CILIP Conference 2024

Seán Corr, Library Assistant at The Linen Hall, Belfast, was the lucky recipient of the CILIP Ireland Bursary to attend the CILIP Conference in Birmingham this summer. With eleven years experience in the public library sector at Libraries NI, Seán joined the Collections team at The Linen Hall in 2021. Seán completed his Masters in Library Information & Management at Ulster University, graduating in 2017 and is interested in sport, local history and genealogy.

CILIP Conference 2024, 10-11 July 2024, Hilton Birmingham Metropole.

I first heard about the bursary to attend the CILIP Conference 2024 through an e-mail from CILIP Ireland and decided to apply. The bursary enables a current CILIP Ireland member to experience the entire CILIP Conference including the full two day programme, one night at the conference hotel and a maximum of £250 to cover flights and an extra night accommodation. Having attended the CILIP Ireland and ALA conferences in the past, I was keen to attend the CILIP Conference as I had never been to it before. I was also attracted by the lineup of speakers including Janet Peden from Ulster University and author Tammye Huf. The conference is also a great opportunity for networking and getting to meet CILIP colleagues from other library and information sectors. The deadline for applications was 9 June, and five days later I was pleasantly surprised to receive an e-mail to say that my application had been successful! 

My 2024 conference experience began with a flight from Belfast International Airport to Birmingham on a wet and dreary July evening. I had to keep reminding myself that this was a summer conference and not a winter one! The venue, just beside the National Exhibition Centre was a good central location, adjacent to Birmingham Airport. After registration, the conference began with a welcome and Presidential Address delivered by Jo Cornish, CILIP Chief Development Officer on behalf of Sue Williamson, CILIP President who was ill and unable to attend. The opening keynote was presented by Daniel Gorman, Director of English PEN – the oldest free speech organisation in the world. The keynote focused on the importance of intellectual freedom, the headline programme theme for the 2024 conference.

After the keynote, I had the opportunity to browse the exhibition and begin to meet some of my fellow conference attendees. My next session was on the subject of ‘Libraries, Health and Digital Literacy’ - something outside of my daily role. It was interesting to learn about the work of Big Tech platforms and accreditation providers partnering with clinicians and content creators to increase access and awareness of authoritative information online. Next up was a panel discussion on ‘Intellectual Freedom in the Age of Post-Neutrality’. The discussion explored the theory of neutrality and the management of controversial content and activities in our sector, including implications for library ethics relating to freedom of access to information. In an interesting debate, the question was posed as to whether libraries were ever really “neutral”, or should they be neutral?  

The lunchtime keynote speaker was Stijn Hoorens, Director at the not-for-profit research institution RAND Europe, who spoke on ‘Truth Decay in Europe’. A 2021 research report conducted by RAND into the spread of truth decay from the US into Europe was the focus of the talk. This was part of the Countering Truth Decay Initiative, a portfolio of projects completed by the RAND Corporation to restore the role of facts and analysis in public life. In the afternoon I attended the ‘Collections Go Green: Accrediting Sustainable Library Design’ session. Kirsty Shankland, Associate Architect with Wright & Wright Architects presented a talk on the latest methodologies and accreditations that the architecture and design sector is employing to help libraries meet the climate emergency. Using three illustrative examples, we saw how world-class libraries in Oxford and London are ensuring their long-term sustainability and communicating measurable performance for stakeholders, audiences and supporters alike. My last session of the day was on ‘Knowledge Management & Information Management: Return On Investment’ presented by Hank Malik. The session explored the role of KM in lessons learned and ROI, and how to prove real value in terms of learnings around health and safety, environmental impact, cost savings, loss of production and reduction of major incidents.

With the business of Day One complete, we reassembled at 7pm for the Presidential Dinner. Those of us who were interested in how the England football team would get on against the Dutch in Euro 2024 were catered for with match coverage on screens positioned subtly at one end of the room, while those who had no interest in the football could easily avoid it if they chose to! After the dinner, a live soul and funk band, Fit2Funk added to the party atmosphere as England progressed thanks to a late winning goal!  

Day Two began with a welcome address from CILIP CEO, Louis Coiffait-Gunn, followed by a keynote from Janet Peden, University Librarian and Deputy Chief Digital and Information Officer at Ulster University. I was looking forward to this talk, as I am based in Belfast myself, and completed my Masters in Library & Information Management at Ulster University. Janet shared leadership insights from her experiences in library-wide transformation and change management. Two major Ulster University projects were the £1.3 million refurbishment of library facilities at the Magee Campus in 2019, and the new library space at the new £364 million Belfast Campus which opened in 2022.

The leadership theme continued with a panel discussion with senior leaders from the University of East London (Regina Everitt) and NHS England (Louise Goswami) speaking about their own leadership journeys. They explored the elements of personal, professional, knowledge, skills and experience development required to take the next step, add value and thrive. The final talk of the morning was on ‘The Entrepreneurial Leader’, looking towards start-up culture as an inspiration for driving innovation, developing entrepreneurial leadership skills and diversifying income streams.

The lunchtime keynote was another one I had been looking forward to, and it did not disappoint as author Tammye Huf took part in a Q&A exploring the role of libraries and archives in uncovering the story of her prize-winning novel A More Perfect Union. Inspired by the true story of her great-great grandparents (an Irishman emigrating to America to escape the famine, and a slave woman torn from her family), the novel is an exploration of identity, sacrifice, belonging, race and love. I was delighted to have the opportunity of meeting Tammye after the Q&A and get my copy of her book signed.

In the afternoon I attended the Evidence-informed Practice session, where I heard about the findings of a recent study on research skills and confidence of LIS professionals. There was also a discussion on ways forward in this area. My final session of the conference was a panel discussion on the topic of ‘Inclusive Collections’. It was interesting to hear from Amy Staniforth speaking about the work of the Wales Anti Racist Library Collections, as well as Sara Ewing’s work at Goldsmith’s on her collaborative approach with researchers, academics and library colleagues.

I had a great experience at the CILIP Conference 2024, with a good mixture of interesting and informative speakers and sessions. I enjoyed having the opportunity to meet other CILIP members and conference exhibitors and find out about innovations and developments in the industry. Attending conferences is always a great benefit professionally and will help me in moving  forward in my career through broadening my horizons and gaining knowledge and insight beyond my own sector. I would recommend anyone thinking of applying for a bursary and attending a CILIP Conference to go for it, as it is a really valuable experience both professionally and personally. And if you are not already a CILIP member, do consider joining the organisation which provides unity, support and empowerment for information professionals across all sectors.