Dear friends, it's time to call time on x. This has been an amazing platform and I am so grateful for all the connections and knowledge we've shared. I'll be mothballing this account from the end of September. Please do connect on LinkedIn and let's keep talking!
Bloody hell. Looking at a message from the Ukraine Library Association concerning the cancellation of their forthcoming conference. it basically says "We will reschedule just as soon as we have finished vanquishing our invaders". Ukrainian Librarians, I salute you
Favourite conversation today - with a BBC Radio Producer:
Them: "Sorry, sorry. Problem on the line. We thought you said libraries were statutory in prisons but not schools".
Me: "Yup, that's right"
[Long pause]
Them: "But that's *nuts*
#SchoolLibrariesMatter
So glad to see this taking off! I don't have Soundcloud, but you can show your support via the Ukrainian Library Association's Facebook page, where they are sharing updates on the impact of the invasion.
#Libraries
are just magic aren't they? I mean, what a brilliant, generous idea. A place that belongs to everyone, deeply rooted in the joy of reading and imagination, that nurtures the ideas that will power the future. What a simple, beautiful, essentially human thing.
I have a meeting at the House of Commons next week where I can use this petition as evidence of public support for
#library
funding - please RT, share & ask family and friends to sign!
Just wrote this for an article and mean every word: "Libraries were never just about books – books are a means to an end. The end is to create literate, empowered free thinkers who can empathise with the people around them and make informed choices in their daily lives."
@nytimes
I was queueing for a coffee this morning and someone walked up to the counter to look at the pastries. There was a palpable bristling until everyone realised they were just having a look, and took their place at the back of the queue. Does this count?
Hearing, unbelievably, that public libraries are open in
#Ukraine
and serving the public as makeshift shelters, places of information and support. Some are even maintaining children's activities & IT support for the elderly. These people are incredible
#StandWithUkraine
Libraries are essential, they're loved, relevant and used. They make a massive difference to millions of lives in hundreds of ways every single day, all for the cost of most Council's catering budget. We do not have a
#library
problem. We have a Government problem.
Friends, I have news. With sincere thanks to the colleagues that have nominated and supported me, I have been awarded an OBE in the Kings Birthday Honours List "For services to
#libraries
, to the arts and to
#museums
". It has been my pleasure and my privilege.
Not sure how to tell you this friends, but the Ukrainian Librarians are at it again. Day 6 of the invasion, they have ANNOUNCED THE LAUNCH OF A NATIONAL DIGITAL LIBRARY.
More on their FB
#StandWithUkraine
#Nails
The
#library
wants to help you live your best life. Not so it can tax you, or drive targeted marketing at you, or sell your data, but because society is better when everyone is empowered with knowledge, literacy and learning.
#LibrariesForLife
Heard today from a colleague w partners in Ukraine. They are safe but want us to get the word out that
#librarians
are actively working to combat misinformation being shared by the invading forces. Our solidarity & awareness of their efforts is important to them
#StandWithUkraine
Don't think the visual metaphor of this building has ever struck me so strongly as it does tonight. Something beautiful about the ship, pulled up right in the heart of London.
A reminder that no matter what is going on in the news,
#libraries
all over the world will open their doors today and welcome every single member of their community to discover something new about themselves.
#LibrariesChangeLives
The British Museum situation is symptomatic of what happens when you only fund short-term projects and additionality. If you want the nations heritage kept safe & recorded in perpetuity, you have to fund long-term cultural infrastructure & jobs. No short cuts.
Just met a homeless man on Euston Road who asked me what I did. I said "libraries" and he told me about the time he & his Muslim friend Abs visited the
@britishlibrary
and Abs was able to read the text of a Qu'ran to him and he couldn't believe something like that was free to see
#Libraries
are places of kindness, warmth, empathy, community. They are exactly the spaces our society needs in which to heal and look ahead to better days. It is why I will never stop fighting to see them get the recognition and support they deserve.
Sitting in a
#library
listening to a mum & her son collect his 1st Library Card. The staff are being brilliant & helping him pick the one he wants and I can't help thinking what a completely magic moment this is. All this is here for him. We have to make sure it always will be.
I'd like to thank the library worker
@RichmondLibs
who treated my dad with such kindness and compassion when he was returning my mother's books after she passed away. You made a painful event more human and manageable for him. It meant the world.
