Chatting Info Lit

“Get angry and then write us a piece about it”.

In Episode 14, Jess Haigh (Managing Editor of the Journal of Information Literacy) joins the podcast to demystify the publication process. She speaks to Kerrianne Orriss about the various ways a new professional can publish their work, and Jess sets out the JIL publishing process step by step, offering some great tips along the way. If you’re booked on a Journal of Information Literacy workshop or on the waiting list for one, this podcast is a great place to start!

See the Information Literacy Group's blogpost about upcoming workshops from the editors of JIL, which include sessions on research design and finding your academic voice: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1tgxb9ApK_gUOXK9Z_GCtsU1cJ0d8r0XA/edit?usp=sharing&ouid=112691953370294451014&rtpof=true&sd=true

Episode Transcript: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1RxD_EZnPshCO77s-RG62_kPbr6YyU4po/edit?usp=sharing&ouid=105844347620717531095&rtpof=true&sd=true

You can email the Journal of Information Literacy for a chat about publishing your work here: [email protected] and see the whole Chatting Info Lit reading list here: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1tgxb9ApK_gUOXK9Z_GCtsU1cJ0d8r0XA/edit?usp=sharing&ouid=112691953370294451014&rtpof=true&sd=true

Episode Links and resources:

BBC iPlayer (2025) Storyville - The Librarians. Available at: https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/m002kkmj/storyville-the-librarians

Braun, V. and Clarke, V. (2022) Thematic analysis: a practical guide. London ; Thousand Oaks, California: SAGE.

Denscombe, M. (2021) The good research guide: research methods for small-scale social research projects. Seventh edition. London New York, NY: Open University Press (Open UP study skills).

Haigh, J. (2016) ‘Jess Does Chartership’, 26 April. Available at: https://jessdoeschartership.wordpress.com/

Haigh, J. (2018) ‘Jess Does Teaching: A Librarian’s Blog’, 10 May. Available at: https://jessdoesteaching.wordpress.com/

Haigh, J. and Garcia Grau, E. (2025) LILAC Stories: Exploring the long-term impact of the LILAC Conference on the Information Literacy Community. Available at: https://eprints.leedsbeckett.ac.uk/id/eprint/12245/

Information Professional (2026). Available at: https://www.cilip.org.uk/page/InfoPro

Journal of Information Literacy (2026) Ross Todd Award. Available at: https://journals.cilip.org.uk/jil/rosstoddaward

NLISN: Neurodivergent Library and Information Staff Network (2026). Available at: https://nlisn.org/

Ryan, G.W. and Bernard, H.R. (2003) ‘Techniques to Identify Themes’, Field Methods, 15(1), pp. 85–109. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1177/1525822X02239569

Scott, R. J. (2024). The opportunity of narrative inquiry for information literacy research: Narrative thinking and storying data. LILAC: The Information Literacy Conference, Leeds, United Kingdom. Available at: https://researchprofiles.herts.ac.uk/en/publications/the-opportunity-of-narrative-inquiry-for-information-literacy-res/

In this episode, we speak to Katherine Gair (Knowledge and Research Executive, Slaughter and May). She joins us to talk about the research she conducted as part of her Master's dissertation, which focuses on information literacy in further education colleges.

In this episode, we speak to Amelia Haire (Senate House Library; Neurodivergent Library and Information Staff Network). She joins us to talk about the research she conducted as part of her Masters dissertation, which focuses on what it means to be information literate for an autistic librarian in the academic library workplace.

"I guarantee you, you have a perspective that is valuable".

In this episode, Laura Woods (PhD student at the University of Sheffield, Co-chair of the Information Literacy Group Committee) joins us to promote action learning sets at this year’s LILAC conference in Sheffield. She speaks to Kerrianne Orriss about how action learning sets work, how listeners can get involved, and why they are especially beneficial to new professionals who would like to develop their practice and widen their professional networks.

