Meet our Trustees – Jérémie Fernandes

Category: Blog, Meet Our Trustees

Meet Our Trustees – Jérémie Fernandes

Each of our Trustees plays an essential role in shaping CILIPS’s direction, inspiring and supporting us to offer innovative professional development opportunities and to undertake our year-round libraries advocacy. We recently opened a new Call for Trustees but understand that the traditional language of Trusteeship can often feel confusing or even intimidating. We want to ensure that all CILIPS members – from every background and every level of experience – feel confident to consider applying.

In this blog series, some of our current Trustees will be sharing insights into the journey that led them to their role, what being a Trustee is really like, and their advice for anyone considering an application.

Today, we’re hearing from Jérémie Fernandes, Library Officer at Moray College UHI and a SNP Councillor for Elgin City North.

What made you apply to become part of the CILIPS Trustee Board?

I have been a CILIPS Trustee for 5 years, I had just qualified as a librarian, and I was in my first professional job. When I first applied to be a Trustee, I initially wanted to represent newly qualified professionals on the board. Although I am no longer this youthful new professional anymore, I still very much enjoy being in the role.

How did you feel before your first Board meeting? What are the meetings like?

The first meeting was very interesting and also a bit scary, with a wealth of experiences around the table. It was clear to me that all the Trustees were very passionate about libraries and their role in making people’s lives better. There have been a lot of new Trustees since, but there’s no doubt that all the people coming forward care deeply about libraries and information services.

What’s the best thing about being a Trustee?

The best thing about being a Trustee is the ability to influence decisions, being the voice of the profession, creating advocacy campaigns and seeing them come to fruition and bear results. All thanks to the small CILIPS team’s tremendous work!

Do you have advice for anyone who is thinking about applying but unsure whether being a Trustee is for them?

Please, don’t feel like you have to be at the top of the profession or have many years of experience to put your name in the hat! All walks of life and experiences are welcome, and we need diverse voices on the board so we can represent the whole profession effectively.

To learn more about the role of a CILIPS Trustee, please come along to one of our free online Mythbusting Q&A sessions, taking place at 11am on Friday 9th September and 6pm on Wednesday 21st September.