You can't spin this. Can't gloss it or wargame it. Can't heap yet another dead cat on the table. The loss of nearly one fifth of a nation's
#libraries
in less than a decade is, put simply, a disgrace. Thanks
@AlisonFlood
@Guardian
#VoteLibraries
When will people realise that the function of a museum,
#library
or archive isnt to acquire everything. It's a constant process of selection, filtering, careful evolution of collections. It takes little skill to be a warehouse. It takes a lot to reflect our changing world
Just been given a free ride by a taxi driver (former police officer) because "there is literally nothing more important in the world we're in now than
#libraries
and getting kids to read more". I salute you, unknown cabbie. Couldn't agree more
Story for you - Newsnight are exploring the transformative work of librarians because one of their team met two library staff at a party and couldn't believe what they told her about the reality of their jobs. We can't assume people know & must never miss a chance to tell them.
School librarians have the skills and experience to enhance and extend curriculum-based teaching and learning, to promote a "whole school" reading culture and to create a safe environment for children to explore who they are. That's why I
#LoveSchoolLibrarians
I think we have to stop "use it or lose it" when it comes to public
#libraries
. People are using libraries in their millions and we have still lost them. I think it needs to be "stop voting for people who shred public services on ideological grounds or lose it". Not as catchy...
A
#museum
or a
#library
is an ongoing process of selection, filtering, interpretation and re-interpretation. It is not a warehouse. Our function is not to accumulate cultural detritus, but to tell the story of how society changes over time. Repeat ad nauseam
When you arrive at the doors of the
#library
, it doesn't ask where you came from or why you're there. It doesn't ask you to prove you're worthy of admission. It recognises your basic humanity, welcomes you in and empowers you. I wish they made countries like they make
#libraries
The
#library
doesn't see you as a problem to be solved.
The library doesn't see you as an opportunity to be exploited.
The library sees you as a human being, to be welcomed, nourished and empowered.
#LibrariesAreEssential
Too many children are growing up without a school
#librarian
. Too many communities don't have the benefit of a local
#library
. Too many prisoners can't access a prison
#library
. Tonight is a celebration of the power of
#librarians
and the need to do more to fight for them
#CKG19
I am pleased that that paid-for attempted takeover at National Trust has failed. It is important for all voluntary and charitable-sector orgs. Vested interests should not be allowed to bully or buy their way into governance.
I do wish that instead of throwing large sums of money at unproven policy initiatives to address key skills like
#literacy
&
#digitalskills
, our Government would simply make the small sustainable investment needed to support
#libraries
which have a proven track-record of impact
It's a long shot, but...Dear
@jk_rowling
we have had amazing support from authors for our letter calling for Government to halt the decline of school and college
#libraries
. Is there any way we could include you in our list of supporters?
@MartinSLewis
Hi Martin, I am CEO of the UK's library association and have been speaking with some partners on this. We would love to speak to you about scaling up a rapid programme of Warm Banks in libraries. Would you be able to DM me?
To every child a
#library
.
To every library a
#librarian
.
To every librarian the time, respect and understanding to do their work.
Why would we aspire to anything less?
Dear god I am sick of the "well isn't that lovely" narrative. "Have you seen, there are these delightful little libraries in phone boxes and Marjorie is volunteering in the library on the village green, which is now a community hub & isn't that just lovely?" No. No it isn't.
When the librarian is the 1st person someone has spoken to in days, when 6 year-old eyes are filled with wonder, when a vulnerable person feels safe & welcome, when an elderly person finds companionship. If you doubt the value of all this, the problem is you, not the
#library
.
So this just happened. At 5pm we had 20 people supporting our letter calling for an end to the loss of school and college libraries and librarians. As of 5 minutes ago, we had more than 100. Humbled and deeply grateful
#schoollibrariesmatter
#authorsarewonderful
So sick of this era of cuts, hollowing-out, misrepresentation & doublespeak. A high-quality, universal public
#library
service isn't just a right, its how we build a strong inclusive society. They aren't an optional extra or a 'tough choice', they're the heart of their community
Wishing
#librarians
and
#infopros
everywhere a happy and successful 2018. We are all one profession, wherever we work and whatever it says on our contracts. I look forward to working with you in the year ahead to secure the future our profession deserves
#HNY2018
It is really important that any Government strategy to combat
#loneliness
and social isolation should harness the power of the public
#library
network. It would be a terrible waste to fund new infrastructure when there is an established solution in our
#libraries
Good lord I am tired of people telling me a century-old, tremendously-successful public service that changes lives every day should learn some new tricks to be considered worth funding. I humbly suggest the problem is not in the service, but the beholder.
Got to be honest I am in pieces after our mtg with Ukrainian colleagues.
