and parliamentary and national libraries. We also welcome those that have an interest in government information and documentation and the Standing Commit- tee on Official Publications (SCOOP) is an active part of CILIP GIG with a passionate committee focussed on UK official publi- cations.
The government sector is extremely broad and covers multiple disciplines, some that are unique to government and specific departments within. Due to the breadth and size of the sector GIG’s core aim is to create opportunities to bring together members to share knowledge and experience across the network. Some roles and workstreams are very niche which make them very interesting but also can feel overwhelming, particu- larly as there are some areas under tight security restrictions or in remote locations so creating safe spaces where people can reach out and solve problems together is extremely important to the GIG committee. The diversity of career opportunities that are in government can be both an opportunity and a challenge as it can feel daunting knowing where to begin working in government roles including understanding the language used – we love an acronym! GIG regularly runs events for members to share information about their roles, what it’s like working in government and to support those wanting to apply and navigate the application pro- cess. There are so many different career paths for different stages of careers that we always try to support members in their career journeys however we can. The information and records available across the government landscape can be extremely sensitive and it is a sector very much in the public eye, the amount of access requests alone that government departments deal with is absolutely off the scale therefore data protection is always a huge challenge for departments where it feels like user education is a constant battle and, as more and more services become digital, developing user skills at all levels remains a core priority. The impact of AI and other evolving digital tools is one of the main challenges and opportunities for government, there will be great opportunity to potentially improve current information practice across departments. However, this will also rely very heavily on user skills development. There are many papers and reports already highlighting the need for a vast increase in digital skills across government and the group is continuously organising opportunities to bring together areas of best practice and knowledge shar- ing on how to raise skill levels in the wider workforce.
information about events, posts on cur- rent topics and more. We run a regular series of events both online and in person to give our members different opportu- nities to attend. Our physical events are often a talk combined with a tour which are always very popular because who doesn’t love to go and nose around a good library or archive?
As you may be able to tell, for us this group is focussed on trying to create connections and share knowledge. The Government Information Group wel- comes members from any sector of the profession as there is so much knowledge to be gained from those working in gov- ernment, but also an opportunity to bring in fresh ideas from across the profession. Link to blog:
https://cilipgig.blogspot.com
perfect outlet to discuss topics and scan the horizon for new opportunities. It is a safe place to share best practice on these topics and engage with other members in topics relevant to public facing library settings. It might even include guidance on how to create the perfect Taylor Swift themed display.
We want our members to be able to learn from each other and use their collective voice to create a platform which will continue to serve as a positive, lasting legacy, to guide and support the librarians of the future. Helping them to keep deliv- ering public and mobile libraries tailored to their communities.
The PMLG group is a member-led group, which encourages progression in our field and provides an opportunity to really showcase the positive impact librar- ies and librarians are having in areas like; Green Libraries, Reading For Pleasure, National Year of Reading, combatting misinformation and helping in the cost- of-living crisis.
Public and Mobile Libraries Group (PMLG)
We represent CILIP members working in public and mobile libraries. Our main aim is to provide a space for discussion for PMLG members through commit- tee meetings and our informal online platform. As co-chairs, we really want to give our members a strong base to refer to when they need support on topics affecting all public facing libraries such as; censorship; support in developing and hosting collections which are relevant (and sometimes controversial); closures of libraries/reduction in staff; general meas- ures of austerity; reader development; and keeping public libraries relevant in an ever increasing digital landscape, etc. Our platform gives our members the
In the future, we are planning to deliver a programme of online learning and sup- port in topics relevant to public libraries such as; social media, health and wellbeing, artificial intelligence and censorship. We also want to provide opportunities to con- tinue professional development (CPD). We have a strong new committee team who will meet to discuss areas which are affecting all of our libraires and from these discussions, we will then provide events and learning opportunities for our members to support and help them grow in their career. Our open conversations and discussions are already helping us to support our wider network of library colleagues.
As a profession, we have always been a host for trusted information and our library staff were here sourcing the cor-
To reach our members on a regular basis our main publication is our blog page where we have member interviews, Warwickshire mobile library.
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