IN DEPTH
CILIP, Social Justice and Equity
CILIP Chief Executive Nick Poole looks at how social justice and equity are helping to shape CILIP’s future, putting library, knowledge and information professionals at the centre of positive change for their communities.
THE launch of We Are CILIP, our new five-year strategy and action plan, signifies a key milestone in our journey to become a values-based or- ganisation with Equity and Social Jus- tice at its heart. We are working hard to ensure that your professional body manifests the principles of equality, diversity and inclusion across every area of our work. Elsewhere in this issue, you can read about the work of CILIP’s Policy Committee to develop a refreshed Policy on Intellec- tual Freedom (pp. 44-46). It has been my pleasure as a member of the Committee to work with leading experts and academics in the library, information and knowledge field to develop an approach to profes- sional policy that is rooted in ethics and Human Rights.
Our commitment to Social Justice and Equality starts with Human Rights. The connection between librarianship, information science and Human Rights is fundamental. It is the ‘ethos’ that defines library and information services, par- ticularly in the public realm – a principle expressed by Jenny Niven, Chair of the Literature Alliance of Scotland, when she writes:
“So much of what we value in Scottish society – education, democracy, equality of access, inclusion – is embodied by pub- lic libraries. Where else can everyone, re- gardless of income, have access to books and ideas from across the world, free of charge, in a safe, supported, community driven environment? To access services which are their democratic right to be provided with? To look for jobs, to build connections, and to stay informed in the challenging, polarised circumstances of today? To read, widely, and be supported to do so?”
16 INFORMATION PROFESSIONAL
This connection between librarianship, information science and Human Rights is one reason why we at CILIP do not believe that libraries are – or ever have been - ‘neu- tral’. Every human endeavour is afflicted by bias. If we are passive about Human Rights, we risk bearing witness to their erosion.
The key challenge for us as professionals is to be actively conscious of our biases, vigi- lant in mitigating their effects and inclusive, transparent and accountable in the develop- ment of our collections and services. This, by the way, is why ‘reflective practice’ is the absolute bedrock of our model of professionalism – because we have to be actively conscious and intentional in our practice as librarians, library workers and information professionals – whatever sector we work in.
Human Rights Article 19. Universal declaration of Human Rights Professional Ethics
European Convention on Human Rights
Legislation & Regulation Equalities Act 2010
We Are CILIP 5-year strategy and plan (2022) CILIP ‘Definition of Professionalism’ (2019) Professional Registration (refreshed 2018) Updated Professional Knowledge & Skills Base (2020) Practical content, guidance, training and expertise
Peer-support and knowledge transfer through Member Networks & SIG’s
Nick Poole is Chief Executive of CILIP.
nick.poole@cilip.org.uk @NickPoole1
One of the biggest challenges we face as a profession is to reconcile the contem- porary conflict between Human Rights, the law and societal norms. Every day as librarians or information professionals we are confronted with the fact that what
may be legal isn’t always ‘right’, or ethical. We have to navigate a society in which ‘norms’ are being reframed in ways that conflict with our values and ethics and even in some cases override peo- ple’s inalienable rights. We have to be alive to the active effort to reframe ‘free speech’ in order to legitimise speech that is hateful, damaging or harmful. Of the 16 ‘mandates’ in CILIP’s Royal Charter, one of the most important is the mandate to “scru- tinise any legislation affecting library and information services”. It is a responsibility we take very seriously, and it forms the basis of much of our Parliamentary and political liaison. In recent years,
Diagram illustrating how CILIP’s work draws from and promotes Human Rights, equity and social justice.
April-May 2022
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