Scotland’s Library and Information Professional of the Year 2026 Shortlist
Each year, members nominate colleagues from across the sector to be shortlisted for Scotland’s Library and Information Professional of the Year. We’re thrilled to share this year’s shortlist of professionals who have made a significant impact on their sector, showing outstanding practice and commitment to their role. Join us in congratulating the nominees and stay tuned for the winner who will be announced on day one of CILIPS26!
Sally Bell, Head of Collection Development, University of Glasgow
Building on her work investigating uses of AI to help translate the catalogue records of rare foreign language material, for which she received the Ian McCracken Innovator Award 2025, Sally has continued to coach and encourage her colleagues at the University of Glasgow to develop their digital skills in generative AI and Python scripting, diversifying their impact as a team and streamlining workflows to make their day-to-day activities as efficient and enriching as possible. Her colleagues have praised her ‘professionalism around collection care, access and management’, further exemplified by Sally leading the migration of collection metadata to a new library management system at the university library, as well as an innovative project to audit and then score film and magnetic tape recordings to assist with prioritisation and funding bid planning.
Sally has collaborated with colleagues across the UK to develop the RLUK Decolonisation Curriculum, a partner resource to the SCURL EDI Toolkit that she was also instrumental in creating. This work and similar innovations led by Sally have been disseminated across the profession in a variety of formats, including in CILIPS webinar and at the CILIP MDG Conference, and Sally will also contribute to the wider sector throughout 2026 as a peer assessor for SLIC’s How Good Is Our Public Library programme.
Silvia Spaltro, Senior Library Administrator, Glasgow Caledonian University
Silvia’s passion for creating an inclusive and supportive workplace environment is exemplified by her role as one of the library’s EDI leads and her university-wide work as an Endometriosis Champion, catalysing much-needed discussions about women’s health. This work includes hosting research cafes and helping to coordinate the university’s multidisciplinary Women’s Health Fayre, both of which bring advocacy co-benefits in highlighting the unique role of the library in supporting staff and student wellbeing. Silvia has also supported the training of a student working in the library via the university’s Employ Autism scheme, and she facilitates a masterclass on EDI for students: establishing an interactive space for discussion that blends books with student-produced zines to spark conversations and support learners to reflect on what inclusion could and should look like across their institution.
Sector-wide, Silvia is a founding member of the SCURL EDI Discussion Group, and she also authored a chapter – ‘A Day in the Life of a Feminist Librarian’ – in the 2026 Facet title Feminist Librarianship: Principles, Practices and Provocations, edited by Kirsten MacQuarrie. Silvia’s colleagues admire how Silvia is ‘actively contributing to a wider cultural shift within librarianship’, praising how ’she inspires others, strengthens collective awareness and supports the ongoing effort to create a more just and inclusive profession.’
Caroline Messer, Customer Services and Libraries Team Manager, East Lothian Council
Caroline’s collaborative and constructive style of leadership has supported her team to strengthen community engagement, expand access to a diverse range of services, and ensure that their libraries remain welcoming, inclusive, and responsive spaces for all. From supporting early years literacy through family learning cafes to championing digital inclusion, making partnership working possible across the wider community, and developing targeted outreach for isolated or vulnerable residents, Caroline’s approach is described by colleagues as ‘kind and empathetic’, grounded in a ‘commitment to equitable access’. The positive impact of Caroline’s leadership was further demonstrated when her team was Highly Commended for Library Team of the Year at the 2025 SLIC Awards.
Across the sector, Caroline is part of the APLS Resilience and Business Continuity Group and she is the current chair of SCoPL. To celebrate the National Year of Reading, Caroline has also played a key part in the working group that has created a new Reading Strategy for Scotland, due to launch later in 2026. Under Caroline’s leadership, her team has further advanced literacy strategies through Reading Schools accreditation and by developing bespoke school library policies, whilst always ensuring that their services remain inclusive and flexible for vulnerable young people.
Colleagues praise Caroline’s ability to ‘identify emerging needs and design imaginative solutions—whether through digital engagement, community partnerships, or rethinking traditional library offerings’, which has created meaningful positive change across East Lothian and helped their library service to remain ‘relevant, resilient, and future focused’.
A panel of judges made up of members from the CILIPS Trustee Board will meet to decide a winner, who will then be announced in early June. Congratulations to these amazing professionals for all of their hard work, and thank you to the colleagues who nominated them.