As the seasons change, we’re pleased to share the latest from SLG. This autumn, there is plenty to look forward to, from upcoming events and opportunities to get involved, to news and updates from across our community. In this blog, we’ll bring together the key highlights so you can stay informed, connected, and ready for what’s ahead.
Join the CILIP School Libraries Group Committee
Are you passionate about school libraries? The CILIP School Libraries Group (SLG) is looking for three volunteers to join our committee and help support and champion school librarianship across the UK.
As a committee member, you will:
- Help shape the direction of SLG
- Support events, publications, campaigns and professional development opportunities
- Advocate for the value of school libraries
- Collaborate with colleagues across the UK
- Build your leadership skills and professional network
It’s a great opportunity to:
- Raise your professional profile. Committee involvement provides visibility within the sector and recognition as an active contributor and leader within the library, knowledge and information profession.
- By participating in a special interest group, you will access unique professional development which offers hands-on experience complementing formal training and CPD activities, helping other members develop their confidence and new skills.
We welcome applications from people of diverse backgrounds and with a range of experiences, perspectives and professional journeys. In addition, we seek library staff who are CILIP members at all career stages based in early years, primary, secondary schools and colleges of further education.
Committee members attend regular online meetings, occasional in-person meetings and contribute to activities between meetings. All roles are voluntary.
We are looking for a new EDI Co-ordinator so if interested, please share this with us in your expression of interest.
Interested? To find out more or express your interest, please contact Carol Webb (Chair) chair.slg@cilip.org.uk by 15th September 2026. If you wish to apply we will send a nomination form and ask for a 2-300 word statement in support of your application.
Help shape the future of school libraries – join the CILIP School Libraries Group Committee today.
Celebrate World Kid Lit Month this September
Every September, World Kid Lit Month celebrates international books for children and young adults. It is a chance to discover stories from around the world, including books set in other countries and books translated into English from other languages. For school libraries, it provides a timely opportunity at the start of the new academic year to refresh displays, recommend new titles, and encourage pupils to explore stories, voices and perspectives beyond their usual reading choices.
This year is especially significant as World Kid Lit marks its 10th anniversary, under the theme “Around the World in 10”. Over the past decade, World Kid Lit has helped raise awareness of global children’s and young adult literature, supporting access to diverse, inclusive and international books for young readers. Its resources, recommendations and reading prompts can help schools celebrate multilingual and multicultural communities, introduce pupils to literature in translation, and show how reading can build curiosity, empathy and understanding across cultures.
There are lots of simple ways to get involved throughout September. Schools and libraries could create a “read the world” display, spotlight books from different continents, invite pupils to recommend international titles, use the World Kid Lit reading lists and bingo charts, or link activities to languages, geography, literacy and library lessons. Schools can also take part in the Schools’ International Reading Award, a free competition celebrating international and inclusive reading. Entries are open from 1 September to 10 October 2026, making it a useful focus for the early autumn term. However you choose to take part, World Kid Lit Month is a reminder that books can help young people broaden their horizons, discover new voices and feel connected to a wider world of stories.
Book Bans: How Can We Prepare For The Next 5 Years? (Online Event on Monday 14th September 5:30pm)
Join Index on Censorship and Pan Macmillan for a timely online discussion exploring how librarians, publishers and free expression advocates can respond to rising concerns around book bans and challenges to the freedom to read. Taking place on 14 September, 5.30–6.30pm, the event will bring together UK and US perspectives and look ahead to what the next five years may demand from those working to protect diverse collections and intellectual freedom.
Speakers include Alice Leggatt, Co-Chair of the CILIP School Libraries Group and secondary school library manager; Joanna Prior OBE, Chief Executive of Pan Macmillan; and Jon Yaged, Chief Executive Officer of Macmillan Publishers. Designed primarily for librarians, the session will offer practical insight into preparing for future censorship pressures and supporting access to a wide range of voices, stories and ideas.
Future SLG Events
This autumn, SLG is pleased to be supporting two timely online events focused on digital literacy, misinformation and the challenges young people face online. These sessions will give school library staff and information professionals opportunities to explore emerging issues around artificial intelligence, deepfakes, online extremism and disinformation, and to consider how libraries can help pupils develop the critical skills they need to navigate digital spaces safely and confidently.
