Report on the webinar ‘What's it Really Like Working in Government Information?’ (Thursday 18th May 2023) – by Lauren Jones

Lauren is an LIS Graduate Trainee at an academic library. She is currently working towards CILIP Certification and is enjoying attending webinars and visiting libraries outside of the academic sector as part of this process.  

 

 

 

On 18^th May 2023 the CILIP Government Information Group (GIG) hosted the webinar ‘What’s it Really Like Working in Government Information?’, which demystified ‘Government Information’ as a concept, and provided a nuanced insight into some roles within the sector. The webinar took the format of a brief introduction, followed by four speakers sharing their experiences. This was an interesting and personal way to explore a sector that supports impactful and important work, but is often less visible or present in our everyday lives than other kinds of library and information service. 

 

Rebecca Dorsett, Deputy Head of Digital & Information Professions at the Ministry of Defence (MOD) and Chair of CILIP GIG, was the first speaker of the session. Becky described her career path so far, explaining how she found her way into the civil service and information support, by leaning on the skills from her library background. She then demystified the “dark art” of Knowledge and Information Management (KIM), highlighting comparisons between library and KIM skills. This was an incredibly useful demonstration of the value of both transferrable skills and knowledge and information skills. Becky finally highlighted some future growth areas, which was an interesting insight into where government information as a sector is headed.

  

Becky’s segment was followed by a presentation from Emily Powell, a Service Manager in the Infrastructure and Projects Authority, managing the Government Project Delivery Hub for the Project Delivery profession. Emily spoke about her career path so far and the key skills that are essential to being successful in government information, highlighting the particular need for consideration about which aspects of a job you are prepared to be flexible about and how this impacts the opportunities that might be available to you.  Emily candidly discussed some realities of government information and library roles, including dealing with uncertainties in library and information professions, and also provided some helpful advice for anyone looking to progress in their career or break into the government information sector.  

 

Steven Hartshorne, Secretary of the Sub Committee on Official Publications (SCOOP), is currently an academic librarian with significant experience of working in public libraries too. Steven explained that just one query about retention and disposal of materials opened the door to government information for him. He now works as part of SCOOP to improve access to and availability of official publications and government information, among other things. Steven’s talk highlighted that it is possible to get involved in the government information sector without committing to full-time employment in that area which is useful to know if you are interested in learning more about government information.  

 

Naeem Yar works as a Librarian with the Welsh Government, and provided an insightful and useful end to the session. Naeem emphasised the overlap between working as a government librarian and as a librarian in other sectors, once again highlighting transferable skills within GLAM roles, and also explaining where government information positions may diverge from those in other sectors. He then reiterated some of the benefits of working in government libraries, including variety, high impact projects, and opportunities for professional development. Naeem then discussed some skills that are useful to have in government librarian roles before sharing a multitude of resources for more information about the work of government information professionals and where to start looking for vacancies.  

 

Overall, this session was an incredibly interesting insight into the world of government information, which is often something that seems mysterious and hard to pin down. Personally, I really appreciated hearing four different experiences, and the different perspectives contributed towards a comprehensive, yet accessible webinar that painted a clear picture of what working in government information can look like. There were so many helpful tips and bits of advice given and the webinar genuinely is really worth a watch if you are looking to gain a clearer understanding of what it means to work in government information or considering transferring into the sector.