‘‘ P
ENSION age in the UK is 66 years of age and life expectancy continues to increase. Moving away from full
time employment can mean: l A time to shout “Yippee! Free at last”;
l Any children are likely to have grown up and moved away;
l Free time to share activity and interests with partners and friends; l Health and fitness uncertainties;
l Possibility of losing a spouse through death or divorce;
l Money not such a problem as outgoings likely to reduce.
Research from the Office of National Statistics (ONS) shows that most people are happiest between the ages of 65 and 74, which is based on data from the ONS Measuring National Well-being programme at
https://tinyurl.com/ONShappy. Our happiness, contentment, and relaxation increases with age, whilst at the same time anxiety seems to reduce. Only 51 per cent of those in the 25-34 age group said they “often feel happy” compared to 76 per cent of the 65-74 age group.
Reinventing Retirement How to make the later years of life count, valuable and enjoyable? How can we remain active and continue to contribute to society that continues to move at breakneck speed? Have we built up those social networks and connections that will keep us out of isolation and loneliness? Yes, when we first move away from full-time employment there is a sigh of relief that one no longer needs to slog through a set timetable and a rigid programme of activities. If you are like me, the first thing to get out of the way on retirement is travelling to places of interest – an extended holiday; one that you do not need to rush to
April-May 2022
Our happiness, contentment, and relaxation increases with age, whilst at the same time anxiety seems to reduce.
get back to family issues. Top of my list was a trip to Australia to discover some of its stunning natural wonders, with Dubai as a one week stopover. I also went to Canada and I still cherish the sighting of icebergs floating along the coast of Newfoundland. Those memories linger joyfully in my mind. Reality soon kicks in after the initial excitement of exploration. Travelling takes money, and unless we have planned beforehand, affordability can become an issue. Travelling alone is not always fun. You may be lucky to have a partner or friends with the same energy and optimism. This is when belonging to a strong network like the RPG is important.
Making Connections This article showcases the strength and influence of RPG within CILIP: my 35 years of experience serving academic and public libraries’ clientele gave me valuable tools and connections that are enriching my retirement period. I joined CILIP while at library school in 1979 and accessed the valuable support and library resources at its Ridgmount Street office. When I joined the CILIP Special Interest Groups and went to conferences and seminars, my career really took off. Those connections gave me confidence and an appreciation of colleagues from a variety of cultures and backgrounds. Through CILIP/RPG membership, I continue to share my skills and experience. CILIP/RPG lets me discover hidden treasures in specialist libraries and institutions not normally open to the public. The CILIP/RPG Events Coordinator is expert at connecting us with interesting venues. CILIP opened up international activities to me. I remain indebted to Ayub Khan, who introduced me to the International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions (IFLA). Through IFLA, I have discovered
Christiana (Christie) Ikeogu was born in Nigeria, emigrated to the UK and worked in academic and public libraries. Christie is editor of the CILIP RPG Post-Lib newsletter and supports library and educational resources in Africa through Lit Africa Ltd.
people and places of interest, appreciated the diversity of humanity, travelled to conferences around the world and made new friends. Guess what? I continue to develop the skills and experience that I acquired whilst in full-time employment exploring the wider horizons across the library, information and knowledge profession. We are CILIP! We are RPG!
How you can join in!
See the list of CILIP groups that you can join at:
https://tinyurl.com/Cilipgroups (login to CILIP website required).
There is a separate process for signing up
to receive email updates from the various CILIP special interest groups (including RPG) and member networks: you can join any or all of the groups free of charge. Select your email preferences using the form at:
https://tinyurl.com/CILIPemails RPG welcomes feedback and questions from across CILIP and beyond. You can find us at:
https://tinyurl.com/CILIPRPG – or email us at:
chair.rpg@cilip.org.uk. IP
INFORMATION PROFESSIONAL 49
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60
