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Click here to read our recently strengthened EDI commitment and please feel free to share your comments below
https://www.cilips.org.uk/cilips-commitment-edi/

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CILIP Scotland commits to the following actions:

To support the CILIP Changing Lives programme, by applying all actions as relevant to Scotland and promoting its principles to our membership.

To support CILIP's anti-racism policy.

To amend the election process for the Board to promote greater representation of professionals from ethnic minority backgrounds in our leadership and governance, with an aspirational target of 10% representation on the CILIPS Board by 2022.

Explore the creation of a volunteer role for EDI liaison officers to act as a bridge between the CILIPS membership and Board/staff - making recommendations and/or raising concerns anonymously.

To establish regular communication links with CILIP BAME, LGBTQ+ and Disability Network committees to ensure that Scotland is part of their scope.

Undertake ongoing consultation with our membership on issues relating to EDI and actively encouraging feedback and engagement.

Sharing good practice with all our members including banks of resources e.g. case studies, examples of international best practice and evidence.

Ensure our event programming is inclusive and diverse including setting targets/baselines for representation.

Ensure our campaigns, communications and all other activities celebrate diversity and inclusion.

In the above policy we use 'ethnic minority groups' to refer to all ethnic groups except the 'White British' group. Ethnic minorities include white minorities, such as Gypsy, Roma and Irish Traveller groups. This policy will be reviewed regularly, and terminology will be updated as required and in liaison with diversity networks.
Policy Approved: September 2021

Review date: September 2022 (then every 2 years)

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CILIPS Commitment to Equalities, Diversity and Inclusion - CILIPS

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CILIPS Commitment to Equalities, Diversity and Inclusion CILIP Scotland commits to the following actions: To support the CILIP Changing Lives programme, by applying all actions as relevant to Scotland and promoting its principles to our membership. To support CILIP's anti-racism policy. To amend the election process for the Board to...

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https://www.cilips.org.uk/anti-racism-resources-and-support/

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CILIPS supports the #BlackLivesMatter movement and is firmly anti-racist. Our strengthened Commitment to Equalities, Diversity and Inclusion was approved by the CILIPS Trustee Board in September 2021, and below is an evolving collection of anti-racism resources from Scotland and beyond. If you have any recommendations or ideas for what else you would like to see on this page, please email us admin@cilips.org.uk.

The CILIP BAME Network has been established to provide a forum for librarians and information professionals from Black Asian and Minority Ethnic backgrounds to share their experiences, support each other and network. The Network is free to join and open to all BAME library and information professionals, both existing CILIP members and non-members - to find out more, please click here.

Coalition for Racial Equality and Rights (CRER): Glasgow based racial equality charity promoting racial justice in Scotland

Scottish Refugee Council: Scottish charity which supports refugees and helps people to navigate the complex UK asylum system and to settle into life in Scotland

BEMIS: Scottish body which supports the Ethnic Minority Voluntary Sector and aims to address inequality and to build a more inclusive society

Refuweegee: A charity dedicated to giving those arriving in Scotland a warm welcome

Saheliya: A mental health and well-being organisation who works with BAME women in Edinburgh and Glasgow

The Anti-Racist Educator: A collective of educational stakeholders based in Scotland who are working to build a more equitable education system that is free from racial injustice and which is critically engaged with issues of power, identity, and privilege.

Stephen Lawrence Charitable Trust: Charity set up following the racists attack and murder of Stephen Lawrence in 1993. It works with 13-30 year olds from disadvantaged backgrounds to help them succeed, aiming to create a fairer society

Show Racism the Red Card: An anti-racism educational charity which utilises football and football players to tackle racism in sport and wider society, providing anti-racism workshops in schools, workplaces, and football stadiums

Stand Up to Racism: An organisation with local groups throughout the UK

Black Cultural Archives: national heritage centre dedicated to collecting and preserving the histories of African and Caribbean people in Britain

Runnymede: An independent race equality think tank which challenges race inequality through research, debate and policy engagement

Black Minds Matter: Non-profit that empowers 13-25-year-olds to make the improvements they want to see and to create a more equal society

The Black Curriculum: a social enterprise addressing the notable absence of Black British history in UK curriculums, including learning resources for many different school subjects.

