Time for the Conway report

Today, CILIP publishes the Conway report - a hard-hitting analysis of the condition of public libraries in England written for CILIP by Patrick Conway, former Director of Culture and Leisure with Durham County Council. The report is based on a small sample of Public Library Authorities - but it raises major issues of concern. Job losses, lack of scrutiny by national government, and failure to link libraries to key strategic objectives by local government are some of the issues raised - as is the question of whether the library and information profession (including CILIP) is continuing to promote an out-dated model of professionalism.

The report is challenging but it is not intended to be hostile either to government or to local Public Library Authorities. Rather, it is intended to assist as an important contribution to the ongoing debate about the future for public libraries and as one element in CILIP's campaign about the importance of professionalism in public service - see my article, Professionalism and the public interest, in the January/February issue of Update for more about the campaign as a whole.

The report is independent - written in the public interest and not to protect the interests of CILIP Members, and written by an independent commentator who pulls no punches in challenging CILIP to modernise its approach to professional qualifications: something that the next meeting of CILIP Council will address when it considers the recommendations made by the report.

The report is on the CILIP website with a link from the home page. Read it, circulate it, download it, discuss it - and add your voice to the debate. The future for public libraries and the future for professionalism are topics which are too important to ignore.