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NE of the many highlights of the recent CILIP East Midlands Members’ Fest event in


Nottingham was hearing from Bridget Hamlet who is School Librarian of the Year and Librarian/Learning Resources Development Manager at Leicester Rushey Mead Academy. Bridget pointed out that although many people assume that every school has a school library it is not seen as a requirement by the UK Government. The school library is not a statutory requirement and is often closed due to budget and space constraints. This contrasts with the prison library service for example which is a statutory requirement inspected by OFSTED.


Whilst it is possible for some of a library’s roles to be taken on by other departments, the unique space of the library cannot be replicated within the school.


It is not only every child’s right, but a matter of social justice that each child is enabled and supported to become a keen and motivated reader. Evidence from around the globe


(Reading for pleasure: scrutinising the evidence base – benefits, tensions and recommendations. Teresa Cremin and Laura Scholes. Language and education 2024, VoL. 38, no. 4, 537–559 http://bit.ly/49kfRC1) highlights the potential of reading for pleasure and its association with reading achievement and other learning outcomes.


Being a reader in childhood can play a role in reducing educational inequalities.


Supporting writers


CILIP RPG (for those outside full time work) team is keen to support emerging artists and writers as well as the small publishers that work with them. Ringwood Publishing is one such unique small publisher that is dedicated to publishing quality works of Scottish fiction and non- fiction. With no paid full-time staff, Ringwood has relied on the voluntary inputs of its founders, shareholders


December 2024 INFORMATION PROFESSIONAL DIGITAL 41


Being a reader in childhood can play a role in reducing educational inequalities.


and volunteers; and the enthusiasm, energy and intellect of an array of interns who donate their time and talents to Ringwood in exchange for a quality of experience that will enable them to obtain entry positions with bigger publishers.


At the CILIP Unconference 2024 Ringwood author Sandy Jamieson spoke about the peculiarly Scottish toxic mixture of politics, football and religion, the original key Ringwood themes. Sandy drew mainly on two of his key books A Subtle Sadness, a novel around 100 years of Scottish political identity, and Celtic Submari, a new model of football relationships based on affection and respect, not hatred or sectarianism.


Sandy Jamieson’s book list A selection of books published by Ringwood Publishing, a small, independent publisher, based in Glasgow:


R. M. Brown, Song of the Stag – a fantasy novel involving folklore, myth and allegory: an effective way of engaging a wider audience with political themes;


Sandy Jamieson, A Subtle Sadness – a novel around 100 years of Scottish political identity (and the Scottish male capacity for self-destruction… [the] most vivid recent example being Alex Salmond). ISBN 9781901514049;


Sandy Jamieson, Celtic Submari, a new model of football relationships – This is the story of how a group of Spaniards in the small town of Villarreal have developed a New Model of Football Relationships based on


Ian Orton, Senior Library Professional and Chair of CILIP RPG (for those outside full time work) – chair.rpg@cilip.org.uk


affection and respect rather than hatred and bitterness. They were inspired to do so by the magnificent example of the behaviour of the 10,000 Celtic supporters who invaded Vila-real in 2004. ISBN 9781901514032;


Sandy Jamieson, Yellow Submarine: the Miracle of Villarreal – how a wee club from a small town of 50,000 inhabitants became a major football force. The amazing success of Villarreal offers supporters of clubs both large and small a model of how they too might live the dream without having to rely on Russian or American billionaires or Arab dynasties. ISBN 9781901514025;


Sean Danner, Those Tyrannising Landlords – a novel featuring the sectarian discrimination and violence faced by first generation Irish in 20th Century Scotland ISBN 9781901514605.


Read more about Ringwood Publishing and order the books listed at: www.ringwoodpublishing.com. Find out more about the CILIP RPG artist and writer residencies for 2025 at: https://bit.ly/3BHkqcx. IP


Author Sandy Jamieson.


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