CILIP North West Member Network Blog

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

  CILIP North West “A Grand Day Out” What Happened? Just before Covid hit in 2020, I began the process of working towards my Chartership. Lockdown gave me lots of opportunity to do all sort of online training and reading. But I struggled with reflective writing; I just couldn’t get my head around how to do it. So, I kept going with development activities and sort of hoped that if I ignored it, reflective writing would just go away. Needless to say, it didn’t. Finally, I felt I had done enough to submit my MCLIP but the pesky reflective writing was hanging over me. So when I saw there was a session on reflective writing at a forthcoming CILIP CPD day, I knew I had to attend and slay the demon! So What? To be honest, I hadn’t paid much attention to the programme for the day beyond the reflective writing session. So it all came as a bit of a surprise, and a very inspiring one. We started with a session about ChatGPT and Artificial Intelligence, led by Tim Leonard, of Bolto

I was lucky enough to be awarded the bursary from CILIP NW to be able to attend the CILIP Conference this year in Liverpool. I am incredibly grateful to have had this opportunity especially as prior to attending I had just started my new job in what is (for me) the brand-new area of academic libraries. I went in feeling as bright-eyed and new as I did the first time I attended a conference some years ago, a little overwhelmed at the choice of so many different talks but looking forward to learning a lot! Spotted my new workplace at the drinks reception! Museum of Liverpool Life. The theme for the CILIP conference was Sustainability in all its forms. Day one opened with an incredibly powerful and moving keynote from Sayf Al Ashquar, Secretary-General of the Libraries, University of Mosul; Director of Central Library, Iraq on the destruction of the Central Library in Iraq by ISIS soldiers. Destruction of Central Library, Iraq. “To control the people, [ISIS] destroyed the knowledge.”   He