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CILIPS SNPC – Useful Resources

Category: New Voices

Below are some resources that have helped us get started in this profession. We hope that you find them helpful in some way too. We will be adding to this frequently. Please get in touch with us if you have any suggestions for other resources we should feature here (snpc@cilips.org.uk).

Looking for jobs:

  • myjobscotland – a good place to start when searching for jobs in Scotland, particularly if you are looking for public or school library jobs
  • Information Professional Jobs – this site is run by CILIP and features job adverts from all sectors (mainly England based)
  • NHS Scotland Recruitment – a good place to look for jobs in the health sector. It is useful to do a keyword search for words/phrases such as ‘librarian’, ‘knowledge service’, ‘library service’ etc.
  • NES Vacancies – NHS Education for Scotland jobs are featured on this site, separately from the main NHS Scotland Recruitment site
  • jobs.ac.uk – this is a good place to search for academic library roles and you can search based on location, job title, etc.
  • BIALL Jobs – the British and Irish Association of Law Librarians occasionally features jobs from the law library sector on their website

Training/CPD/Events:

  • CILIP Events – events run by CILIP UK. Many will be based in London however CILIP run webinars throughout the year which are usually free or low-cost for members. These are handy for anybody who can’t travel far to attend training. Just filter by ‘Location: Online’ to see a list of upcoming webinars
  • CILIPS Events – events run by CILIP Scotland, including those from the Regional Branches and Scottish SIGs
  • CILIPS Online Learning – online sessions on a range of topics relevant to the profession in Scotland and beyond
  • SCURL – the Scottish Confederation of University and Research Libraries runs events during the year. Mainly, these are aimed at people working in the academic sector but may have some relevance to other areas of the profession
  • SALCTG – the Scottish Academic Libraries Cooperative Training Group is another group focused on delivering training for the academic sector
  • SLA Europe – the European chapter of the Special Libraries Association provides lots of training opportunities, many of which are online
  • BIALL Events – training and events from the British and Irish Association of Law Librarians
  • FutureLearn – digital learning platform offering MOOCs (Massive Open Online Courses) on various subjects. They offer many courses relevant to information and library professionals
  • CILIPS Professional Development Fund – be aware that members of CILIP in Scotland are able to apply to this fund for financial support to attend training/conferences etc.

Useful documents/initiatives/funds (we’ve found it helpful to be aware of these for job interviews and also for learning about sectors of the profession):

  • Ambition & Opportunity – Scottish Public Libraries Strategy 2015-2020
  • Ambition & Opportunity Refresh – a refresh of the above strategy published in 2019
  • Vibrant Libraries, Thriving Schools – Scottish School Libraries Strategy 2018-2023
  • Our Time to Shine – report published in 2019 on the future of the data, knowledge, and information workforce in the health sector
  • Engaging Libraries – a programme by Carnegie UK Trust aiming to involve public libraries in research. It offers funding to public libraries who in turn carry out a research project. So far, there have been two phases and there may be another round in the future
  • SLIF – School Library Improvement Fund distributed by SLIC on behalf of the Scottish Government
  • PLIF – Public Library Improvement Fund distributed by SLIC on behalf of the Scottish Government

Key organisations to be aware of:

  • Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals (CILIP) – the professional body for the sector who offer Professional Registration (Certification, Chartership, Fellowship). You will need to be a member if you want to become a Chartered information professional. CILIPS is CILIP in Scotland, a separate but affiliated charity
  • CILIP BAME Network – a forum for librarians and information professionals from Black Asian and Minority Ethnic backgrounds to share their experiences, support each other and network, working with CILIP and other partners
  • The LGBTQ+ Network – a CILIP supported group (open to CILIP members and non-members), this community works with CILIP to include the specific development needs and the perspective of LGBTQ+ Library Knowledge & Information workers; and provides guidance, support, and a safe space to share knowledge and experiences for library, information and knowledge workers who identify as LGBTQ+
  • Scottish Library and Information Council (SLIC) – established in 1991, SLIC is the independent advisory body to the Scottish Government on library and information related matters
  • Society of College, National and University Libraries (SCONUL) – represents all university libraries in the UK and Ireland, as well as national libraries and some other libraries with collections of national significance. It’s good to know about the SCONUL access scheme if you work in this sector
  • Scottish Confederation of University and Research Libraries (SCURL) – a membership body that supports service development across Scotland’s research and university libraries
  • The Association of Public Libraries Scotland (APLS) – a group with representation from each of Scotland’s 32 local authorities
  • The British & Irish Association of Law Librarians (BIALL) – the leading professional body for those working within the legal sector, run by members
  • International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions (IFLA) – leading international body working in the interests of library and information services, their users and staff, and professional bodies for library and information professionals. It was founded in Edinburgh in 1927 and is now based in the Netherlands
  • Scottish Book Trust (SBT) – a charity promoting the benefits of reading and writing. SBT does a lot of great work with libraries in Scotland
  • Carnegie UK Trust (CUKT) – an organisation working to improve the wellbeing of people across the UK. As with SBT, CUKT does a lot of work with libraries across the country

Blogs:

  • New Voices – our blog on the CILIPS website. Contact us at snpc@cilips.org.uk if you would like to contribute
  • We Only Stamp Books – a blog run by three library/information professionals. They aim to bust the myths surrounding this line of work for example ‘it must be great being able to read all day’
  • Ned Potter – a blog by information professional and trainer Ned Potter. Ned primarily writes about communications and marketing in relation to libraries
  • Library Returners – a blog collating the experiences of those who have returned to the library and information profession after a career break
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