The Free Black University aims to transform historically racist curriculums and create a space where the healing and wellbeing of Black people is centred. 'You cannot decolonise something that is built on colonisation itself... we exist to build a space that can produce decolonial knowledge, untethered from a colonial space.'

Stop Hate UK: A national organisation that challenges all forms of Hate Crime and harassment including those to do with race, sexuality and gender identity, among others

UK Black Pride: Celebrates LGBTQ+ people of African, Asian, Caribbean, Middle Eastern and Latin American descent

Black British Women Writers: a website bringing together writers whose identities intersect as Black British Women and highlighting their drastically under-acknowledged contribution to British and world literature.

European Network Against Racism (ENAR): Advocates for racial equality and legal change in Europe

Black Lives Matter: Founded in 2013, Black Lives Matter aims to challenge white supremacy and the systematic oppression of Black people. It is a global network.

Color of Change: An organisation which supports people to take practical steps towards tackling racial injustice

Antiracist Research & Policy Center (ARPC): Works to understand and solve racial inequality and injustice issues, based in Washington DC

Reading Recommendations

If you would like to understand racism, white privilege, and other racial issues better or if you are keen to develop a reading list for library users around these topics, the following books could be a good place to start.

Why I'm No Longer Talking to White People About Race - Reni Eddo-Lodge

Kindred - Octavia Butler

Ain't I a Woman: black women and feminism - bell hooks

New Daughters of Africa: an International Anthology of Writing by Women of African Descent - Margaret Busby (ed.)

Hidden Figures: The Untold Story of the African American Women Who Helped Win the Space Race - Margot Lee Shetterly

The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks - Rebecca Skloot

Becoming - Michelle Obama

Girl, Woman, Other - Bernadine Evaristo

Natives: Race and Class in the Ruins of Empire - Akala

Americanah - Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

The Adoption Papers - Jackie Kay

Just Mercy - Bryan Stevenson

The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness - Michelle Alexander

Freedom is a Constant Struggle - Angela Y. Davis

So You Want to Talk About Race - Ijeoma Oluo

Possessive Investment in Whiteness - George Lipsitz

I know Why the Caged Bird Sings - Maya Angelou

Black British History - David Olusoga

No Problem Here: Understanding Racism in Scotland - Neil Davidson, Minna Liinpää, Maureen McBride & Satnam Virdee (eds.)

Race, Culture and Media - Dr Anamik Saha

Narrative Expansions: Interpreting Decolonisation in Academic Libraries - Jess Crilly and Regina Everitt (eds.)

Taking Up Space: The Black Girl's Manifesto for Change - Chelsea Kwakye and Ore Ogunbiyi

Readers of Colour have also written this blog where they share books by people of colour that they have enjoyed.

Please get in touch if you have any books you would like to see included in the above list.

Articles, Webinars, Learning Resources and More

Over 150+ people registered for CILIPS's recent extended online learning session Decolonizing Library Collections: Past, Present and Future. If you missed it or would like to watch again, the recording and slides are all available here.

Visit The Anti-Racist Educator's Glossary to gain a better understanding of the language surrounding these issues.

Histories of Colour by Carissa Chew (illustrated by Annie Adam) is an easy-to-read yet informative website that features articles and podcasts introducing learners to areas of history too-often neglected by traditional narratives. Carissa is also the founder of the Cultural Heritage Terminology Network, a Slack online group open to all cultuLral professionals interested in Equalities, Diversity and Inclusion. The group includes access to an extensive Terminology Guide & Glossary that Carissa has produced as part of her work as the National Library of Scotland's EDI intern - to join it, please click here.

The National Library of Scotland's Struggles for Liberty learning e-resource opens modern eyes to the fight for freedom and social justice led by African American freedom-fighters in the USA and in Britain and Ireland during the 19th century. Click for informative, well-researched resources, interactive maps and further recommendations.

This blog summarises where you can find key resources about Black Lives Matter, from a short history of the movement and media coverage it has received to podcasts and social media accounts to follow in support of BLM.

Read the highlights from this interview with Scots Makar Jackie Kay about the racist bullying she experienced growing up in 1970s Scotland, what has changed and what still remains to be addressed to 'change what we think of when we think of a Scottish person'.

'Now in [that] system, they had one number-326-that meant slavery, and they had one other number-325, as I recall it-that meant colonization. In many "white libraries", every book, whether it was a book of poems by James Weldon Johnson, who everyone knew was a black poet, went under 325. And that was stupid to me.' Howard University librarian Dorothy Parker challenged the racist biases embedded within the Dewey Decimal System - click here to learn more about her incredible life's work.

