Webinar: “What’s it Really Like Working in Government Information in 2024?”, Thursday 3 October 2024, 11:30am-12:30pm

 

CILIP GIG’s second webinar of 2024 is now open for booking. Following GIG's successful "What's it Really Like Working in Government Information?" online event last year, one attendee suggested we could repeat it with new speakers. We're happy to oblige.

In this panel webinar civil servants working in librarianship, information management and information rights roles will talk about their work, explaining what they do, how their work fits in wider contexts, and experimenting with innovative approaches to tasks, as well as answering your questions. Against a background of change following the general election, this session will give attendees the opportunity to hear from information professionals working to support government activity across a variety of policy areas, including employment and benefits; housing; regional and local government; and protecting and promoting architectural and archaeological heritage.

Belinda Carvalho (Digital Librarian, Department for Work and Pensions): Our library supports the work of Department of Work and Pensions. The library sits within the Central Analysis and Science Strategy Unit divisions (CASS), which is part of a wider Analytical Community (AC). Supporting teams of social researchers, analysts, statisticians has proved a good fit for the library and has helped us to get involved in research projects in the early stages. We are a team of 13 librarians and our work involves literature searches, managing web resources, knowledge management and more traditional library work such as curating and managing a physical collection. We are working to achieve these three breakthrough objectives:

• ·        Research Excellence: Building our research offering
• ·        Library without Walls: Identical user experience for those who visit the library or access content virtually
• ·        Knowledge Management: Developing a world-class evidence base for the AC to support better and faster decision making, problem solving and innovation

Our presentation will talk about the type of literature search we perform, how these are delivered and a recent project which trialled AI in the lit searching process. I started out as a graduate trainee librarian in schools and went on to manage several school libraries over a ten-year period. Almost two years ago I needed a new challenge and made the move to government libraries. I also love to implement new technologies.  My main interests include user education, information literacy and creating inclusive libraries.  I have had good scope to work on these in DWP Library.

Following the presentation, Belinda's DWP library colleague Robbie Lumsden will also be available to take questions from attendees.

 

Tim Hayward (Lead FOI Business Partner, Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government): Tim will give an outline of freedom of information legislation, discussing exemptions under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 and routes to appeal decisions. He has worked in his current role for the last eight years and has a MLIB in Library & Information Studies from the University of Wales.

 

Martin Newman (Information and Data Analysis Manager, Historic England): Historic England is a Non-Departmental Government body that helps people care for, enjoy and celebrate England's spectacular historic environment. We have a statutory role and advise the DCMS on matters concerning the historic environment including designation. As such data and information are key to delivering our mission. We are an information rich organisation that is currently implementing an internal digital strategy as well as a sector wide Heritage Information Access Strategy. This presentation will explain how we manage our information, carry out analysis to inform policy and assist decision making as well facilitating its use by others. I started out as an archaeologist and drifted into a career in information management by chance through working on the scheduled monument records and then as a manager on the project to digitise and index all the listed building volumes. My current role manages a team responsible for data analysis to support our functions and I am also involved in working on delivering our Digital Strategy and Heritage Information Access Strategy. As part of my previous roles at HE I managed some of our largest information resources (including the National Heritage List for England) and our relationship with the local Historic Environment Records. As well as a chartered member of CILIP, I am a member of two other chartered institutes (the Chartered Institute for Archaeologists and BCS) and an elected fellow of the Society of Antiquaries and the Royal Society of Arts.

 

Registration for the visit is available to CILIP members here.