As this year is proving to be very busy due to my volunteering roles – there is a real challenge for me to get some free time to do nothing.  I seem to have lists, upon lists, things to do and therefore I have not been socialising as much this year.  I have been very active in the libraries and information world and therefore I will be writing about my activities from the last few weeks on here. 

I had some special activities this month as usually and one of them is going to Birmingham to for the CILIP Conference.  I didn’t realise that I actually walked through the NEC in Birmingham to get to the conference venue and hotel.  I had my phone stole the day before so it was a bit disconcerting getting a train without a smartphone as I had to ensure I had a tablet and lap top with me so I can send emails and printed tickets for my train journey. Apparently, I am not the only one who is experiencing stolen phones on the London underground or whilst out and about – but it makes you really out of depth with the way our travel and even IT authentication as well communication channels rely on smartphones in this day and age.  Once I got to the Birmingham, I was with a bunch of library and information professionals, so I knew I was in a safe environment and knew people attending there who can assist me if I need help. 

The CILIP Conference was my first visit to their conference and although I am going to conferences more frequently as SLA President 2023, this was not the case and therefore had to be very proactive with my own professional development over the years.  It is CILIP’s 125^th Anniversary and I loved how they celebrated their past but also want to shine a light for the next 25 years on future leaders.  I also found the keynote on AI interesting for the way that we can use the technology for the benefit of developing services but the best take-away was making sure that we consider responsible AI. It is good to see ways that the technology can do some of the work for humans in a more efficient way and how we can implement it for research and data processing in knowledge and information management. 

It was also good to see suppliers, other professionals and fellow volunteers at the Conference.  I went to some great talks on professional development and international issues from a session by IFLA.  The CILIP conference gave me an opportunity to see other professionals in the UK and hear what they are doing in their own libraries and subject areas.  I used to feel very dishearten by the lack of other professionals but this was partly because I was not going to these networking events. For the last 17 years or more – I get inspired by other professionals and don’t ever lose passion as they all do amazing work which has real value to their communities and users. I know I am active internationally but I hope I can perhaps present at a future CILIP conference and give back to the UK professional community. 

The next day, I also had to make a trip to a great event in London so got an early morning train.  Our department was hosting the launch of a new research report entitled Democratising Entrepreneurship 2.0 for the impact of central government funding for libraries to provide business support across England and parts of Scotland. This event was held at the House of Lords in the Palace of Westminster – which is one of the most iconic buildings in the London.  I was on the terrace and hosted our partners in various libraries in our national network. 

It was good to hear the speeches from our hosts and the board of the British Library as well as to see the views from the river.  At this event we were recognising the work that we have completed in the last three years but also looking at the future at how we can carry on this work.  I have been saying for ages that we need physical spaces like libraries, as well as support and expert staff to assist in knowledge and information sharing.  It was also great to see some of the products on display that have come out of the projects and hear how beneficial it has been to participate in our projects and programmes across the country.

I have visited the Houses of Parliament before for an outreach event about 12 years ago where I was able to see the chambers, staff areas in Portcullis House and the House of Commons library which overlooks the river. I think this must have been before my smartphone days as I don’t have any photos but once I started using a smartphone, I have more photos of library and information visits. The Palace of Westminster Great Hall is nice to see for its history as well as the debating chamber.  The staff who gave the tour then gave us good anecdotes of the prime ministers who had gone in the past and show us some of the unique aspects of the building. 

Our international team at the British Library had a great reception for the cohort for their International Leaders Programme for the 2023. It was great to network with professionals on the programme as well as to see staff.  It was great to feel connected to the 18 countries that were taking part in the programme and to hear from CILIP’s CEO Nick Poole on the why that we as library and information professionals to need to collaborate, share knowledge, best practice and opportunities with each other. I felt really motivated to hear the speeches and to see a great video celebrating the British Library’s 50^th Anniversary.

There are few times in my career so far that I was able to celebrate with the whole organisation I work for – this is for example when Price Waterhouse merged with Coopers & Lybrand on 1^st July 1998 – we were given special burgundy filing wallets and other branded mementos. I also remember celebrating the milestones of the 2012 London Olympics at City Hall with staff talks and presentations.  And this month, we were able to celebrate 50 years of the British Library.  Although I have only worked for the library for over 10 years – I have known it since I arrive in London as I drove past the construction site on Euston in the early 1990s.  It was in 1994 that I started using the Document Supply Centre and therefore have been a user of their services since then form the other side.  I know my colleagues take pride in working at the library and it an inspiring space.  I have a new role in the library, which keep me busy and there is always something new to do or learn in such a great organisation.  Here’s to the next 50 years!

And last but not least, I popped into my local library this weekend on my walk in my neighbourhood.  It was great to see how the library has recently been refitted and reorganised for the various users of the library.  There has been self-checkout for library materials for a while.  There are still spaces to read, borrow books, study, a children’s library and storytelling space as well as a café and reception area.  There is also a collaboration with the University of Portsmouth with the library for adult learning in what is now known as their London Campus. Even this short walk and a few minutes in my local library made me observe a sea-change on the changes happening in libraries.  Long may it lasts!