'We find that 'BAME' (black, Asian and minority ethnic)/working class audiences are undervalued by publishers, both economically and culturally. This in turn affects the acquisition, promotion, and selling of writers of colour.' Rethinking 'Diversity' in Publishing (2021) is a hard-hitting report written by Dr Anamik Saha and Dr Sandra van Lente, Goldsmiths, University of London, that examines the presence (and absence) of writers of colour in publishing, emphasising the need to recognise structural inequalities and 'understand that modern Britain consists of multiple audiences'.

'Anti-racist education empowers children and young people to engage in an increasingly diverse and globalised world where people can be united by their common humanity and enhanced by their diversity'. Education Scotland have published an overview of what anti-racism means in education and why it is such an essential component of the learning process - read it online here with a website featuring further guidance and case studies coming soon.

'Each of us can make a difference, and together accomplish what might seem impossible' (Wangari Maathi, 1940-2011). Challenging the historic under-representation and under-acknowledgement of black voices in the sustainability movement, the Carbon Literacy Project have shared this concise yet informative blog: highlighting the extraordinary work of climate activists of colour from the 19th century to the present day.

Libraries Connected ran a series of webinars in August and September 2020 focusing on how to promote knowledge and education about Britain's racial history and how to explore our past through local collections and more. View recordings here.

Lewis Hou (Fun Palaces Scotland, Science Ceilidh, SLIC) and Mélina (The Anti-Racist Educator) held a live discussion on Support Anti-Racism. This looked at how we can actively acknowledge, educate on, and dismantle racism across education and culture in Scotland. You can find the video on the Culture & Wellbeing Community Network Scotland Facebook page.

The University of Southern California's Master of Social Work programme has developed a really useful Diversity Toolkit that can be used to help facilitate discussions. See The MSW@USC Diversity Toolkit: A Guide to Discussing Identity, Power and Privilege here. Many thanks to Sam Keller for highlighting this resource to us.

Find a helpful blog on decolonising library resources here.

Follow LIS-DECOLONISE on JISCMail to be part of important conversations around decolonisation and liberation of library collections. Decolonisation of curricula and collections is not about 'throwing out' work by white authors but rather thinking critically in relation to what narratives are most common, questioning who has held power and space, and introducing and amplifying work by a diverse collection of writers and researchers to ensure all perspectives are heard.

Can data help to drive decolonization? Researchers at Imperial College London have developed a tool to convert reading lists into machine readable code, from which you can rapidly visualise the geographic origin of citations and in so doing work to tackle the 'preponderance of references to research from the global north' that has historically characterised most reading lists. Find out more here.

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Anti-Racism - Resources and Support - CILIPS

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CILIPS supports the #BlackLivesMatter movement and is firmly anti-racist. Our strengthened Commitment to Equalities, Diversity and Inclusion was approved by the CILIPS Trustee Board in September 2021, and below is an evolving collection of anti-racism resources from Scotland and beyond. If you have any recommendations or ideas for what else...

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CILIPS Accessibility & Neurodiversity Resources

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CILIPS Accessibility & Neurodiversity Resources

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https://www.cilips.org.uk/accessibility-and-neurodiversity

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CILIPS is committed to helping ensure that Scottish libraries of every sector are welcoming, accessible and inclusive for all. This evolving collection of resources aims to support library staff and communities, to help make sure that libraries have the tools they need to become more accessible, and to offer a starting point for making library collections more truly representative of readers.

If you have any recommendations to add to this page, we would love to hear your suggestions: please email us here.
Accessibility for All

The CILIP Disability Network officially launched on 22nd July 2021, providing support and a platform for library, knowledge and information workers with experience of disability. The Network is free to join, open to CILIP members and non-members, and supports the advancement of disabled people in the workforce and the development of diverse library, knowledge and information services. It provides an authoritative voice on disability issues within the LIS community, with opportunities for its members with lived experience of disability to participate at events and within public discussions. For more information and to join, please click here.

'These barriers have nothing to do with individual disabled people's bodies: they are created by people so it is possible to remove them.' The Social Model of Disability highlights that the difficulties faced by disabled people do not come from their personal circumstances but instead assumptions, prejudices and a lack of consideration from society as a whole. For an easy-to-read, informative summary and examples including a 'Good Practice Checklist' for language use, we'd recommend reading this booklet written by Grant Carson for policy and decision makers across all sectors.