Lives have been lost, libraries & collections destroyed. And in the face of it all - their response is to keep kids reading, combat disinformation, provide information & safety. In short, to be
#librarians
#Libraries
and
#librarians
don't just make
#readers
. We make writers too. And thinkers, questioners, astronauts, trapeze artists, chefs, captains of industry and yes, even politicians. The path to the creative, enterprising future we want runs straight through the
#library
There is literally no point closing
#libraries
for 20 years and then complaining about an epidemic of misinformation. This is the world successive Governments chose. If they want to fix it, they have to rebuild our national public
#library
network.
I honestly feel I am being trolled as the CEO of a
#library
association these days. Apparently the solution to society's ills lies in:
Loneliness Hubs
Mental Health Hubs
Literacy Hubs
But not libraries
Is someone in Govt having a laugh? Why, oh why, keep reinventing the wheel?
Why does nobody I speak to in the real world know that you can download magazines to your device for free with your
#librarycard
? It's like the best-kept marketing secret in
#libraries
?!
#Librarians
& library workers have been bloody amazing during lockdown. Professional, creative, resilient. Finding innovative ways to keep users reading and learning. Very proud to be part of representing this community.
Publicly-funded
#libraries
have taken more than their share of cuts, responded with creativity & fortitude, continued to modernise & innovate & have wrung out every last drop of efficiency. Everyone knows a civilised country needs great libraries. It is time to fund them properly
This is extremely serious -
@CILIPinfo
will be liaising with Education leaders and sector bodies to raise our strongest objections to this abhorrent abuse of power. This is a line that democracies should never cross.
Spent 3 days in Dublin thinking "Luas" was a mellifluous Gaelic word for tram, before finding out it stands for "Light Urban Area System". Illusions, shattered.
Friends, I have news! It has been an honour to lead
@CILIPinfo
over the past 8 years, and I could not be more excited to take up the helm
@uk_ie
, working with their fantastic Board and staff to support the UK's world-leading video game and interactive entertainment industry.
We are delighted to announce that our next CEO will be Nick Poole.
Nick will be joining Ukie from 1st April 2024 and will lead the organisation through its next transformational decade.
Read more🔗
My favourite quote from this week (which I won't attribute) is "If a school library didn't add huge value to teaching and learning, not an independent school in the country would have one. But they all do"
#libraries
The letter! 150 brilliant authors, business leaders, TV personalities, translators, illustrators and creatives have lent their names to
@dawnafinch
letter calling on the Government to act now to ensure that schools & colleges have a
#library
& a
#librarian
at their heart.
I should be calm & diplomatic about this, but I am absolutely fuming.
#Libraries
are the original engines of bloody
#socialmobility
. We empower people to change the destiny set for them by inequality. To close a
#library
is to slam the door on millions of children
@jrf_uk
Fantastic article on why we need public
#libraries
more than ever by Jacquie Widdowson
@CILIPPMLG
"Demand for public libraries is as high as it has ever been and, if anything, the need for them is even greater."
I wish I had 30 minutes in the House of Commons and a receptive audience to explain why in every possible way funding
#libraries
is the smartest, most cost-effective way to help everyone everywhere "level up". We need a new national dialogue.
The news is out!
@CILIPinfo
is now proud to be based at the fabulous
@BritishLibrary
! I cannot imagine a more perfect home for our Association and we are looking forward to building on our existing collaboration with this world-leading
#library
!
🗞️We have some news for you!
Farewell Ridgmount Street, hello British Library. We are excited (and a little nostalgic) to announce that CILIP has relocated from Ridgmount Street to our new space at the British Library. Read all about our nomadic history.
Fundamentally,
#librarians
and
#infopros
should be recognised as specialist roles requiring professional skills and paid and rewarded as such. Librarianship should be valued on equal terms with teaching, management or any other specialist role.
#BetterLibraryJobs
If you're a librarian, archivist or museum professional making the move to Mastodon, consider adding yourself to this public listing of GLAM accounts on the Elephant site
Charging for basic computer use in a
#library
is like charging for parking at a hospital. It creates a barrier exactly where no barriers should exist. Of course, there are ways for library services to supplement their revenue, but these must be compatible with their ethos
The Washington Post has just been in touch about my tweet sharing the courage of the Ukranian Library Association and their approach to event management.
Could not be more delighted to have highlighted the work of Ukrainian librarians, and indeed
#librarians
worldwide!
If it takes a village to raise a child, it takes a
#library
to raise a village. I am sick and tired of this culture of obfuscation and double-speak about
#library
sector development. Let's be clear, people everywhere want & deserve quality
#libraries
and professional librarians
Policymaker: "Why do we need
#libraries
now we have the Internet!?"
*Cut to: 10 years of
#fakenews
, misinformation, online harms and the collapse of public trust*
PM: "How the *hell* did this happen"
There is not an eye-roll big enough for this collossal error of judgement.