On Thursday 8 October, from 3.30pm to 4.45pm, the Joint School Library Association and SLG will host an online webinar to launch the Wikimedia deepfake teaching resources. The event will introduce the new materials and support school library staff in using them to help pupils understand deepfakes, evaluate online content and think critically about the reliability of information they encounter.
In November, Matteo Bergamini MBE, CEO and Founder of Shout Out UK, will lead an online webinar titled Prebunking the Feed: Shielding the Next Gen from Online Extremism and Disinformation. Taking place on Thursday 12 November, from 4pm to 5pm, the session will examine how young people are exposed to harmful online content, from AI-generated deepfakes to algorithmic echo chambers that can amplify extreme views. With children making up 20% of terrorism-related arrests in 2024, the webinar will explore the mechanics of online radicalisation and the manipulative techniques used by bad actors.
Rather than focusing only on how to react to disinformation once it appears, attendees will learn about “prebunking”: proactive approaches that can help build cognitive immunity against harmful content before it takes hold. This event will be free for CILIP members and LIS students, with a fee for non-CILIP members. More information will be shared soon, so please keep an eye on SLG social media channels for booking details when they go live.
Banned Books Week UK: Celebrating the Freedom to Read
Banned Books Week UK takes place from 4 to 10 October 2026 and is a chance to celebrate our freedom to read, while highlighting books that have been banned or challenged around the world. SLG is proud to be part of the coalition supporting the campaign, alongside Index on Censorship, Hay Festival Global, The Bookseller, the CILIP School Libraries Group, the International Publishers Association and Firefinch Publishers.
The week offers libraries across all sectors an opportunity to create displays, start conversations about intellectual freedom, and champion everyone’s right to access information. Libraries are encouraged to take part in a social media relay on Wednesday 7 October by championing a banned book, sharing displays online, and using the campaign tags so posts can be shared more widely. Authors and publishers are also invited to get involved, helping to build a visible community of readers, librarians and advocates for free expression.
Find out more about the library relay campaign, including social media tags and ways to participate, or explore Banned Books Week activity ideas and promotional materials.
CILIP Youth Libraries Group Conference 2026: Creating Communities
The CILIP Youth Libraries Group Conference 2026: Creating Communities takes place in Oxford from Saturday 12 to Sunday 13 September. Bringing together children’s and young people’s library staff from across the UK, the conference will offer two days of author panels, professional development, networking and discussion focused on the many ways libraries help create, support and celebrate communities.
The programme includes keynote sessions, breakout discussions, exhibition browsing and opportunities to connect with colleagues, authors, publishers and library partners. Sessions will explore a wide range of themes including early years reading, writing communities, diverse communities, school communities, the Summer Reading Challenge, accessible books, teen reading communities and reading for pleasure. With Saturday based at the Leonardo Royal Hotel Oxford and Sunday at the North Oxford Association, the weekend is designed to provide space for inspiration, reflection and practical ideas that can be taken back into schools, libraries and local communities.
Booking is now open, with tickets including access to events across the weekend, morning and afternoon breakout sessions, the exhibition hall, refreshments and lunch. For school library staff, the conference promises to be a valuable opportunity to gather new ideas, strengthen professional networks and reflect on how libraries can build inclusive, welcoming and creative spaces for young readers.
Final Note
Finally, please keep an eye out over the next few months for more SLG blog pieces as we continue to share ideas, reflections and practical inspiration for school library staff. We will be looking back at key learning and conversations from the CILIP Youth Libraries Group Conference, highlighting ways to get involved with Green Libraries Week, and exploring how school libraries can support sustainability, creativity and pupil voice. We will also be sharing a series of inspirational blog posts linked to different ways of engaging students and staff with reading in school, from building a stronger reading culture and promoting reading for pleasure, to supporting staff recommendations, student-led activities, displays, events and whole-school approaches. We hope these upcoming pieces will offer useful ideas, encouragement and fresh thinking as we continue to champion the vital role of school libraries and school library services throughout this new school year.