Disability Information Scotland offers a helpful collection of guides on topics from 'access and accessibility' to 'equality, legal and advocacy' and much more. The Scottish Disability Directory also allows you to search by topic, location and support needs to find organisations and service providers who can meet your requirements.

Disability Equality Scotland is a membership organisation advocating for disabled people: you can become a member, sign-up for their weekly newsletter or share your story and make sure that your opinions on access, equality and inclusion are heard by decision-makers. The organisation recently helped to develop the National Hate Crime Charter, which recognises the right of all people using public transport networks in Scotland to be free from hate crime, prejudice, bullying or harassment, and encourages a zero-tolerance approach to any breach of that right.

'Just as feminism questions the assumption that femaleness constitutes a natural physical and mental inferiority, disability studies challenges social constructions that deem disability a natural deficiency...' this thought-provoking blog by Jennifer Robinson for Glasgow Women's Library reflects on how disability and gender inequalities can intersect and how addressing the prejudices inherent in both could create a wiser, more compassionate world for us all.

If you're looking to enhance your understanding of accessibility and ensure that your own organisation is accessible in practice, Disability Information Scotland's Online Training area also includes free, self-paced courses on topics like 'Accessible Information Awareness' and 'Hidden Accessibility'. We also appreciated these comprehensive free guides to making resources, publications and websites more accessible, as well as helpful information provided by the Scottish Accessible Information Forum.

British Sign also offer a CPD certified 'Introducing British Sign Language' online course, a comprehensive yet flexible programme that is operating on a 'pay what you can basis' during Covid-19. Thank you to Dana from CILIPS SNPC for highlighting this fantastic resource!

PMLD LINK is a charity with a journal and website that offer resources for anyone supporting people with profound and multiple learning disabilities (PMLD). In their resources section, find a guide to designing meaningful and accessible activities, enhancing communication for and with people who have complex needs and a case study on the potentially empowering benefits of championing positive risk.

'Libraries are often at the heart of the community and have a reputation for being inclusive and welcoming. I realised that participating in this initiative reinforces how essential our services are...' South Lanarkshire Libraries' collaboration with I AM ME Scotland means that their libraries are now designated Safe Spaces in the community, offering signposting and support for anyone who needs it. Click here to read the full case study.

UK Disability History Month 2021 took place from 18th November to 18th December. Visit their website to discover more about the Social Model of disability, alongside many helpful educational resources inspired by the themes of previous years.

Celebrating Neurodiversity

Dyslexia Scotland's website offers a fantastic array of helpful resources for adults, young people and children with dyslexia, as well as parents and educators. We especially loved the inclusion of a Post-Assessment Pack for Adults as well as the Mission Superheroes programme for schools - and we like the sound (literally) of the Dyslexia Scotland podcast!

For an inspirational example of best practice, check out the Au-some activities taking place at Inverclyde Libraries. From Makaton-signed Bookbug sessions to dedicated autism-accessible afternoons and much more, their libraries are doing essential work to become truly accessible for all. Many thanks to Alison Nolan for sharing this blog with us - yet more reasons why #LibrariesAreEssential!

Scottish Autism offers online, email and telephone advice, as well as lots of fantastic activities for both adults and children including a lockdown art gallery and online magazine. For our school library community, we also want to highlight The Autism Toolbox: a fantastic free collection of resources for schools to help support their neurodivergent learners.

The Autism in Museums website includes a variety of helpful tips and links for all cultural venues - find them here.

'The world needs people who think differently. In a world where everyone thinks the same, nothing ever changes.' Even though 1 in 100 people in Scotland are autistic, it's often misunderstood. Visit Different Minds. One Scotland to discover Fact v Fiction, stories of lived experience with autism and all the ways your library can get involved in this much-needed awareness campaign.

Representative Reading Lists

The Scottish Book Trust's Inclusive Stories Festival celebrates stories that put inclusion in the spotlight, with many events designed specifically for young people with additional needs. Click here to see the festival programme or here to watch highlights on the Sensory Storytelling page.

Scottish Book Trust have also compiled these fantastic reading lists of books that feature disability and/or neurodiversity - click here for suggestions suitable for age 9-11 or age 12-14.

