CILIPS Professional Development Fund Report – CILIPS25 by Elizabeth Carney

Category: Blog

Written by Elizabeth Carney, Librarian, NHS

CILIP Scotland Annual Conference 2025

Introduction

I was able to attend the 2025 CILIPS Conference thanks to the Professional Development Fund. I am extremely grateful for the opportunity, especially as I am currently working on revalidation. The experience offered many professional development opportunities and in this report, I will focus on a selection of the sessions I attended.

Keynotes

The keynotes always invite reflection, and this was especially true at CILIPS25 with the focus on libraries as contributors to their communities. Professor Steven Buchanan’s talk was particularly moving. He highlighted issues around child (information) poverty and passionately defended the vital role libraries and library staff play in addressing this. It was a rousing call to action, challenging us to think critically about the progress that has been made so far and demonstrating that there is much more to do by sharing sobering figures about the number of children currently living in absolute poverty.

Louis Coiffait-Gunn and Alison Nolan also spoke about the impact of libraries, sharing updated data on Scottish public library visits that prove high return on investment. However, they also addressed closures and job losses, and the value of libraries not always being properly understood or acknowledged. Libraries do much more than lending books (though that remains vital), and we all share a responsibility to advocate for library services. I enjoyed hearing the insights of both speakers on how we can best engage with others and demonstrate value.

Parallel Sessions

The session on community walking at the NLS prompted reflection on outreach and what that can look like, something we’re always considering at my library, being part of a very large organisation. Graeme Hawley’s passion for community walking and his emphasis on measuring the value of outreach not simply through numbers but also through the strength of connections developed made this session feel particularly inspiring. It offered food for thought on adapting this initiative for our own contexts.

I also gained practical ideas from the City of Glasgow College Library team’s session on user engagement. They shared useful methods for evaluating services and gathering feedback. One point that resonated with me was around not collecting quantitative data/stats just for the sake of it, but rather ensuring quantitative data collection is meaningful. A specific example shared was to group data about user enquiries by type/nature, rather than simply recording the number, to better understand the issues users require most support with.

Finally, I found the prison libraries session fascinating. It offered insight into a sector I knew little about, with thought-provoking discussion on ethical dilemmas related to censorship, freedom of information, and privacy. Library staff must find a way to provide access to as much information and literature as possible while maintaining the confidentiality of their users and operating in a system where certain content is inevitably restricted.

Final Thoughts

As somebody who works in a very small team, I value events like these which offer the chance to connect with other library and information professionals. It is always exciting to hear about work happening across sectors, and it was great to meet up with fellow health librarians in person, as we usually only get to communicate via Teams or email.

Thank you very much to team CILIPS for running another fantastic conference for the library community in Scotland, and for allowing me to attend via the professional development fund.

Elizabeth was able to attend CILIPS25 with the support of the CILIPS Professional Development Fund. The fund aims to provide financial assistance to members wishing to undertake professional development activities related to enhancing skills in the information profession. This can include in person and online conferences, events, courses, seminars or webinars organised by CILIPS, CILIP or other bodies in the UK or overseas. To learn more and apply for the next round of funding then please click here.