CILIP Conference 2022 – Live from Liverpool! - by Rebecca Dorset

 

Rebecca Dorset is currently the Chair of the CILIP Government Information Group and can be contacted at: Chair.GIG@cilip.org.uk.

This year's CILIP Conference saw a welcome return to being 'in person' in the wonderful surroundings of Liverpool. I was very fortunate and excited to be back at my favourite conference to hear about some of the inspirational work that has been taking place over the past few years.

 

For those that have yet to make it to the conference there are usually a few key components that remain the same each year, and it was very nice to see them all back under one roof. There is an exhibitor’s area, which hosts a variety of suppliers and this year there was also a challenge to complete by visiting each one, as well as voting for the best stand alongside a host of freebies and competitions. CILIP itself also had its own area to talk through the new mantra 'We are CILIP', which launched earlier in 2022 where you could also test your posing skills for professional profile pictures or some slightly funnier ones!

 

Each Special Interest Group in CILIP also had an area to meet new and existing members, give away their own free goodies and provide a place for networking in person after so long. I had the pleasure of setting up our stand this year and finally bringing some of our very bright orange merchandise up north to brighten up people’s days. There were a very recurring themes that came out of conversations I had with a variety of different people that I think will ring true for many of us. It can still feel quite isolating to work in some Government roles, particularly when new, so networking events such as the conference can be a breath of fresh air knowing others can help with your issues.

 

This year the conference was held in the Exhibition Centre in Liverpool (right on the water's edge!) and all speaker areas where on one floor which made it extremely easy to find your way around and also be close enough to the coffee machine where needed – a very key component of most of my days. The opening speech started with a bang including a specially written poem in an ode to libraries by Vanessa Kisuule, a video message highlighting and celebration the work of information and library professionals in the NHS from Sir Chris Whitty and an incredible story from Sayf Al Ashqar discussing the rebuilding of the University of Mosul Library after being destroyed.

 

In my current organisation the conference has not been traditionally well attended by Knowledge & Information professionals due to its perceived historic focus on Librarians, however the scope of CILIP has changed to bring together the profession and this was clear from the programme this year. This included Data Driven Decisions, Intellectual Freedom, Decolonisation, Information as a Social Justice Issue, Allyship, Sustainability, Change Management and more. There is just a glimpse of the issues that our professionals across the globe are actively tackling - it was incredibly inspiring to say the least!

 

My own agenda decisions included a presentation on Open Science as I wanted to see how far that had come since I was last around that subject and to say it has moved on would be an understatement. I also attended sessions exploring experiences of change management, psychological safety and the IFLA Map of the World (please do Google - other search engines are available!), but what was also great about these sessions was the way they were run. Each one was run in a different style to facilitate knowledge sharing such as creating a 'fishbowl' instead of a traditional panel discussion so that the audience could become more involved.

 

The most wonderful part of the event, however, was being able to meet so many new people and connect with those I have only ever known online! Being able to meet so many people from so many different backgrounds all working on a variety of interesting things was so incredible after so many years of us all being online so much. I went to the conference only knowing one other person that was in attendance, but I still decided to attend the evening drinks party and came away meeting a lot of new faces and spent the night chatting to a lot of new people. I certainly did not feel like I was out on my own as everyone is so friendly and, in some cases, equally as eccentric as me (note to self for next time: wear shoes ready for dancing) which made for a fabulous atmosphere! It is an old trope but I have come away feeling very inspired, not only by the amazing work going on out there in the many areas of the Profession, but also to see the different approaches to work and the breadth of skills that the profession has.

 

Each year GIG run a small competition to offer a free bursary space that includes both days of the conference and the evening event should you wish to get your dancing shoes on. So please do keep an eye out for those ready for the next conference and I look forward to seeing you next year!