Reasons to Join the SLG Scotland committee

Category: Blog, Branches and Groups, Professional Development, SLG Scotland

by Pamela McLean, outgoing Vice-Chair of SLG Scotland

When I got my job as a school librarian, I was asked if it was my dream job. I wasn’t sure if it was then, but I am now: being a school librarian is the best job in the world. Working with pupils and staff is amazing, but you can make the best job in the world even better by joining the School Libraries Group Scotland.

Here are 5 reasons why you should consider joining the School Library Group Scotland committee:

1: CILIP Professional Registration

It’s great if you’re working towards Chartership or keeping up with CPD – not only does it tie in with lots of priorities on the Professional Knowledge & Skills Base, it also introduces you to librarians from across the school library sector. SLGS always contribute to the CILIPS Annual Conference (either online or in person) and if you’re working on Chartership that’s a great way of meeting information professionals from other sectors and widening your knowledge of current issues.

2: Connect & share with school librarians 

We all know how isolating it is to be the only one who does our job in school. Joining SLGS gives you a network – and not only can you share best practice together, you can share it with the rest of Scotland and beyond by contributing to our series of blog posts. My particular favourite is our How-To series: a one-stop shop for getting started on digital tools like Canva, QR codes and podcasts.

If you spend a lot of time on social media, you might be well placed already to ask other school librarians to share their experiences, either in blog posts or at our networking events. Or you can get involved in organising our author and CPD events – in the past we’ve had Victoria Williamson, Elle McNicoll and the Scottish Book Trust.

3: Advocate for the school library sector

It can be easy to feel powerless in the face of budget cuts and threats to jobs. Working as part of a strong committee to champion the work of school librarians, and provide CILIPS with evidence for advocacy, is one way to effect positive change.

4: Contribute to the future of school libraries

You might get the opportunity to inform the next stage of Vibrant Libraries, Thriving Schools: A National Strategy for School Libraries, which enters its next phase in 2023. Working on SLG Scotland’s planning tool (which was based on the strategy) has been one of the highlights of my time in libraries so far. As has showcasing the many ways librarians are furthering the aims of the strategy.

5: It’s a lot of fun

The committee members of the SLGS are a generous, knowledgeable and inspirational group. You learn a lot at meetings and you’re pushed out of your comfort zone, but you’ll be a better librarian at the end of your time there than you were at the start. I know I am.

Learn more about the wonderful work of School Libraries Group Scotland at the launch their much-anticipated virtual guide to Managing a School Library, taking place at the start of Libraries Week at 5pm on Monday 3rd October. Free, online and open to all.