CILIPS Research Fund recipients announced
Category: News, Professional Development
Following the first call for the CILIPS Research Fund, we are delighted to announce that we have provided funding for two advocacy related research projects.
The first project the CILIPS Board has provided funding for is (REVEAL) Reinforcing Ethics and Values for Effective Advocacy for Libraries from the University of Glasgow. This project will underpin library advocacy in Scotland by providing a professional development framework for the engagement with and dissemination of the ethics and core values of the profession, developing a free to use evidence-based training programme and infographic materials for the library workforce and other stakeholders to utilise.
‘I’m honoured and delighted to be among the first recipients of the CILIPS Research Fund,’ says lead researcher Dr David McMenemy. ‘The importance of effective advocacy for the library and information profession is hard to overstate, and the materials produced in the REVEAL project will be designed to be usable and accessible to people working in libraries as well as those advocates from outside the profession who understand the importance of effective library provision as a vital component of strong and vibrant communities across Scotland, and beyond.’
The CILIPS Board has also agreed to fund a second project, A beacon of hope: visioning libraries for the future, from Glasgow Women’s Library. Following on from recent research into GWL as a Transformative Space (highlighted in the CILIPS #LibrariesAreEssential – Scotland’s Stories advocacy campaign), this project will move beyond libraries in ‘survival mode’ to explore them as thriving hubs of activism that can change the world, challenge inequality and offer solutions to our climate crisis. GWL’s Net Zero Handbook will form a practical basis for a collaborative ‘visioning the future’ of libraries in dialogue with people that use library spaces both locally, digitally and in wider communities of interest.
‘Libraries are one of the only surviving commons. They are accessible, diverse spaces that allow people to imagine different futures, gather together, and nourish and share ideas,’ notes GWL Librarian Wendy Kirk. ‘We are thrilled to be able to ‘vision the future’ of libraries in dialogue with people who use our digital and physical spaces. Our research aims to move beyond the view of libraries in ‘survival mode’ to explore them as thriving hubs of activism and change. Thank you to CILIPS Research Fund for supporting our project.’
The CILIPS Research Fund offers a unique opportunity to support research that contributes to Library and Information Sector advocacy in Scotland, making available up to £10,000 per year in funding for researchers, practitioners, activists, students and other interested professionals whose work seeks to advance library advocacy.