Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals
The Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals (CILIP, pronounced) is a professional body for librarians, information specialists and knowledge managers in the United Kingdom. It was established in 2002 as a merger of the Library Association (LA, sometimes LAUK) and the Institute of Information Scientists (IIS). CILIP in Scotland (CILIPS) is an independent organisation which operates in Scotland in affiliation with CILIP and delivers services via a service level agreement.
Also recorded as CILIP · LA · LAUK · Chartered Institute of Library & Information Professionals
Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals

Rolf Marriott · CC BY 2.0
- Name
- CILIP
- Founded
- 2002
- Headquarters
- United Kingdom
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Documentary summary
The Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals (CILIP, pronounced) is a professional body for librarians, information specialists and knowledge managers in the United Kingdom. It was established in 2002 as a merger of the Library Association (LA, sometimes LAUK) and the Institute of Information Scientists (IIS). CILIP in Scotland (CILIPS) is an independent organisation which operates in Scotland in affiliation with CILIP and delivers services via a service level agreement.
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In this article
Overview
Overview
CILIP's 2020 goal is to "put information and library skills and professional values at the heart of a democratic, equal and prosperous society".
Recorded constituent parts are Affiliate of the Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals, Member of the Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals and Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals. It is associated with United Kingdom. The record gives 2002 as its date of establishment or first appearance.
Key facts
Key facts
• Name — CILIP • Established — 1958 (Institute of Information Scientists) 1877 (Library Association) • President — Sue Lacey Bryant • Head Label — Chief Executive • Head — Vacant • Staff — 47 • Budget — £4.0 million • Num Members — 9,337 (As of 2019) • Website — http: www.cilip.org.uk/ • Location — London,
History
History
CILIP was formed in 2002 by the merger of the Library Association (abbreviated as LA or sometimes LAUK) – founded in 1877 as a result of the first International Conference of Librarians and awarded a Royal Charter in 1898 – and the Institute of Information Scientists (IIS), founded on 23 January 1958. The first President of the Library Association had been John Winter Jones and other notable Presidents had included Richard Garnett (1893), Frederic G. Kenyon (1910), W. C. Berwick Sayers (1938), Lionel McColvin (1952) and Douglas John Foskett (1976). The jubilee (50th year) of the Association was celebrated in 1927. Library associations from fourteen European countries and the United States signed a resolution at the celebration of the 50th anniversary of the Library Association of the United Kingdom held in Edinburgh which brought the International Federation of Library Associations into existence. The Library Association offered professional recognition at the level of Associate of the Library Association (ALA), the basic professional qualification, and Fellow of the Library Association (FLA), awarded for a higher level of professional achievement. Membership of the CILIP on unification in 2002 was estimated at 23,000. Sheila Corrall was the first President of CILIP, succeeded in 2003 by Margaret Watson. In 2017, the Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals was rebranded to CILIP: The library and information association.
Activities
Activities
• Illustration — The cover of the first issue of Information Professional magazine (November 2017) showing Roly Keating of the British Library CILIP launched a monthly journal, Information Professional in 2017, providing news, interviews, and analysis. This publication succeeded Library & Information Update which was published from 2002 to 2017 and the Library Association Record published from 1899 to 2002. CILIP publications also include Lisjobnet (a recruitment website), and Facet Publishing (professional books). CILIP hosts an annual conference for members and non-members. Past keynote speakers include Dr Carla Hayden (Librarian of Congress in the US), Professor Luciano Floridi and Sir Nigel Shadbolt. CILIP does little to raise the profile of the work of librarians and information professionals through campaigns, public affairs activity, and awards and medals, as well as promoting best practice. Campaigns have included My Library By Right (publicising local government's statutory obligation to provide library services), Facts Matter (championing the value of quality information during the 2017 UK General Election), and the annual Libraries Week campaign and Libraries Change Lives Award. CILIP awards the Carnegie and Kate Greenaway Medals for children's books. CILIP works in partnership to award the Amnesty CILIP Honour, a special commendation which is part of the Carnegie and Kate Greenaway Medals. Special interest groups also make their own awards, such as the Jason Farradane Award and Tony Kent Strix Award of UKeiG. There are over 20 special interest groups for members working with, for instance, rare books and prison libraries and a similar number of 'organisations in liaison' with CILIP, such as Information for Social Change, the National Acquisitions Group, and the Society of Indexers. CILIP, in its previous incarnation as the Library Association, was a founder member of the International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions (IFLA) in 1927. Some specialist groups organise conferences such as the annual LILAC (Librarians' Information Literacy Conference), held since 2005 by the CILIP's Information Literacy Group, or the Health Libraries Group conference, held every two years. CILIP's archives are held by University College London Special Collections, having been deposited with the institution between 2002 and 2007.