BookTrust's Bookmark: Disability and Books offers some great recommendations, including their 'twelve best of 2020' collection of children's books that feature positive representations of disability.

'Why is it important? Because books are the greatest teachers. No, seriously. If there's a wonderful, plausible character with additional needs in a novel, stereotypes (ahem, I'm looking at you, Mr Blind Man Who Sees Into The Future) will start to get squashed.' Sixteen-year-old writer and poet Andrew Pettigrew shares five top tips for writers who want to represent disabled characters thoughtfully and free from clichés - we think his advice is essential reading for any non-disabled person who wants to improve their understanding of how to be a better disability ally.

This Disability Horizons blog also features a great, varied list of both classic and contemporary books with disabled leading characters. Many of the titles have also been made into films (although we say the book is always better)!

My Kind of Book creates and promotes books for people with additional needs, and works to make books more accessible for everyone. Check out their blog to learn about incorporating touch, sound and more into sensory storytelling.

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Accessibility and Neurodiversity Resources - CILIPS

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CILIPS is committed to helping ensure that Scottish libraries of every sector are welcoming, accessible and inclusive for all. This evolving collection of resources aims to support library staff and communities, to help make sure that libraries have the tools they need to become more accessible, and to offer a...

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https://www.cilips.org.uk/feminism

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Women make up the majority of the Library and Information Sector workforce, as well as a majority of CILIPS members. And yet all too often, women across Scotland continue to encounter barriers in their professional and personal lives as a result of sexism, economic and/or social inequalities, and stereotypical expectations of what they can or cannot achieve.

This evolving resource collection aims to empower and educate all LIS professionals who care about women's equality: supporting Scotland's female library workers at every stage of their careers and ensuring that our libraries are truly places of equity and opportunity for all. If you have any recommendations for further feminist resources to add to this page, we would love to hear your suggestions: please email us here.
The CILIPS #WINspiration Series

To celebrate International Women's Day 2022, we were honoured to host Amina Shah, CILIPS President and National Librarian of Scotland, for the latest in our #WINspiration series: championing the cause of women working across all areas of the libraries and information sector. From civil service marriage bars on working women to menopause awareness and more, it was wonderful to hear Amina's thought-provoking reflections on what has changed (and what is yet to change) for women working in our sector, the power of positive role models to shape library cultures for the better, and how both strength and vulnerability can be valuable to a 21st century library leader. Special thanks to our attendees for their contributions, including sharing the names of women who inspire them and their ideas about the changes necessary to support and empower women in our sector and beyond. Find the recording, helpful links and chat file here or watch the video with captions on the CILIPS YouTube channel here.

What would libraries led by feminists look like? CILIPS was delighted to welcome Dr Adele Patrick, a co-founder and Director of Glasgow Women's Library, for our first ever #WINspiration online learning event. Adele shared inspiring ideas about the radical impact that feminist leadership can have, and our attendees likewise brought great energy and enthusiasm to their own reflections. Please click here for the recording, slides, chat file and recommended readings from Adele's incredible session, and here for the padlet where we exchanged thoughts about what feminist leadership in action could look like for each of us. Here's to the future of library feminism!

Smashing the Glass Ceiling:

Fair Share of Women Leaders aim to test and showcase new forms of governance that reflect feminist values and principles, overcoming some of the pitfalls of power imbalance, hierarchy and the bureaucracy of 'traditional governance' mechanisms. Their recent Feminist Leadership webinar series was a sell-out success, with the recordings and slides now available to consult here, and you can also find helpful FAQs, a Feminist Leaders toolkit and a directory of Feminist Resources. Thank you to Dr Adele Patrick for highlighting this fantastic resource.

Women into Leadership hosts an annual conference for all those committed to enhancing leadership opportunities for women. While waiting for the conference to recommence in person, check out the selection of videos on their website for examples of some of their previous sessions, including 'key lessons from women leaders' and 'communicating your ideas with confidence and clarity'.

'Deploying leadership needs to be done with care, keeping open to learning and, vitally, involving others in decision making that impacts on their sense of safety and wider lives. I am trusting of my instincts on when to be actively listening, when to ask for help, and judging when, personally and organisationally, the pace needs to be slowed or further reflection and wider, deeper consultation is needed.' This must-read interview with Dr Adele Patrick in CILIP Information Professional magazine explores feminist leadership, Dr Patrick's recent experiences of the Clore Leadership Programme and how she personally defines feminist leadership within the context of her work as the co-founder of Glasgow Women's Library.

