Virtual libraries and new beginnings
“VISION and Revision: Virtual Libraries and New Beginnings” was the theme of the 2021 CILIP Ireland/ LAI annual Joint Confer- ence. CILIP Ireland Relationship Manager Gerardine Blee describes some of the highlights of the con- ference, which was held virtually and ran across two days, provid- ing a platform for librarians and information professionals across the island of Ireland and beyond to connect.
The opportunity to consider and explore
key themes and developments within the profession attracted 254 paid delegates. Bobby Seagull delivered an inspirational opening keynote address, sharing his per- sonal experiences to illustrate the power and value of libraries and, in doing so, generated overwhelmingly positive feed- back from attendees.
This fantastic opening address was immediately followed by the announce- ment of the winner of the Staff Champion award, a joint initiative between CILIP Ireland and the LAI which, for the first time, was open to applications on an all-island basis. The award recognises and acknowledges the enormous contributions
of our library colleagues to our individual libraries, our communities and our sector as a whole. The 2020 winner was Marie Cullen from Maynooth University and we extend our warmest congratulations to her. The “New Voices” session maintained
the uplifting theme as it featured new and recent entrants to the library community who successfully responded to a “Call for Papers” earlier this year. The selection of short pre- sentations showcased the breadth of new and emerging talent within our profession. Presentations covered a diverse range of topics ranging from “Is There a Plan for Plan S?” to “Interactive Introductions to Library Facilities and Services Using 360 Virtual Tour Software.” The “Response to Covid” session provided an opportunity to acknowledge the tremen- dous effort made by library and information staff across the island of Ireland in response to the pandemic. There were some wonderful stories of innovation, resilience and kindness as we heard testimony from fellow informa- tion professionals about how they and their colleagues responded to Covid-19. The conference also tackled big issues for libraries and society in sessions on “Media Literacy and Misinformation” and “Sus- tainable Libraries”.
Stuart Hamilton, Head of Libraries Develop-
ment from the Local Government Management Agency in Ireland opened day two of the con- ference with a keynote address celebrating the powerful role of librarians not as a “search engine with a heart” but as a “recommenda- tion engine with serious expertise in books and reading”. He explained that there was much we can do to power discovery, readership and representation. Stuart highlighted the unsus- tainability of ebooks and issued a rallying call for everyone to advocate on this issue (see page 10). In his closing remarks he stated that “we don’t want to go back, we have to go forward”, but there are some big questions including:
l How to provide sustainable access to digital content;
l How to value physical and digital users on equal terms; and
l How to combine the best of face-to-face with the best of online.
He said that libraries have learned so much
over the last 12 months that a new normal is needed, not a return to old familiar hab- its. We should use our spirit of innovation toembrace the new world post-Covid. The conference generated a stream of tweets
on the day with #CILIPIreLAI21 trending number one in Ireland.
April-May 2021
INFORMATION PROFESSIONAL 11
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