forces seemed sensible.
Planning began towards the end of 2022, when I attended an SLGS committee meeting in my role as YLG chair, and we discussed event possibilities. It was agreed that the event should appeal to both our memberships, so a talk by Glasgow-based children’s author Maisie Chan was decided upon. Along with the practicalities of the event, the organisation also had to be planned, involving how each SIG would contribute. We agreed to split responsibilities for planning, hosting and publicising the event, with CILIPS supporting funding and tech. Throughout the organisational process, we kept in regular email contact to ensure we were on track to deliver a successful event.
Our joint efforts were enthusiastically received. With the YLG National conference set for Glasgow in 2024 it now seems an ideal time to continue to strengthen our collaborative ventures, and in turn strengthen our profession thought shared expertise and learning development. Bringing SIGs together through their common goals is an ideal initial step, and attending the meetings of other committees can be instrumental in developing relationships. During these challenging times we are searching for solutions to continue to support our professional practice, and collaborative working may indeed be the answer.
Jennifer Horan, YLGS Chair
An Evening with Maisie Chan
On Tuesday 7th February, SLGS and YLGS were delighted to welcome Maisie Chan to our first ever joint webinar. Maisie kicked off the event with a lovely overview of her relationship with libraries and how they’ve shaped her as an author:
“It was going to the library with my Mum that started my love, and journey, with books and stories […]. I have such fond memories”.
She described the whole process of visiting the library and being allowed to borrow four books as “magical”. Recounting how proud she felt to win an art competition when she was 6 and seeing her drawing on the library wall, she explained that this was her first memory of creating something.
Her school library, a “haven” to her, and her English teachers were also influential in her journey to becoming an author. Speaking about her favourite teachers, she said “those were the people who nurtured me and gave me confidence”.
Maisie then discussed how the lack of diverse representation around her when she was growing up pushed her towards wanting to become an author. While studying for her American Literature degree, and during a semester abroad at UC Berkeley, she started to explore critical race theory which “lit a fire” under her to further research Asian American history and literature.
Speaking about her dream of becoming a writer, she recalled when a friend pointed out a writing competition run by Birmingham Central Library. The story she wrote for that competition was the beginning of the inspiration for Danny Chung Does Not Do Maths.
We rounded off the event with a Q&A and Maisie generously described how she works with illustrators to ensure the diversity of her novels are reflected on the covers; her writing routine; how she tackles writer’s block; and she gave us a sneak peek into the topic of her next novel (which sounds amazing!).
Thank you for such an inspiring and insightful event, and for being an excellent advocate for the power of libraries and librarians, Maisie!
Emma Grey, SLGS Committee
CILIPS members, please log in here to (re)watch the wonderful SLGS x YLGS evening with Maisie Chan.