Excellent point from Jane, where is CILIP when the very people they claim to support are facing redundancy and the library service is being devalued into a peripheral, secondary need. I have nothing against volunteers, indeed, many necessary services are run by volunteers and we would not get by without them; but as Jane says, they are unlikely to join CILIP. So maybe they should be a more vocal institute and not leave it to us to fight our battles alone.
Kind regards
Beverley Walsh ACLIP
Assistant Librarian
West Suffolk Hospital
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-----Original Message-----
From: UK medical/ health care library community / information workers [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Jane Smethurst
Sent: 14 December 2010 09:00
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: CILIP Membership Renewal
This is something from yesterday which is giving me cause for reflection and dismay in equal measures:
I spoke to my sister last night and meetings are already taking place for her local branch library in Oxfordshire to be manned by volunteers. News about potential cuts in all types of library is being strongly reported in the media this week.
When I checked on the CILIP homepage, membership renewal has the main banner and there is no obvious link to help concerned library users to defend their libraries and library staff. If CILIP doesn't start to inform and motivate people about the functions and values of all libraries it is on a very slippery slope.
Without libraries CILIP will have no members. I doubt many volunteers will make membership a prioirity.
Regards
Jane
Jane Smethurst
Assistant Librariam
Staff Library
Education Centre
Barnsley Hospital NHS Foundation Trust
Gawber Road
Barnsley
S75 2EP
01226 432653
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