On Thursday 19 June 2025, I had the immense pleasure of attending The Carnegies once again—an event that continues to be a highlight of the literary calendar for me, both personally and professionally. Held at the beautiful Cambridge Theatre, home of Matilda The Musical, the ceremony was buzzing with excitement, with over 600 young peopleContinue reading “Carnegies: A Joyful Celebration of Children’s Literature”
Category Archives: Uncategorized
CILIP writes to Minister for School Standards in joint letter with national library charities
CILIP, CILIP School Libraries Group (CILIP SLG), the School Library Association, and the Association of Senior Children’s and Education Librarians (ASCEL) have written to the Minister for School Standards, Catherine McKinnell, to offer support with her programmes and to ask for an opportunity to discuss how school libraries can support the Government’s mission to breakContinue reading “CILIP writes to Minister for School Standards in joint letter with national library charities”
Censorship in UK schools
Two important articles from the Independent newspaper of interest to anyone following the debate about censorship and banning books in libraries from Index on Censorship which campaigns on freedom of expression. In Censorship in UK school libraries is worse than you think – and it’s up to us to fight it, Katie Dancey-Downs says thatContinue reading “Censorship in UK schools”
The Vital Role of School Libraries in Countering Misinformation
Considering the recent events that have taken place this summer, it is more important than ever to stress the crucial role that libraries – and particularly school libraries – can play in countering misinformation and disinformation. School libraries are key to promoting information literacy. We teach students and young people how to evaluate the credibilityContinue reading “The Vital Role of School Libraries in Countering Misinformation”
Libraries Change Lives Campaign: School Libraries build stronger communities
This week is Libraries Change Lives week which brings librarians and the next parliamentarians together to deliver a strong message about the positive impact services are having on individuals and communities – from lifelong learning and education to health and wellbeing; from supporting sustainable economic growth to helping develop digital literacies. CILIP School Libraries GroupContinue reading “Libraries Change Lives Campaign: School Libraries build stronger communities”
Running a Comic-Con event for World Book Day
Alice Leggatt (SLG Committee Member), Oaks Park High School This blog acknowledges the generosity of Lucas Maxwell (Glenthorne School), whose own blog, alongside his work on running Dungeons and Dragons in secondary schools, were a huge inspiration and help as I planned our events The theme for this year’s World Book Day was ‘Read YourContinue reading “Running a Comic-Con event for World Book Day”
Censorship webinars – free training
Have you had a chance to catch up with the excellent set of free webinars that SLG conducted last year, in conjunction with the School Library Association? Members of either of these can access the webinars for free. For CILIP members, simply sign in to the CILIP website, and then come back to these pagesContinue reading “Censorship webinars – free training”
The Networked Librarian: new from Facet Publishing
The Networked Librarian is a valuable guide to help school librarians work effectively with a whole school and beyond. It brings together the author’s extensive experience in school libraries and education and it provides a means for school librarians to engage with their communities to create real impact. Packed with practical examples, this book goesContinue reading “The Networked Librarian: new from Facet Publishing”
World Book Day Ideas
As World Book Day approaches, we reached out to the exceptional school librarian, Lucas Maxwell, seeking his insights on engaging ideas for your libraries to actively involve students. World Book Day can be a fun, exciting event for a school. It can also be stressful to plan. In my experience, the programmes that have beenContinue reading “World Book Day Ideas”
Guest Blog – EmpathyLab
The empathy year by Sarah Mears As we enter 2024, imagine how different this year would be if empathy was placed front and centre in all our actions and interactions with others. EmpathyLab is a charitable social enterprise collaborating with schools and libraries and those living and working with children and young people. Our vision isContinue reading “Guest Blog – EmpathyLab”