Dear All list readers and Dear New Trustees 

The following message was posted by me on Lis pub Libs when I read of
the new trustees, but more importantly the very low turn out of voters.

I repeat

'I have just looked at the Scrutineers' report for the election of
Councillors to the new Cilip Council.
 
How very sad and worrying that only 21.8% of the electorate bothered to
vote. members were sent easy packs of voting papers with excellent
details on the candidates. Cilip has looked at its navel and changed
many things in order to become a more 'fit for purpose' organisation in
the last year (something that desperately needed doing), but still only
4000 of a possible 18,334 members bothered to send back voting papers.
 
There is obviously a lot still to do to get members to participate in
and be committed to the organisation. More changes, better leadership,
better and genuine involvement of the members. It is not a healthy sign
to see this lack of commitment and I call upon all those elected to
council, to the President of the association and to the Chief Executive
to  actively work to turn this worrying state of affairs around, and
make the association 'fit for purpose' for the profession in the 21st
Century, and bring the people, members and non members, on board!
 
Congratulations to all those elected, but start work on those who did
not vote at all!'

I was suggested to me that I should post to Lis professional, and I have
now done so. However I have received a number of off list responses to
the posting which I would like to bring to Cilip and its new trustees
attention.

First of all of course the low voting numbers were of those who are
members, and a lot of people appear not to be.

There is obvious disaffection and the emails I have received have
outlined a number of issues you need, as trustees, to consider.

I will honour the fact that the respondents did not wish to go public on
the list, this in itself worries me as people are concerned, and some
have expressed this, at the reaction they get from lists if they dare to
mention anything unflattering to the organisation (and we can all recall
reactions like this from the top down at Cilip)  

Examples of comments are:-

1.Possible [other models or organising Cilip] models include the way
unions have largely become learning and financial services providers for
members, while some charities have rebranded to be clearer about what
they do eg NCDL became Dogs Trust (I'm not choosing that as a facetious
example) - on the other hand others have become more euphemistic eg
Scope. Cilip needs to avoid the Post Office model - a failing business
flailing around for ways to save itself which will do or sell literally
anything on a short term basis if it sniffs a quick win. Does nothing
for the self respect really. 


2.Disaffection? I doubt it, for the really disaffected have left CILIP.
More likely a combination of low key satisfaction, boredom, can't be
bothered and the usual human confusion which have led to a decline in
voting, eg, House of Commons, Local government. 21,8%?  'Twas ever thus,
par for the course.  If you want to get members to express an opinion,
wait for or provoke a Real Crisis such as that which led to some
Determined Ladies to call successfully in 1982 for an LA Emergency
General Meeting with 600+attending; it demanded a management audit of
the LA. 
 
And rather than ask our new Trustees/Councillors to use their Senatorial
powers and impacted wisdom to get members genuinely involved, they might
start to consider how to get members of all our professional committees
-Branches, Groups, etc who probably number some 3000 - to do more work
on the ground to 'make a change' as current jargon has it. Their
Committees, however, usually don't actually do anything, but think up
work for others to do and ways of making more effective the work of
these others - the few hundred hard core activists making changes -
might produce results.
 

3. I am very proud of what I do.  We need to ensure that the profession
does survive.  I am sure you will get a number of intersting replies.
The healthy debate issues is a problem.  I have noticed  on a number of
occasions how some issues seem to get very personal, very quickly when
discussed openly on the discussion boards. It can be quite off putting.

4.I gave up "buying into" CILIP some years ago, around the time of the
melding together of the two institutions.  Not that in itself it was a
reason so to do. However, it was about the time I became aware of a lack
of support for the Library worker, or as in the general parlance "the
professional". 
There was nothing to help us on our electronic way [during the People's
Netowrk birth pangs], no guidance and advice around the real issues of
then - how to create a user profile in Win 2K operating systems would
have been a HUGE help at the time.  Real on the ground in the frontline
support - a framework of "how to" would have been great!  Instead of
which there were as many ways of doing things as there are authorities,
in much the same way as MLA don't give solid, professional guidance
neither does CILIP.  We all appear to be adrift beavering away
reinventing the wheel (and other component parts).  
Wouldn't it be nice to have a central repository of policy, as a "for
instance"... instead we all do it!
I read of Library Authorities no longer choosing to employ library
professionals, or letting library professionals go.  I heard at a recent
conference, "Librarians?  Too expensive, we don't need to do 'all that
stuff'. "  My own authority has given up its corporate membership as
they don't "feel the support" and also have savings to make, the CILIP
annual fee was seen as easy to let go. However, the professionals felt
the sleight.  It just adds to loss of currency, lack of respect &
understanding for a qualification and of course the experience that goes
with it.
I don't mean to be "glass half empty" but sometimes it is difficult to
be otherwise.
 
