Hi all,

Here's a blog post I've just put up on CILIP's 'Library and Information
Update' blog. Do take a listen to my interview with the new CILIP President,
Biddy Fisher, about CILIP's upcoming 'Big Conversation' project.

It's here:
http://communities.cilip.org.uk/blogs/update/archive/2010/01/21/cilip-big-conversation-podcast-w-biddy-fisher.aspx

* * * BLOG POST * * *

The goal, the timescale + members' questions about the Project Board – are
some of the topics I discuss with new (from today!) CILIP President Biddy
Fisher in a podcast (recorded yesterday, Wednesday 20th Jan 2010).
Big Conversation podcast links:

1. Why is CILIP organising this 'Big Conversation' now?
(1 min 15 secs)

2. What is the role of the Big Conversation's Project Board?
(1 min 15 secs)

3 CILIP Member concerns over the make-up of the Project Board?
(2 mins 25 secs)

4 What is the goal of the Big Conversation? (1 min 25 secs)

5 What is the timescale of the Big Conversation, and how can people get
involved? (4 min 30 secs)

The Big Conversation will draw views from CILIP Members, and beyond, about
what the Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals
(CILIP) should look like in 5 or 10 years – its business model, what it
should offer to its members, to the library and information services
profession, and to society.

Although it has not 'officially' started yet, there has already been
tremendous interest in the Big Conversation - judging, for example by the
responses to my brief post – CILIP's 'Big Conversation' - how you can join
its Project Board http://bit.ly/6qXyr8 – in mid-December inviting people to
apply to join the Big
Conversation's Project Board.

Though it drew relatively little attention towards the end of December, in
recent days the number of views of that post exploded - and has now reached
approaching 4,000 views. (The most popular post we've had on the Update blog.)

This high level of interest was mostly prompted by the large number of
comments (33 so far) that CILIP Members – young and old(er) –  posted, quite
a number of them related to a concern that if anyone who wants to join the
Project Board must have strong Project Board experience already then
important and energetic (younger? upcoming? diverse? my own!) voices might
be excluded.

One commenter – legal information professional James Mullan – felt that
there has been some confusion over the role of the Project Board:

"I believe there has been some confusion about what the project board will
be doing, when you read the brief it sounds like they're actually going to
be the only people involved in the process. This obviously isn't the case,
but CILIP need to make this clear either here on the website or another forum."

Some of  the other commenters on that blog post include: CILIP President
Biddy Fisher, ex CILIP Councillors Chris Armstrong and Diana Nutting, Phil
Bradley, Tom Roper, Roger Farbey, Ned Potter, Alan Fricker, Chris Rhodes,
Edward Dudley, Tim Coates... And also three Nicolas! (Franklin, Healey and
McNee).

Related Links:
CILIP's 'Big Conversation' - how you can join its Project Board
http://bit.ly/6qXyr8

From swine flu to CILIP 2.0 Manifesto?
http://bit.ly/8XZZvZ

CILIP 2.0 open session live blog here (from 2.30pm)
http://bit.ly/xIL9c

As this is Update magazine's first podcast, I'd be interested to hear what
you thought of it (either in the comments below, or by e-mail to
[log in to unmask]). What topics should we cover in future? How can
we make podcasts better and more useful? (We opted to break the podcast up
into the separate questions –  thinking that this might be more helpful than
a single longer podcast.)

Matthew Mezey
(News Editor, Library and Information Update magazine)

Follow me on Twitter: http://twitter.com/MatthewMezey