Reflections from our HLG bursary recipient
Katherine Morgan, Library assistant, Bronllys Hospital (Powys)
Introduction
My name is Katherine Morgan and I’m a library assistant working in a medical library in Bronllys Hospital in Powys.
I’m currently studying an MA in Information and Library studies at Aberystwyth University as a mature student via distance learning and just beginning my dissertation on the use of E-Books in the NHS. Therefore, attending the CILIP 125 Conference was something that I very much wanted to do as many of the speakers and topics were relevant to my studies, and of course across the breadth of libraries, but it wasn’t something I could stretch to.
To be offered the HLG Bursary to attend the conference absolutely made my day/week, and I am very humbled to have been chosen to receive this fantastic opportunity.
During the conference, Lesley and Lynsey kindly offered to meet me for lunch and the presidential dinner as I didn’t know anyone there.
Notable talks
The opening ceremony given by Mrs. Diana Holl-Allen, the Mayor of Solihull, was a great ice breaker to begin the conference, followed by the keynote speaker, Rebecca Isaksson’s opening with the use of AI and how fostering the use of AI and a shift to collaborative working can enhance our daily output of “AI and Human Intelligence working together to get the best results and reduce the margins of error”. Dr. Andrew Cox, who I was specifically looking forward to seeing, quickly followed after by similarly speaking about AI, its strategic priority and the value it can bring to support librarians with their workload, but is dependent on the training it receives.
I really enjoyed Dr. Navina Evans’s pre-recorded talk, despite how she sadly couldn’t be there. I particularly remembered her advice: “Be very curious, listen to things you don’t want to hear and take bite-size chunks going forward as the work is never done”. Caroline Ball’s #ebookSOS talk highlighted the global issue that is currently being campaigned for, to support better access for users by working with publishers and license holders to enable change in current practices and provide a more equitable and balanced provision to libraries.
I found Jo Walley’s talk, “Developing yourself as a leader: Overcoming imposter syndrome”, very interesting – additionally, it was very surprising how it resonated amongst so many library and information professionals when she talked about people comparing themselves to colleagues. More specifically, her very catchy phrase “Don’t compare, don’t compare” instead of that mind-addictive “Go compare…” advert, will remain in my head when I hear that advert in the future.
Aside from that, the speaker, Jo Cornish, talked about how we need to attract more diversity within the workforce and ensure it’s a place where people want to work and stay. Ensuring that there are such tools in place would assure that staff feels invested in and recognized, hence enabling career progression and the filling-in of gaps by knowledge professionals, overall leading to an experienced and stable workforce. This, I feel, feeds well into the Presidential Dinner and CILIP 125 theme: The next generation of leaders, which clearly displayed a great recognition to members of the profession; it was beyond inspiring to hear how they came to be in libraries and their journey to where they are now. Lastly, I was really pleased to meet Sue Lacey-Bryant in person for a chat over lunch, having cited her many times throughout my studies.
Conclusion
I want to say a huge thank you to Lesley Allen and Lynsey Hawker Co-Chairs of HLG for awarding me the great opportunity to attend the conference with the HLG Bursary and for taking me under their wing as I did feel a bit of a fish out of water.
I met some lovely people, heard great inspiring stories and made connections to people I would not have done.
HLG Newsletter Autumn/Winter 2023
Health Libraries Group 