Meet the Shortlist – Gillian Gillespie
Category: Blog, Meet the Shortlist
This post is part of our Meet the Shortlist series, focusing on the four shortlisted nominees for the 2020 Library and Information Professional of the Year Award. Read on to learn more about Gillian Gillespie and her nomination.
Gillian Gillespie is one of the shortlisted nominees for our Library and Information Professional of the Year Award. Gillian is a Learning Community Librarian with North Ayrshire Council and is based at Greenwood Academy, where she provides a library service to the secondary school and cluster primaries.
Gillian is nominated for this award for being an outstanding and passionate professional who is ambitious for her community and the wider profession. Her efforts to promote literacy were highlighted, for example, her successful bid for funding through the First Minister’s Reading Challenge and the support she provided to the Family Learning Team to establish a parent and child book group.
Gillian is a Glow Champion and Digi Guru for council staff and her commitment to digital literacy is also outlined through her innovative SLIF funded project ‘Greenwood Making History’ where local history is investigated and digital artwork is produced using makerspace technology. Additionally, Gillian has recently led on the development of a digital school library newsletter called ‘Vibrant’ which is written by P7, secondary, and education hub young people to give them a voice in changing times.
Gillian’s support for her colleagues and the wider profession were also noted. She has assisted with the implementation of the National School Library Strategy ‘Vibrant Libraries, Thriving Schools’ by helping to gather feedback for the National Strategy Advisory Group through SLG Scotland, of which Gillian is Secretary. Additionally, Gillian has co-presented at national conferences and volunteers on various committees in North Ayrshire.
Congratulations to Gillian on her many achievements and her nomination!
The shortlist is made up of four nominees. Judging will take place by a panel of experts and be based on a full nomination statement provided to CILIPS. The winner will be announced in October.