Professional development
Professional development
CILIP accredits degree courses in library and information science at universities in the UK, as well as a number of overseas programmes in China, Germany, Hong Kong, Kuwait, Oman, Thailand and Qatar. There are three levels of professional registration with corresponding postnominal letters: • Certified Affiliate (ACLIP), suitable for paraprofessionals without an accredited qualification • Chartered Member (MCLIP) • Chartered Fellow (FCLIP) Honorary Fellowship (HonFCLIP), akin to an honorary degree, is granted to a small number of people who have rendered distinguished service to the profession. CILIP provides opportunities for continuing professional development and a self-assessment tool, the Professional Knowledge and Skills Base. Registered members may revalidate their registration annually. Membership of CILIP is not compulsory for practice.
Key facts
Key facts
• Name — CILIPS • President — Martina McChrystal • Head Label — Head • Head — Sean McNamara • Staff — 2 • Budget — £22,000 • Num Members — 1,200 (as of 2019) • Website — http: www.cilips.org.uk/ • Location — Glasgow, United Kingdom The Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals in Scotland (CILIP in Scotland, or CILIPS) is a charitable incorporated organisation affiliated to CILIP. All CILIP members working or living in Scotland are automatically members of CILIPS. Policy, finances, operational matters and advocacy are devolved to CILIPS Trustee Board and staff and CILIP services are delivered via a service level agreement. CILIPS works with the Scottish Library and Information Council (SLIC), the advisory body for the Scottish Government on library and information matters. CILIP in Scotland was originally established as the Scottish Library Association in 1908 and affiliated with the Library Association in 1931. When CILIP was established in 2002, the Scottish Library Association voted to change its name to CILIPS. CILIPS published a professional journal, Information Scotland, between 2003 and 2009, which subsequently became a newsletter.
Institutional history
Dated record
Institutional history
The full dated record · 2 entries
2002
Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals established.
2002
Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals is recorded from 2002.
Places
Named by the record
Places
Only places the record itself states, plotted where the house gazetteer settles their coordinates. Nothing is inferred from a name or a nationality.
- United Kingdom
Description
• Illustration — Former CILIP headquarters in Ridgmount Street, London CILIP has its headquarters in the British Library in London. Until 2023, CILIP had been based at number 7 Ridgmount Street, in the building purpose-built in 1965 as the headquarters of the Library Association. CILIP is a registered charity.
Primary material
Documents and archives
reference work
- Wikidata, structured authority record Q14950045: Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals
Reputable secondary · Wikimedia Foundation
- “Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals”, English Wikipedia, consulted as further reading
Reputable secondary · Wikipedia
authority file
- Gemeinsame Normdatei 10041418-7, Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals in Scotland.
General reference · Deutsche Nationalbibliothek
Membership
The following information on CILIP membership is taken from CILIP Council reports with the exceptions of the estimates for 2002, 2003 and 2005. Membership numbers for 2004 and 2006 are not available. • 2002 — 2003 — 2004 — 2005 — 2006 — 2007 — 2008 — 2009 — 2010 — 2011 — 2012 — 2013 — 2014 — 2015 — 2016 — 2017 — 2018 — 2019 — 2020 — 2021 • Number of members — ≈23,000 — 22,689 — (20,373) — 19,206 — 18,490 — 17,634 — 17,192 — 15,705 — 14,555 — 13,974 — 13,567 — 13,163 — 12,632 — 11,868 — 9,793 — 9,337 — 9,749 — 8,758 The method of calculation was changed in 2018 to count 'Life Members' as a separate category in published membership statistics and hence these figures do not represent a continuous series. As at January 2019 there were approximately 1,000 'Life Members' of CILIP.
Notes from the source article
Cited by Wikipedia
Notes from the source article
These works are cited by the source article, in its own numbering. They are recorded as its citations, not as sources VALÉORINE has verified.
- 1.Presidential Team and Chairs. www.cilip.org.uk.
- 2.CILIP Staff. www.cilip.org.uk.
- 3.Charity Commission. Data for financial year ending 31 December 2021.
- 4.Trustees' Report and Financial Statement, 31 December 2019.
- 5.Munford, W. A. A History of the Library Association, 1877–1977, p. 3. London: Library Association, 1977.
