Episode two of Taking Root: Scotland’s Green Libraries kicks off with the CILIPS Team walking the walk of environmental action, showcasing all of the different projects that we’ve played a part in supporting across the last few years. There is an accompanying Environmental Jargon sheet for this series, which you can click here to download.

Helping community climate action and understanding to grow, libraries across all parts of the sector- and country!- have carried out some incredibly innovative and important work. We start with contributions from our Green Libraries Scotland grant fund holders from 2024, and hear all about the CILIPS Research fund project Carbon Literacy for Libraries shareable course from the National Library of Scotland. And more!

We end the episode with a discussion about the future of libraries, what we know can grow in the future and what is at stake if we don’t receive proper and sustained funding. It is a true call to action to politicians and decision makers to advocate and protect libraries, as climate action is just one of many exceptionally important strands which libraries water into their communities to help them grow.

You can click here to see our Eco-feminism book recommendations in the GWL Catalogue!

With special thanks to Julie Corcoran & Imogen Furlong from High Life Highland, Gillian Hunt from North Lanarkshire Libraries, Laragh Quinney & Julie Bon from the National Library of Scotland, Christina Riley from the Nature Library and Annika Norrvik from Glasgow Women's Library for playing a part in this story!

Episode 2 Resources:

Green Libraries Scotland projects: https://www.cilips.org.uk/gl-grant/ 

Highlands and Islands Climate Hub mentioned by Imogen: https://hiclimatehub.co.uk/

Libraries as Agents of Sustainability Thinking in Scotland funded by the CILIPS Research Fund: https://www.cilips.org.uk/sustainable-future/ 

Carbon Literacy Shareable Course funded by the CILIPS Research Fund: https://www.cilips.org.uk/cilips-research-fund/ 

Email [email protected] to join the Green Libraries basecamp.

Green Libraries Manifesto: https://www.cilip.org.uk/page/GreenLibrariesManifesto 

Green Libraries Week: https://librariesweek.org.uk/ 
Music credit: Music by Olexy from Pixabay

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Sustainability and climate action has been taking root across libraries in Scotland for many years now and we wanted to dig a little deeper, surveying the work and projects taking place across the sector. Libraries are playing an essential role in tackling the climate crisis, and as you’ll learn in this podcast, are the inaugural recyclers. There is an accompanying Environmental Jargon sheet for this series, which you can click here to download.

In this first episode, we’ll explore the beginnings of the connection between libraries and climate action, including where Green Libraries Scotland started. Including sharing an encounter with a fellow LIS Professional Ian Littleworth from New Zealand, highlighting the Te Tōtara capability framework. After this, we invite two very special guests to the podcast studio, Annika Norrvik, Facilities Manager and part of the Green Cluster at Glasgow Women’s Library, and Artist, Photographer and founder of The Nature Library Christina Riley. In this conversation we speak about eco-feminism, climate imposter syndrome, and how important libraries are in the dissemination and cultivation of evidence based conversations around the climate crisis. What environmental considerations they’ve had to take into account with their individual libraries, and how libraries foster connections with the natural world. 
There is so much of this work to highlight, that fitting it into one episode proved impossible, so please listen to part two of Taking Root: Scotland’s Green Libraries!

Episode 1 Resources:

Te Tōtara — Capability framework. National Library of New Zealand: https://natlib.govt.nz/librarians/reports-and-research/library-sector-workforce-capability-framework-project/te-totara-capability-framework#:~:text=Te%20T%C5%8Dtara%20%E2%80%94%20Capability%20framework%20%7C%20National,National%20Library 

Julie’s Bicycle Green Gibberish Resources: https://juliesbicycle.com/resources/climate-faqs/deciphering-green-gibberish/ 

United Nations Climate Change Hub: https://www.un.org/en/climatechange 

Monica Antonelli, The Green Library Movement: An Overview and Beyond, Electronic Green Journal, 1(27). https://green.nd.edu/assets/24828/escholarship_uc_item_39d3v236.pdf 

Glasgow Women’s Library: https://womenslibrary.org.uk/ 

Glasgow Women’s Library Net Zero Handbook: https://womenslibrary.org.uk/about-us/our-values/gwl-policies/net-zero-handbook/ 

The Nature Library: https://www.thenaturelibrary.com/ 
Green Libraries Scotland CILIPS Resource collection: https://www.cilips.org.uk/cilips-go-green/

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The newest episode of the CILIP Scotland Podcast brings you a reflective episode, as we explore what libraries mean to us as a complement to CILIP’s Libraries Change Lives Week, hear about NHS for Scotland’s Knowledge Network Redesign, and take a closer look at what changes might take place for library services given the change in government post-election. 