Interesting comment from a meeting yesterday "no other country in the world is questioning the profound importance of a strong public
#library
sector for people's quality of life and the coherence of their community. Why on earth are we?"
Almost everyone I speak to is having some kind of "wobble" this week, caused it seems by the length of lockdown, anxiety over lack of clarity from the Government and a real concern about the near-term economic challenges. Be kind to yourselves and each other if you can.
I love going to tech events
Me: I'm here representing librarians
Tech: Oh yeah, wow books
Me: Behind me stands an army of professionals ready to fight for intellectual freedom, opposition to censorship & upholding civil liberties. But yeah, let's talk about books...
Woke up this morning to discover that this had happened. Pleased to have been able to share the indomitable spirit of our Ukrainian colleagues & to tap into a fundamental worldwide belief in the badassery of
#librarians
.
#WeAreCILIP
I will never stop until people - in particular Councillors - realise it isn't a choice between public
#libraries
and
#socialcare
. Public libraries ARE social care.
Breaking twitter silence to share the very sad news of the death of a dear and much-loved
@CILIPinfo
colleague, Guy Daines. As warm, intelligent and generous a colleague and one of the most passionate champions of library ethics and public libraries as I have ever known.
#RIP
Guy
As I reflect on the last 8 years one of the things that stands out the most is the brilliance & creativity of school
#librarians
. I love all parts of our profession but it is hard not to care deeply about people who commit so fully to the right of every child to learn and be well
Somewhere today, a child will walk into a
#library
, pick up a book, go online or join an activity. That child will one day become a surgeon, a writer, a Fortune 500 CEO or a Prime Minister. We need to ensure we are there for them because that is what
#libraries
do
#ChangingLives
Ach, it's true. I just love everything about school
#librarians
. Childhood is short. The work school librarians do echoes through generations. A great school librarian is the best start you can give a child, IMHO
#GreatSchoolLibraries
Every single
#library
closed, hollowed-out, under-funded or handed off to volunteers is a witness to the emptiness of this Government's rhetoric on social mobility, learning and opportunity. If they meant any of it, they wouldn't have vandalised our public library network.
Dear
@JK_Rowling
would you be willing to help us champion
#libraries
as a real-world Room of Requirement at the heart of schools and communities? Your support would mean the world to us!
#GreatSchoolLibraries
Very positive and productive meeting at Parliament today where I was pleased to set out an evidence-based case for sustainable long-term funding for public
#libraries
in England supported by this petition & the dozens of comments we have received. Thankyou everyone!
I have a meeting at the House of Commons next week where I can use this petition as evidence of public support for
#library
funding - please RT, share & ask family and friends to sign!
I've said it before and I'll say it til I'm blue in the face - we need to set aside the rhetoric of "saving"
#libraries
and instead start championing and advocating for building new ones (and funding the ones we have). All "saving" does is reinforce a perception of collapse.
Is there a librarian out there willing to be a Joe Wicks for reading? Much like the daily PE lesson, can we get a
#librarian
to do a daily recommendation of amazing reading experiences while stuck @ home?
#NationofReaders
Volunteers should not be running public services. Voluntary capacity can extend and augment services, but allowing services to be run by untrained and unaccountable volunteers is a dereliction of a statutory duty.
I'll never tire of seeing the big beautiful
@britishlibrary
filled to the rafters with learners, researchers, visitors and users of all ages and walks of life. Truly a palace of the people.
#LibrariesChangeLives
Librarians were there for their communities when we went into lockdown. They’ve done an incredible job throughout and now they’re getting busy supporting the recovery, from literacy to local businesses to helping overcome re-opening anxiety. This is a truly amazing community
.
@CILIPinfo
has now raised a formal complaint with
@Conservatives
over the action taken by
@CCHQPress
last night. As a profession & a professional association we must take a clear stand for evidence, integrity and accountability in public authorities, including political Parties
Oh. My. God. Had to switch my phone off for a meeting, switched it back on, twitter has melted, we have dozens of amazing authors & leaders sharing love and solidarity with our brilliant school & college libraries. You are all magnificent!
#schoollibrariesmatter
Cutting school
#library
provision has to be the most idiotic, myopic, damaging thing a policymaker can do. If the first duty of decision-makers is to improve the lives they serve, then denying them the manifold benefit of a school library is a total dereliction of that duty.
We need more signatures to protect government funding for libraries!
Petition: Protect library services by ringfencing government funding for libraries.
@davidallengreen
@law_and_policy
So the Bill includes a clause allowing Government to modify *all* English law without Parliamentary scrutiny to align to future provisions in the Trade Agreement? I thought legislative 'sovereignty' was the entire point?