Transcript

NICK:

As librarians it's important that we give back to the profession by reflecting on what we've learned on our journey. And this can also feed into furthering our own professional development. You can do this by contributing to blogs, writing articles for journals, or attending training courses, conferences, or just informally by meeting up with other school librarians in your local area.

Try to read as much as you can about school libraries. You're doing this course to find out more. But reflect on how you can incorporate that into your own practice. It can also be useful to see what librarians are doing in other sectors as well, such as in public libraries or universities.

One way you can do this is through membership of CILIP, and in particular the School Libraries Group. This will give you the opportunity to learn from the experience of a huge network of school librarians. The National Committee of CILIP helps develop national policy through committees in parliament and initiatives like the Great School Libraries campaign.

Working on the committee is a fantastic experience. But you don't have to have been in the trade for years. New school librarians are just as welcome. CILIP membership can give you the opportunity to gain professional qualifications and chartership. But as a librarian, it's keeping your knowledge up to date and reflecting on your own working practice that's just as important.

You might be new to school libraries or you might work on your own, but whatever your experience, it's great to know that there's a recognised professional network to support you, and help you grow and develop.