CILIP North West Member Network Blog

On Wednesday 2 nd July, I travelled from Cheshire to Birmingham for a day at the CILIP Conference 2025. After registering and being given a map and a timetable, I entered the exhibition room which was pulsing with excitement. People were hugging each other and shaking hands, waving from across the room and running to say hello with huge smiles on their faces. This was obviously an opportunity for colleagues and friends to come together and celebrate librarianship as well as for librarians like me to network and build new connections. After pouring myself a cup of coffee, I spoke to the people on the Better World Books stand and the BorrowBox stand. These were both brands I recognised due to Cheshire ELS working with them. Although I knew about what those companies did, it was lovely for me to ask questions, learn more about different project they were undertaking and some of the history of the companies. I walked away feeling more confident and uplifted. The opening comments by Lo...

Thank you to everyone who attended our first Careers Conversations event - we hope it is the first of many and welcome any and all feedback on the programme. Please keep an eye on our newsletter , social media and website for upcoming events.  Please find below a summary of the major points discussed during the session. Underneath this summary, please find links to useful resources for the job searching and application process for several library and information sectors; The session began with a discussion about where individuals typically look for job listings and analysis of some of the bigger providers. Along with the resources listed below, possible locations for job listings include noting listings on recruitment agencies and applying directly, looking at organisations that are being refurbished or expanded upon as they may account for new roles, and the information and archiving teams within unions. It was noted that it is worthwhile looking at roles outside of one's chosen ...

After an initial introduction from everyone present covering their current roles and what drew them to libraries, Sue began her presentation by looking at her first experiences with libraries. In her childhood Sue associated libraries with her father, a working Royal Marine, as they would often attend her local public library when he was on shore leave. She also associated libraries with social justice, seen in her decision to attend the bus route planning discussions at Medway town public library as she was aware how many people would be impacted by these routes.  At her first library job in Rochester public library, her manager saw a kindred library spirit in her and advised her on potential career options, sectors and qualifications. This information proved useful with Sue's first graduate job as a library assistant in an academic librarian, where she learnt how to adapt her workshop skills to any academic library and role. Her first health role appeared, where she covered for a...

 Blog by Daisy Hogarth CPD is something we all want to do, but conference places are expensive, right? I’d highly recommend reaching out to CILIP NW for support through their bursary scheme. I found myself wanting to attend this year’s CILIP Conference but with no way of funding it. I work for a public library, so support via work financially was out of the question, and I didn’t have the money to fund the entire conference myself. I decided to reach out to CILIP NW and see what support I could be offered, and found the bursary application really simple and not too onerous to complete. I found out pretty quickly that I had been successful in my application to receive some money towards my ticket and the process of then obtaining my ticket with this money was really simple. Now on to the good stuff, the day! The conference was in Birmingham so I got the train from Liverpool. I used the train journey to have some uninterrupted reading time, something I don’t normally get to do on ...

 Written by Bethany O'Donoghue, Systems Assistant at University of Manchester Library I was lucky to be successful in obtaining a bursary to attend UKSG's 'Introduction to Resource Discovery' online seminar split over Wednesday 8th and Thursday 9th November. I found out about the event from a LIS-Link email and thought it would be useful to attend as it would expand upon my current (admittedly rudimentary) knowledge of Discovery within libraries. In my application I listed my interests for going were to improve my technical skills, learn more about metadata and learn how libraries use Discovery and I can confirm that this seminar met all of these aims and more. Each day the seminar began with a welcome from Anja Van Hoek (of Amsterdam University Press) and Magaly Bascones (of Gale). Each welcome was very friendly, established the structure of the webinar, provided insight into how to ask the presenters questions, and fostered an environment of enthusiasm towards what we...

by Siobhan Linsey, Head of Knowledge and Library Services, Lancashire Teaching Hospitals Are you curious with an appetite for knowledge and celebrating what our profession can accomplish? You are? Then let me tell you a story. It’s one of challenge, a network of like-minded people uniting in a common goal, and the rewards which were discovered along the way. In March 2024 I found myself challenged. As a health library service manager with procurement constraints, I was able to support one member of my team to virtually attend CILIP Health Library Group (HLG)’s 2024 conference. As CPD and engagement with our profession is crucial for all our roles, I strove to find a way to also attend myself. CILIP NW came to the rescue with a bursary contribution, enabling me to gain invaluable learning, networking in person at London’s Royal College of Physicians, with peers and others whose work I found inspiring. I am grateful for the support and would encourage others to reach out for future o...

by Nicola Glynn I was over the moon to receive funding from CILIP NW to attend the ALN conference 2023 (the process of applying was quick and easy, thank you so much!). Attending the conference was on a list of activities I was aiming to complete whilst working towards professional registration and it was a fantastic opportunity to gain an insight into the sector within which I work. The conference was held on 21st and 22nd June, the first day online and the second day in person in Leeds. This year's theme was ‘Revolutionary thoughts: constructively disrupting the status quo in libraries for the new normal.’ A reflection of the pressures which have encouraged new ways of working. As the conference approached, I eagerly awaited the release of the program, I was amazed at the variety. It was bursting with guest speakers, sponsor presentations, a panel discussion, short papers, lightening talks and workshops. With topics ranging from wellbeing (staff and students), AI, outreach and e...