- 6.CILIP, Our look: the brand guide; Ian Anstice, 'CILIP stealth rebrands', Public Libraries News, 1 March 2017; Phil Bradley, 'CILIP the err.. library and information association, Phil Bradley's weblog, 28 February 2017
- 7.Munford, p. 56; Royal Charter 1898, amended 1986 and 2002
- 8.A second International Conference was held in London in 1897; Transactions and Proceedings of the Second International Library Conference held in London, July 13–16, 1897; 1898
- 9.UIA Yearbook Profile. Union of International Associations.
- 10.Williamson, W. L. Review [untitled]. The Library Quarterly: Information, Community, Policy. 52. 3. 277–80. 1982. 10.1086/601248.
- 11.Munford, W. A. A History of the Library Association, 1877–1977, pp. 333–336. London: Library Association, 1977.
- 12.BCALVIN. Library Certificate and Degree Programs. About ALA. 2015-09-16.
- 13.CILIP – Membership.
- 14.Rallying call to profession as CILIP launched. Information World Review. 179. 1. 2002.
- 15.The Chartered Institute of Library & Information Professionals (Moves in Brief). go.galegroup.com.
- 16.Farewell Ridgmount Street, hello British Library, CILIP. Retrieved 7 April 2023.
- 17.Holding your meetings and events at CILIP 2018, CILIP. Retrieved 29 November 2018.
- 18.Kent, Allen. Encyclopedia of Library and Information Science: Volume 14. CC Press. 324. 1975. 9780824720148.
- 19.EW charity 313014
- 20.ISSN 2515-8015
- 21.ISSN 1476-7171
- 22.ISSN 0024-2195
- 23.Leading the Library Congress into the Digital Age. CILIP: The Library and Information Association. March 15, 2017.
- 24.The Ethics of the Infosphere. CILIP: The Library and Information Association. April 15, 2017.
- 25.Authors lead support for My Library By Right campaign | The Bookseller. www.thebookseller.com.
- 26.Onwuemezi, Natasha. Wikipedia founder joins CILIP's fight against 'fake news' The Bookseller. www.thebookseller.com. 10 May 2017.
- 27.Over 1,000 venues participate in first Libraries Week | The Bookseller. www.thebookseller.com.
- 28.Prestigious award for HMP Norwich library service for 'forgotten' prisoners.
- 29.CILIP, Special Interest Groups
- 30.CILIP, 23 November 2016 Board meeting , Item 14, Appendix A
- 31.Johanna L. de Vries, The history of the International Federation of Library Associations: from its creation to the Second World War, 1927-1940, Master's thesis, Loughborough University, 1976, page 9; accessed 29 November 2018.
- 32.Bowman, J. H. British librarianship and information work 2011-2015. Lulu.com. 427–8, 434. 24 January 2017. 978-1-326-82047-3.
- 33.LILAC. About LILAC. www.lilacconference.com.
- 34.UCL Special Collections. CILIP Archive. UCL Archives Catalogue.
- 35.CILIP accredited qualifications (accessed 29 November 2018)
- 36.AGCAS. Prospects job profile: Academic librarian, August 2017 (accessed 16 April 2018)
- 37.CILIP Royal Charter (accessed 16 April 2018)
- 38.Watson, Margaret; ‘Professional qualifications: a CILIP perspective’ in AIDAinformazioni; Vol. 23, no. 4, (2005), pp. 25-26
- 39.CILIP, Revalidation (accessed 16 April 2018)
- 40.CILIP Council
- 41.The figure of ≈23,000 is taken from a copy of the CILIP Web site available on the Internet Archive CILIP Membership, 2 December 2002
- 42.Membership at end of September 2006, from an email sent to Branch committee members December 2006. So pre-renewals, i.e. roughly end of year 2005?
- 43.From annual report 2008 Annual Report 2008
- 44.Membership numbers for 2008 & 2009 from the Annual Report 2009
- 45.CILIPS, Meet the Team.
- 46.Scottish charity SC038532
- 47.CILIPS, Rules and Regulations, section 9 (2016)
- 48.Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals. Service Level Agreement.
- 49.Digital, Habanero. About. CILIPS.
- 50.Digital, Habanero. Timeline. CILIPS.
Bibliography printed in the source article · 1
- Munford, W. A. A History of The Library Association, 1877-1977 (London: The Library Association, 1976)
References
Citations
References
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authority file
Gemeinsame Normdatei 10041418-7, Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals in Scotland.Deutsche Nationalbibliothek
Secondary witnessreference work
Wikidata, structured authority record Q14950045: Chartered Institute of Library and Information ProfessionalsWikimedia Foundation
Secondary witnessreference work
Secondary witness
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It is classified as professional society, open-access publisher and library association. It works in library science and information science. It comprises Affiliate of the Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals, Member of the Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals and Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals. Associated with United Kingdom. Recorded from 2002.
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