Reading the future

Last week to the QEII Conference Centre for the RFID in Libraries conference and the week before last to the Royal Festival Hall for The Reading Agency’s birthday party.  Musing on the two events I come, of course, to three conclusions:

The first is how creative and innovative our profession can be.  TRA is a central part of the transformation which has taken place in the work of our colleagues to support and promote reading.  RFID is central to the transformation which brings our colleagues out from behind the counter to work together with our customers.  Both are radical departures from the library service we used to know.

The second is the way in which the word “reading” has returned to centre stage – connecting with books and also connecting with technology.  We read from a  page, and we also read from a screen.  So the way that books and technology are sometimes placed in opposition (as in The Web will mean the death of the book and Libraries are spending too much on technology and too little on books) is a false dichotomy.  Technology and reading – each complements the other.

And my third conclusion?  Well, actually, it’s the value of CILIP in supporting and promoting such developments.  The annual event at the QEII Conference Centre provides a forum where the whole RFID in Libraries community can come together – public librarians and academic librarians; new adopters and early adopters; clients and vendors; colleagues from across the UK and, increasingly, also from continental Europe.

The event at the Royal Festival Hall marked the fifth anniversary of TRA and provided a moment to take stock of the tremendous progress made in those five years in promoting reading and strengthening the partnerships between public libraries and broadcasters, publishers, writers, etc.  It’s worth remembering (and Miranda McKearney, Director of TRA never forgets, bless her) that CILIP was one of the founding funders of TRA, along with the Arts Council.  Gary McKeone (former Director of Literature at the Arts Council) was standing next to me during the birthday speeches at the TRA party and we felt a little like proud parents seeing what a flourishing grown-up our baby has become!

That’s one of the things about CILIP.  Over the years many colleagues (including many who are not members of CILIP) have benefited, and will continue to benefit, from the work that CILIP does for the profession as a whole – whether that’s building awareness of RFID or helping fledgling initiatives like TRA to get off the ground.  That’s why I get irritated with the What has CIIP ever done for me? approach from those non-members who freeload on the backs of those of you who pay your share towards CILIP’s work on behalf of our professional community as a whole.  It’s not just about the direct personal benefit, it’s also about the indirect benefit and the way in which CILIP – often working behind the scenes – helps to support our profession, going forward.

Remember that when the membership renewal forms come around in a few weeks – and if you have colleagues who aren’t in membership, ask them why not.  Why should they freeload on the back of your subscription?  Just a thought …..