CILIP Scotland Director Sean McNamara talks the audience through the new political landscape which library and information services are faced with, explaining the practical implications and what changes we might expect in the coming years. Following this, your hosts Kirsten, Sean and Leah reflect on how the role of libraries in their lives have personally and professionally changed them. We welcome special guests in the form of our CILIP colleagues Chief Development Officer Jo Cornish, and Chief Executive Officer Louis Coiffait-Gunn, to share how libraries have supported them in their journey to where they are now, leading the UK’s library sector body. 

In a similarly reflective tone, we also welcome Donna Watson, Knowledge Manager for Knowledge Services at NHS Education for Scotland. Donna shares the experience of her team in redesigning The Knowledge Network website. Explaining what user testing looked like, what the reception of the new website has been, and what tips the team would share for anyone else taking on a similar project. 

With special thanks to our special contributors, Donna Watson & the team at NES Knowledge Services, Jo Cornish and Louis Coiffait-Gunn!

Thanks for tuning in! If you'd like to get in touch to be a guest, or to suggest a topic for the team to discuss, please email [email protected].

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Instagram: @cilip_scotland

Twitter/X: @CILIPScotland

Website: www.cilips.org.uk

Welcome to the very first CILIP Scotland Podcast takeover, featuring the CILIPS Students and New Professionals Community! Taking the reins in the podcast studio for the first time, Chaeli, Matthew and Filipa were keen to share with the audience their reflections on starting their professional career in the Library and Information sector post-graduation. 

Defacto host for the episode Chaeli Brown is currently an Information Scientist at ThinkAnalytics. Matthew Ferrie has entered into his first role as Information Assistant at the Craiglockhart Library at Edinburgh Napier University. Both Matthew and Chaeli are Events Coordinators for the SNPC, having ran events such as an interview tips event with Falkirk Libraries, and library tour with Royal College of Physicians & Surgeons and Glasgow Women’s Library alongside the CILIPS Local Studies group LocScot. Filipa Pedroso is currently spending her time post-graduation in School Libraries as a Graduate Library Assistant in London. She is the former Social Media Coordinator for SNPC. 

All three are experiencing very different fields of library work, and in this conversation they bring out the parallels of their work (namely frustration with printers), and how they’ve translated the skills and knowledge gathered through their degrees to practical applications and people skills. 

If you’d like to find out more about SNPC, you can find them on Instagram: @cilips_snpc Twitter/X: @CILIPS_SNPC, or by emailing: [email protected]. Thank you to Chaeli, Matthew and Filipa for their contribution to the episode!

Thanks for tuning in! If you'd like to get in touch to be a guest, or to suggest a topic for the team to discuss, please email [email protected].

Give us a follow on our socials too!

Instagram: @cilip_scotland 

Twitter/X: @CILIPScotland 

Website: www.cilips.org.uk

Part two of Scotland’s Library Advocacy Story continues on CILIP Scotland's journey to mobilise and support librarians, information professionals and the communities they serve to best advocate for their vital library services. 

We began by introducing the Save Aberdeen Library Campaigners behind the fight to save six libraries and a swimming pool from closure in 2023. Laurie Anne Mackay and Hayden Lorimer began by introducing themselves and how they became involved in the campaign in Aberdeen, so go back and listen to part one if you haven’t already! 

Another key character in this story is Mike Dailly, Principal Solicitor and Solicitor Advocate at Glasgow’s Govan Law Centre. In the previous episode, Mike shared his love of libraries and why he feels it’s important that legal protections come into play to support libraries to thrive as crucial community infrastructure. He began to tell us how he became involved with the Save Aberdeen Libraries Campaign, and clearly outlines the legal framework that can support communities and campaigners in their efforts. 

With many thanks to Hayden, Laurie and Mike, as well as those involved in the Save Aberdeen Libraries Campaign and Govan Law Centre. 

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Thanks for tuning in! If you'd like to get in touch to be a guest, or to suggest a topic for the team to discuss, please email [email protected].

Follow on our socials too, where you can find updates, petitions and advocacy support for Scotland’s Libraries:

Instagram: @cilip_scotland

X: @CILIPScotland

Website: www.cilips.org.uk

Govan Law Centre X: @GovanLawCentre

Govan Law Centre Website: https://govanlawcentre.org/

Save Aberdeen Libraries X: @SaveAbdnLibs 

Save Aberdeen Libraries Instagram: @SaveAbdnLibs

Please note opinions stated by guest contributors may not reflect the view of CILIPS or CILIP.

