PEOPLE
My volunteering experience
CILIP membership is a gateway to a community of professional peers, working across the sectors within the knowledge management, information and library profession. And like any community, it achieves more when those individuals work together and support each other. Here Rob Green speaks to Jamie Finch, Chair of CILIP Cymru Wales about his involvement as a member and a volunteer.
GROWING up in Newport, South Wales, Jamie Finch’s first career thoughts centred around the local indus- try – perhaps following his own father’s path as an engineer at British Steel, or “something in computer science”.
However his A-levels results suggested another option and he decided to study History at Swansea University. He says: “An early 90s recession-hit UK proved a challenging time to get a job, so I pivoted to study a business qualification. “In 1996, as Pulp’s famous song puts it, ‘something changed’. That July, I put in a single application to Aberystwyth Univer- sity, was accepted immediately with an EU grant, and began my Library Masters in September. I will be forever Euro- pean and forever grateful to the European Social Fund for making my career possible. The good ship, Librarianship, seemed a perfect fit for all my talents and interests from art, history, and computing to business.” Jamie, who is the current Chair of CILIP Cymru Wales, says that the idea of being part of a profession had always appealed to him, and so he was quick to join the CILIP com- munity.
“I’d always wanted an actual career. I’d seen my father’s Professional Engineering magazine arrive on the doorstep every month. That journal was nowhere near as interest- ing as Information Professional, but I wanted letters after my name too! I joined CILIP as a student member in 1996, chartered as soon as I could in 2001, followed by fellowship in 2019. Like a stick of rock, I have CILIP running through my core.”
That relationship was strengthened in 2015 when Jamie took on a role with CILIP’s international group. He says: “In 2015, I got a new library job with global responsibilities so turned to CILIP for advice. Before I knew it, I was producing the newsletter for CILIP’s International Library and Infor- mation Group (ILIG), which marked the beginning of my voluntary work and my passion for global librarianship.”
Development Jamie’s CILIP membership has run parallel to his career, and it has enabled him to continue his professional develop- ment – not just through his decision to pursue professional registration, but also through his choice to become a more active member of CILIP’s network of volunteers. “For me, the essence of volunteering has been in mak- ing close friendships and networks with lots of people that I would not have met otherwise,” explains Jamie. “Apart
58 INFORMATION PROFESSIONAL
VOLUNTEER
Jamie Finch, Chair of CILIP Cymru Wales. ‘‘
The good ship, Librarianship, seemed a perfect fit for all my talents and interests from art, history, and computing to business.
Summer 2025
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