MEDIA RELEASE
Monday 7 July 2003
For immediate release (Please copy to online discussion lists)
CILIP MEMBERS URGED TO SEIZE OPPORTUNITIES AND USE NEW TOOLS
Information Commissioner Richard Thomas and Resource Chair Mark Wood of ITN are keynote speakers at CILIP's Umbrella conference
Information Commissioner Richard Thomas and the newly appointed Chair of Resource Mark Wood have both made clear that they see a positive future for the library and information profession. Giving keynote addresses at the Umbrella conference, held by CILIP: the Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals in Manchester last week, both speakers called on the profession to seize opportunities offered by the continuing need for mediated information and the growing importance of records management.
War in Iraq had further increased the already growing demand for 24-hour live news reported direct from the scene, commented Mark Wood, who is also Chairman of ITN. If this meant the end of the information mediators who edited and presented formal news bulletins, then it would also be "pretty bad news" for other mediators such as library and information professionals, he suggested. In fact, the reverse was the case; viewing figures showed dramatic peaks at formal news bulletin times, the lesson being that "context, packaging and analysis" remained important.
Freedom of information represented an equally important opportunity for the information profession, according to Umbrella's second keynote speaker, Richard Thomas. Appointed about a year ago with dual responsibility for both FoI and data protection, Mr Thomas pointed out that new disclosure requirements on public bodies were an important driver for records management. With a quick response to requests for information required under the law, "tagging, storage and retrieval are essential," he said. In the institutions subject to FoI legislation, he continued, "records management is a priority at all levels of staff."
Mr Thomas also disclosed that he had the benefit of specialist knowledge of CILIP through his colleague Anne Jones, Assistant Information Commissioner for Wales and a longstanding CILIP member. And he had a key message for library and information professionals getting to grips with Freedom of Information: "It's a new tool - use it."
The People's Network was particularly important, he continued, because it could ensure that there were no information have-nots; it was the profession's role to ensure that everyone could have access to information via the Web. "If you feel information is being withheld, use the law to challenge it," he urged.
Mark Wood was equally forthright about the need for the profession to embrace the opportunities offered. Outlining Resource's future plans both for the People's Network and for further initiatives, he concluded: "The news and information professions are not a world apart. The winners will be those who know how to seize the technology and understand the social trends."
Contact: Tim Buckley Owen, Head of External Relations.
Tel: 020 7255 0652. Email: [log in to unmask]
Notes to Editors
CILIP: the Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals is the leading professional body for librarians, information specialists and knowledge managers, with over 23,700 members working in all sectors, including business and industry, science and technology, further and higher education, schools, local and central government, the health service, the voluntary sector, national and public libraries.
CILIP's biennial Umbrella conference attracted around 820 delegates and offered them more than 100 papers and presentations to choose from over a crowded three days. In addition, almost 50 information providers and other organisations took space at the associated exhibition.
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Tim Buckley Owen, Head of External Relations
CILIP: the Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals
7 Ridgmount St, London WC1E 7AE.
Direct line: +44 (0)20 7255 0652
Email: [log in to unmask]
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