Reflections on being part of the CILIP North West Committee by Marg Charlesworth

Having said goodbye to the CILIP North West committee this week I thought it would be fitting to mark stepping down from my role of blog editor with a blogpost.

I've really enjoyed my time as blog editor; tweaking a piece that someone else has written is always so much easier than writing something yourself and it's been fun reading the fascinating submissions on a wide variety of topics. It hasn't felt too onerous as you can pretty much choose how often you want to post. I've also built up some skills using Blogger; learning that I've been able to transfer to other online platforms at work.

I first got involved with CILIP North West in 2017 after being awarded their bursary to attend the CILIP conference in Manchester. (There are several great bursary opportunities available each year through the CILIP member networks and interest groups, and surprisingly few people apply for them). I was struck by the friendly welcome when I visited the CILIP North West conference stall to introduce myself and it's felt that way ever since.

Serving on the committee proved to be invaluable when I did my Chartership as it meant that I was able to talk to and shadow other committee members who were working in different sectors. It was also easy to find out about wider professional issues through our monthly meetings. Many of the activities that I've included in my CPD log for my Revalidation have been drawn from being involved in events that we've organised as a committee, as well as from discussions and meetings with other CILIP North West colleagues. Being a committee member also gives you a better insight into CILIP as a whole as you have a chance to discuss and respond to news and developments that are being rolled out.

Maybe this post might inspire you to think about joining the committee? They are a really supportive and knowledgeable team and a warm welcome awaits you.

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