International Women’s Day 2022 – CILIPS’s Letter to a New Woman
Category: #LibrariesAreEssential - Scotland's Stories, Blog, News, Professional Development
At our latest #WINspiration feminism in libraries event, we invited CILIPS President Amina Shah and all our attendees to contribute to our International Women’s Day 2022 ‘Letter to a New Woman’: welcoming new women into the libraries and information sector and celebrating all that they bring. Our letter is below.
Welcome!
This is a profession of people who care.
Maybe we don’t always get everything right, but we’re on a journey of learning and have amazing organisations that bring us together. We’ve got a common purpose across sectors, ages, locations, and we have had (and continue to have) the most amazing time in libraries. We’ve met so many of our closest friends in libraries – some of us even met our partners here! – and we love working with new colleagues too: you’re super motivated, enthusiastic and have faaaabulous ideas.
We understand it’s so much harder for up and coming professionals in the current jobs market and know that we all need to take responsibility for calling out toxicity when we see it – standing up for everyone’s rights and discovering answers in the collective, not just in ‘individual work’. If you’re new to the profession, our recommendation is to find a mentor in library land: you might not always like the full and frank honesty we share, but it is truly meant as encouragement! Our top tips are to learn from our mistakes, make your own and get stuck in :-)
Above all, we say welcome – Scotland’s libraries are a fantastic environment to be in and we need you, new women.
