PEOPLE
PROFESSIONAL REGISTRATION
Unlocking opportunity with Chartership
Georgia McNally is Assistant Librarian (Liaison) at Newcastle University Library. Here she shares her experi- ence of becoming a chartered member of CILIP and how Professional Registration is helping her develop skills and knowledge and seek out new opportunities..
AFTER graduating with a degree in Biomedical Sci- ence, I knew a career in science wasn’t for me. Instead, I began working as a Student Recruitment Graduate Intern, where I led projects and discovered a passion for delivering workshops and supporting students. When my internship ended, I moved into Library Services as a Library Customer Services Assistant. This role gave me experience in delivering library inductions and developing my digital skills using library systems. I quickly realised how much I loved working in libraries, and I took every opportunity to get involved in teaching and digital literacy support, which led to a secondment as Assistant Liaison Librarian in 2023.
New opportunities With the support of my colleagues, I began my Charter- ship journey, which coincided with my move to Newcastle University as a Library Services Coordinator. In this role, I managed staff and supported service delivery, and in 2024, I took on a secondment as an Assistant Librarian (Liaison). I’m excited to continue growing my career in academic libraries, and I know my Chartership has been key to unlocking new opportunities. I have always been passionate about professional devel- opment and love discovering new ways to grow. A highlight for me was attending the CILIP Conference in 2023, made possible by a CILIP North East bursary. The event exam- ined key themes such as AI, sustainability, and leadership, providing me with fresh ideas to apply in my work. The session that genuinely resonated with me was Jo
Walley’s talk on imposter syndrome. Her advice encour- aged me to reassess my own self-doubt and instilled the confidence to recognise my skills and contributions. The con- ference rekindled my enthusiasm for the future of libraries and inspired me to continue developing and embracing new challenges.
Support for the next step I wanted to gain recognition for my skills and support my goal of progressing within academic libraries. After secur- ing my first secondment as an assistant liaison librarian, I felt the time was right to build on that experience, reflect on my development, and enhance my career prospects. With supportive colleagues and the chance to apply my learning in practice, it felt like the ideal moment to begin. Registering was straightforward, I signed up via the CILIP website. CILIP’s online resources, such as the PKSB and example portfolios, aided my understanding of what was
44 INFORMATION PROFESSIONAL DIGITAL
Georgia McNally, Assistant Librarian, Newcastle University Library.
expected and how to structure my work. I had a mentor, and their support was invaluable, particularly at the begin- ning of my Chartership. We checked in regularly, and I even visited their workplace, which provided me with great in- sight into a different sector of librarianship. They were always open and generous with their time, and
they really helped me stay on track. Unfortunately, due to unforeseen circumstances, we lost contact towards the end of the process. Nonetheless, they were still incredibly sup- portive and genuinely happy for me when I completed my Chartership, which meant a lot to me. One of the most useful aspects of Certification was learning
from more experienced colleagues and from professionals in other organisations. Everyone was very generous with their knowledge and time.
Professional Registration gave me more knowledge about libraries and higher education and more confidence in my
Rewired 2025
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
