features through things like library’s subscribed databases. If you open a document in Adobe Reader, it’ll say ‘This is a long document. Do you want a summary of it?’ “So generative AI functionalities become rapidly very per- vasive. It’s almost unavoidable that people are using it.” Andrew believes that institutions are likely to move away from large language models (LLM), and will begin to use their own data and collections to train AI.
Episode two: Protecting our Intellectual Freedom rights – the role of the information professional In the second episode of The Info Pro Podcast, hosts Rob Green and Rob Mackinlay are joined by the inaugural Chair of CILIP’s new Intellectual Freedom Committee, Dr David McMenemy. David is Reader in the School of Humanities and Information Studies at the University of Glasgow and the current CILIP Scotland President.
In this episode he talks about the work of the new commit-
tee alongside the importance of information professionals in upholding and defending intellectual freedom for their users. David said: “The idea that we provide freedom of access to information and freedom of expression are so interlinked so to the fundamental role that libraries have around being places where people can access information… It’s that access that really underpins that human right [and] it’s about being able to restate that value, being able to talk about that value, cham- pioning it for both the profession but also for wider society.” David says that outside influence has always been a con- cern, pointing out that calls to ban books are nothing new. However he adds that the rise in social media is impacting on intellectual freedom, saying it can dramatically increase the volume of attacks. The key is acting with balance and being aware of the impact on service users.
David said: “We have to make sure that if we are making material that was previously available not available, there has to be very, very good reasons for it. And it can’t be based on the whim of one group or the other to try and restrict that. Access to information, which is clearly a core function of what we’re about, is the underlying principle of it. And that’s when I think we have to be really careful that we don’t restrict access to information to our users on flimsy basis.”
Dr David McMenemy.
Robust, well-planned policies are a crucial pillar for information professionals, however even with these in place there is another threat that David says he is seeing more often – self-censorship. He says: “ [What] impacts on us as professionals is the pressure to self-censor, it’s one of the areas we just don’t talk about. I’ve been mentioning that in quite a few workshops and one of the main categories of objections came from staff. So, I think that the idea of self-censorship and how societal values might impinge on that for us and how it makes us second guess what we select for our users can be a significant impact. That obviously happens behind the scenes.
“The public element is the request from outside bodies or out- side individuals to censor materials. That’s the thing we can talk about in documentaries like The Librarians or in our advocacy materials. I’m concerned about that, but I’m also concerned about the self-censorship and the pressures on individual librarians and information managers to restrict material because they’re worried about, you know, senior managers might be objecting, other stakeholders.”
You can listen to both of these episodes now in full by searching
for The Info Pro Podcast on your favourite platform, or by visit- ing
www.cilip.org.uk/podcast. Or you can link directly to the podcast on Spotify at
https://tinyurl.com/InfoProPodSpotify or Apple at https://
tinyurl.com/InfoProPodApple. IP
Elevate Your Career with Professional Registration
Ready to take the next step in your career?
In an increasingly competitive world, professional registration with CILIP can make all the difference.
Widely respected and acknowledged, achieving CILIP Chartership or Fellowship not only demonstrates your commitment to continually advancing your skills and knowledge but also helps you unlock your future potential.
With support from our professional community CILIP Chartership or Fellowship can take your abilities to new heights.
Winter 2025 INFORMATION PROFESSIONAL DIGITAL 29 Find out how you can join at
www.cilip.org.uk/ProfessionalRegistration
“I would encourage anyone to go through professional registration. Investing in yourself is key to further developing your ability to embrace changes and success.”
Marlène Rak, Subject Support Librarian at the University of the West of England
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