 
5.Like me. I read the jobs section when I need a new job, maybe flick
through the magazine when I'm sitting on the loo but UNISON has done
more for me professionally than CILIP, at least they aren't going about
how I should use my own personal time to take part in continual
professional re-accreditation, or has CILIP dropped that idea now?

6. I wonder what the benchmark is for professional bodies such as Cilip
in terms of member turnout, and how others attract members to engage?
Good that you're raising this though, I wouldn't have picked up on the
turnout figure...
 

7.I just wanted to say, as an individual, that I commend your call.

I admit to being one of the disaffected non-voters.  I do support Cilip,
in my profession, in encouraging students to join, and as a mentor,
BUT..

There has been a lot of good work going on and efforts to make changes,
that is obvious. But, I am not happy at how Cilip represents the
profession.  I would prefer to be part of a wider information
professionals group, of which librarians are a sub-group.  I personally
feel Cilip missed an opportunity when the IIS and LA joined forces.
Whether we agree with it or not, people do not like to be associated
with the more traditional and negative images of librarians.  Image and
branding is an issue, and soft pretty pink Cilip logos.... well what can
I say.  I'm not sure if it sends out the right message.
 Many of my friends within the profession have chosen to stop their
Cilip membership as they feel it actually has a detrimental affect on
their career prospects.  Very worrying, and yes very sad.


Sorry, I've just said everything I've wanted to say for a long time, and
not dared.  When I have broached these feeling to Cilip officials in the
past at Cilip events, I have been shouted down and not listened to.  It
will take a lot to win people back.

So trustees, the future of the professional body is to an extent in your
hands. The future, the present indeed, does not sound healthy and we
have voted for you in TRUST to do something about it. Reading your
manifestoes there is some mention of all this, but I, and I am sure
others, will be looking at your record in office, your communication
with the membership and the profession at large,your receptivness to the
profession and hoping we can see not only signs of life, but a
responsive attitude to improvement and growth. We want and we need a
strong, vibrant and relevant professional body, not one that is
haemorrhaging members and is held in less than the highest regard.
Things are NOT going to get any easier in this 21st. Century., there is
a lot of competition out there for what we do. So let your actions speak
volumes, don't get bogged down in the minutiae of running Cilip , leave
that to the staff (and Bob you also need to take heed, hope you are
reading emails in the Hague at IFLA), and as Lynne Brindley said, 'Just
do it' and as I say' START doing it now, and make a difference'!! You
have the role now do the job!!

f  



 

-----Original Message-----
From: CILIP's University, College & Research Special Interest Group
[mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Johnson Gareth
Sent: 06 December 2007 10:45
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: FW: CILIP announces new Board of Trustees

For information

G
 CILIP : the Chartered Institute of Library and Information
Professionals
> 7 Ridgmount St, London WC1E 7AE.
> 
> Tel: 020 7255 0500
> Textphone: 020 7255 0505
> Fax: 020 7255 0501
> Mailto:[log in to unmask]
> 
> News from CILIP
> 6 December 2007
> 
> CILIP announces new Board of Trustees
> 
> CILIP Members have elected the twelve Trustees to serve on its
reformed Council, which takes effect from 1 January 2008.
> 
> They are: Chris Armstrong, Judy Broady-Preston, Paul Clarke, Veronica
Fraser, Isabel Hood, Ayub Khan, Dion Lindsay, Nigel Macartney, Liz
Maclachlan, Caroline Moss-Gibbons, Diana Nutting, and Bruce Royan.
> 
> Bob McKee, Chief Executive of CILIP, said "CIILP has been working hard
on Governance issues over the last two years. The twelve Trustees were
elected from a strong list of candidates. They will drive CILIP forward
over the coming years".
> 
> 
> Contact: Daniel Sabel, Governance Manager Tel:020 7255 0656
> 
> 
> Notes for Editors
> 
> CILIP: the Chartered Institute of Library and Information
Professionals is the leading professional body for librarians,
information specialists and knowledge managers.  It forms a community of
around 36,000 people engaged in library and information work, of whom
around 21,000 are CILIP members and around 15,000 are regular customers
of CILIP Enterprises.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 

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