Episode links

Apply to join a LILAC learning set! See the blog post which includes the link to the expressions of interest form: https://infolit.org.uk/keep-that-lilac-buzz-going-with-lilac-learning-sets/

Randomised Coffee Trials by ILG New Professionals - sign up to our New Professionals mailing list to hear about the next ones, coming soon: http://eepurl.com/ivBM_A

NHS webpage on action learning sets, has some useful links out to further information: https://library.hee.nhs.uk/knowledge-mobilisation/knowledge-mobilisation-toolkit/knowledge-mobilisation-toolkit/keep-up-to-date-with-best-practice

Journal article “Working together: supporting projects through action learning”: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/j.1471-1842.2003.00461.x

LILAC Stories report: https://eprints.leedsbeckett.ac.uk/id/eprint/12245/

The book "Feminist Pedagogy for Library Instruction": https://litwinbooks.com/books/feminist-pedagogy-for-library-instruction/

In this episode, we present a conversation between Eva Garcia Grau (Royal Holloway University of London) and Josh Rodda (University of Nottingham), on the topic of generative artificial intelligence and Information Literacy in UK Higher Education. Recorded at the end of a semester's teaching on AI literacy, Eva and Josh discuss how their institutions have responded to the challenges of generative AI, and explore the academic librarian's role in providing guidance. On the way, they discuss accessibility, social justice, ethics, institutional FOMO, and utopian and dystopian visions for the future. Sound effects for this episode are sourced and adapted from Pixabay: https://pixabay.com/service/license-summary/.

After a short hiatus, Chatting Info Lit returns! In this episode, we talk to two school librarians: Jacob Lusk (International School of London) and Eleni Karakosta (Raha International School, Khalifa City Campus). Jacob and Eleni share their experiences of taking on a school library role, teaching information literacy for children, interacting with students and teachers, and getting involved in larger projects as a new professional. Jacob talks through the logistics of a library move, while Eleni shares her work on a student volunteer programme. The interviews were recorded in summer 2024 by Josh Rodda and Beth Morgan.

In this special documentary episode, we look back over 50 years of Information Literacy with guests William Badke, Moira Bent, Debbi Boden-Angell, James Elmborg, Jane Secker, and Geoff Walton! Sharing experiences, influences, and stories across a range of contexts, they discuss the definition of Information Literacy, the formation of the CILIP ILG, the need for librarians to be taken seriously as teachers, and the challenges posed by the rise of generative AI. And on the way, they offer plenty of guidance and encouragement for new professionals! The interviews for this half-century retrospective were recorded in March 2024 by Beth Morgan, Josh Rodda, and Ella Wharton.

In this episode, Ella Wharton chats to Jess Haigh (Leeds Beckett University) about LILAC Stories - a project Jess is undertaking to mark the 20th anniversary of the LILAC Conference. LILAC Stories is intended to showcase the positive impact LILAC has had on individuals' practice, to demonstrate the benefit of conference attendance. As well as talking about her research, and her ambitions for the project, Jess shares her own story, recounting how the conference shaped her interests and contacts when she was a new professional. If you would like to share your LILAC story, you can find more information about the project at https://www.lilacconference.com/lilac-stories.

In this episode, Tom Peach (York St John University) shares his experience of stepping into a management role as a new professional, and chats to Bethan Morgan about the challenges, opportunities, and new perspectives that managing library staff can bring. Tom's invaluable advice covers imposter syndrome, sources of support, and how to avoid the temptation to micro-manage - essential listening for those who find themselves moving into a new phase of their career! The conversation then delves into critical librarianship, with an eye to both accessibility and access to the profession, across social and economic backgrounds.

In this episode our guest, Drew Whitworth (University of Manchester), chats to Josh Rodda about the remote island of Saint Helena. Perhaps best known as the venue for Napoleon's exile, Saint Helena has a deeper history of commercial governance and scientific research, and the arrival of high-speed internet is about to have lasting effects on its consumption and production of information. Drew has been conducting research into the island's current information literacy practices, and into the inhabitants' preparations (and expectations) for the coming acceleration of communications technology.