CILIPS Research Fund 2023: recipients announced
Following the success of the first year of the CILIPS Research Fund, we are delighted to announce the two recipients of our 2023-24 funding. Both have a decidedly green focus, chiming in well with the sector’s tireless advocacy of libraries as the perfect place to learn about sustainability and initiate positive change. Both proposals have conceptualised toolkits and presentations as part of their project outcomes, so we can look forward to what grows from these undertakings!
The first project that the CILIPS Trustee Board has agreed to fund is Libraries as Agents of Sustainability Thinking in Scotland (LASTS) from the University of Strathclyde. The project will explore the role of libraries in promoting sustainable thinking initiatives amongst Scottish school and public library users, building on the findings of the ongoing SLIC Innovation and Development Fund project ‘Libraries for a Sustainable Future’ by developing an action plan and a toolkit for developing environmental literacy and sustainability. Aiming to promote user awareness, especially environmental literacy and sustainable thinking, LASTS intends to align the everyday lives of those living in Scotland with new knowledge in these areas, providing a structure that can be built on for the design and development of context-specific environmental literacy and awareness programmes in Scottish public and school libraries.
The long-term benefit of this project for Scotland is in empowering people to act responsibly and make informed decisions around climate change. Short-term, the benefit is for our community of library professionals and researchers, who have the opportunity to make active contributions to the pressing global challenges that climate change presents.
This year’s second successful funding proposal comes from The National Library of Scotland, who plan to research, review and adapt the Carbon Literacy for Museums toolkit to create a tailored Carbon Literacy for Libraries Toolkit. The toolkit will provide a comprehensive introduction to carbon literacy: empowering library staff to take action to reduce the carbon footprint of their service through a one-day training course and standalone resource that, under creative commons licensing via the Carbon Literacy Project, can be cascaded to the wider library sector.
The collated resources will empower library staff to make informed decisions on practical measures that support a sustainable working practice. The combination of the toolkit and training will allow library professionals to advocate for changes required across the sector to help us all tackle climate change. Excitingly, work on the project begins this month!
The CILIPS Research Fund offers a unique opportunity to support research that contributes to Library and Information Sector advocacy in Scotland, making available up to £10,000 per year in funding for researchers, practitioners, activists, students and other interested professionals whose work seeks to advance library advocacy.
To learn more about the Fund, please click here.