Music: bensound.com

Licence Code: I6WYHE4KDTMLHQ8R

In 2024 alone, Scotland's public libraries have been considered low hanging fruit for cuts and closures in too many local authority budgets. It has become essential that librarians and communities are empowered and given a solid foundation to advocate for their vital and vibrant library services.

In part one of Scotland's Library Advocacy Story, the CILIP Scotland team outlined the funding landscape for Scotland's public libraries, deepening understanding of how the current funding model is proving increasingly insufficient to deliver all that libraries and their communities deserve.

Taking the incredibly powerful Save Aberdeen Libraries Campaign as a case study for how community groups can be mobilised to research, advocate and champion libraries when faced with closures, we interviewed Hayden Lorimer and Laurie Anne Mackay from the campaign group. What resulted was an incredibly thorough overview of each step, including their reflections and recommendations for future campaigners. We also spoke to Mike Dailly, Principal Solicitor and Solicitor Advocate at Glasgow's Govan Law Centre. Mike has a long history of social justice work and assisted campaigners in this case to levy legal battles against Aberdeen City Council. As a library lover himself, Mike was keen to add his voice to this project and outline the legal frameworks at play, and what communities can do to support community spaces. 

There was so much to uncover and hear from our three contributors that we had to split this podcast into two parts! Scotland’s Library Advocacy Story Part Two is live now!

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Thanks for tuning in! If you'd like to get in touch to be a guest, or to suggest a topic for the team to discuss, please email [email protected].

Follow us on our socials too, where you can find updates, petitions and advocacy support for Scotland’s Libraries:

Instagram: @cilip_scotland

X: @CILIPScotland

Website: www.cilips.org.uk

Govan Law Centre X: @GovanLawCentre

Govan Law Centre Website: https://govanlawcentre.org/

Save Aberdeen Libraries X: @SaveAbdnLibs 

Save Aberdeen Libraries Instagram: @SaveAbdnLibs

Please note opinions stated by guest contributors may not reflect the view of CILIPS or CILIP.

Music: bensound.com

Licence Code: I6WYHE4KDTMLHQ8R

Join the CILIP Scotland team, Sean, Kirsten and Leah, as we take you through the Library advocacy highlights happening across the sector in Scotland. Interviewing the people who are making the change!

We recapped and recycled content from our inspiring ⁠Green Libraries Gathering⁠, which included hearing from the National Library of Scotland, Scottish Book Trust and Paper Boats Collective.

We also delve into the newest advocacy resource from CILIPS, which is the ⁠REVEAL: Reinforcing Ethics and Values for Effective Advocacy for Libraries⁠ toolkit, led by Dr David McMenemy. We asked Dr McMenemy all about the resource, how he hopes the sector will engage and more!

Additionally, we asked two CILIPS Grant fund Recipients, namely School Librarian Donna Baird, and Dr David McMenemy to share their tips and encouragement for anyone considering applying for funding in the future.

Thanks for tuning in! If you'd like to get in touch to be a guest, or to suggest a topic for the team to discuss, please email [email protected].

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Instagram: ⁠@cilip_scotland⁠

Twitter: ⁠@CILIPScotland⁠

Website: ⁠www.cilips.org.uk

Join the CILIP Scotland team for the first-ever CILIPS Podcast! The team (Sean, Kirsten and Leah) interview guest Jimi Mitchell from the Sir Alex Ferguson Library in their in-house podcast studio. We ask Jimi about all things new professional, his experience of the #CILIPS23 Conference and being nominated for Scotland's Library and Information Professional of the Year 2023.

Kirsten then provides listeners with a #CILIPS23 conference re-cap, sharing all of our favourite sustainable initiatives as well as delegate feedback.We round up with an events recap, sharing details of our upcoming online learnings such as: LocScot Look out with SNPC, CILIPS Research Fund REVEAL Project Launch, Scotland's Green Libraries Gathering, Green Libraries Week Scotland & Quiz.

Thanks for tuning in! If you'd like to get in touch to be a guest, or to suggest a topic for the team to discuss, please email [email protected].

Give us a follow on our socials too!

Instagram: @cilip_scotland

Twitter: @CILIPScotland

Website: www.cilips.org.uk