The LIBER Emerging Leaders Programme offers seminar training for the next generation of leaders in European research libraries - click the link to learn more and register for updates on when applications open.

Empowering Pathways for Women is a programme offered by YWCA Scotland to strengthen women's agency in their own lives, especially for those who have faced complex or multiple barriers in the past.

IFLA's Women, Information and Libraries Special Interest Group aims to advocate for women as crucial actors in sustainable, equitable and thoughtful global development, essential to creating comprehensive and accessible libraries and information services around the world. Find out more about their work here.

Engender is Scotland's feminist policy and advocacy organisation and has published a number of reports on diverse issues affecting women in Scotland: from the impact of Covid-19 on women who have caring responsibilities to a gender edit of the Scottish Government's last budget.

For a little inspiration, our CILIP Scotland International Women's Day Twitter thread celebrated our women presidents from 1974 until the present day - we can't wait to add more inspirational women to the list!

Teaching Women and Girls (and Men and Boys) Why Gender Equality Matters:

Amnesty International has created this easy-to-read yet informative introduction to many key issues of women's rights around the world including suffrage, sexual and reproductive rights, and the importance of intersectionality.

Can you believe that 153 countries have laws that discriminate against women economically, including 18 in which a husband can prevent a wife from working? This Oxfam introduction to gender justice and women's rights features many more powerful pieces of evidence to demonstrate why the fight for equality still needs to be won.

'Gender equality is not only a fundamental human right, but a necessary foundation for a peaceful, prosperous and sustainable world.' Click here for facts, films and more about UN Sustainable Development Goal Five: achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls.

Climate Museum UK have also explored Goal Five in their fascinating Guide to the Global Goals - for instance, do you know why improved education for girls is one of the most effective climate actions a country can take?

To mark their 30th birthday in 2021, Glasgow Women's Library have launched a fundraising initiative that combines feminist conscious raising with building a more sustainable future. Women on the Wall welcomes nominations of women who deserve to be honoured for their pioneering contributions, with their names appearing in an environmentally-sound wall installation and donated costs going towards meeting GWL's net carbon neutral goal. Learn more about the project here or discover our own sustainability plans at #CILIPSGoGreen.

The Everyday Sexism Project gathers together evidence from women around the world about the reality of sexual harassment and discrimination many are forced to face every day. Click to read their stories (please be aware that some of the content is distressing and not suitable for younger age groups).

Have you seen a statue commemorating the achievements of a Scotswoman recently, or noticed a street named after one of our nation's historical heroines? Sara Sheridan's innovative book Where are The Women? provoked intense debate by challenging the centrality of maleness to Scotland's rural and urban environments. Watch her discussing the book with Historic Environment Scotland here.

Do women have to be naked to get into Scotland's museums and art galleries? Guerrilla Girls are calling on feminists across the nation to count how many women artists have their work shown in our nation's artistic spaces, compared with how many depictions of women without their clothes can be seen. Visit The Male Graze to add your findings and learn more about their work to eradicate misogyny from the GLAM (Galleries, Libraries, Archives and Museums) sector. You can share your count with CILIPS on social media too!

'In our ideal reference interaction, patrons are not "passive consumers of knowledge and culture" but rather active and empowered learners...' for thought-provoking reflections on the gender implications of guidelines like those provided by the Reference & User Services Association (a division of the American Library Association), have a read of this chapter in The Feminist Reference Deskby Celia Emmelhainz, Erin Pappas and Maura Seale. We hope Scotland's library patrons know better than to expect a so-called 'Mommy Librarian' behind the desk!

Libraries worldwide play a critical part in providing access to reproductive healthcare, especially in times of crisis like the COVID-19 pandemic. In this report, IFLA summarises some of the current issues impacting the right to health information, especially for vulnerable women and girls - and good library practices aiming to help deliver on this vital right.

Literature to Inspire All Ages:

Especially for Women's History Month 2022, Scottish Book Trust teamed up with our feminist friends at Glasgow Women's Library to create this list of Scottish books that celebrate and reflect on women's history. Only one problem remains - which title to pick first!

This Scottish Book Trust list of 'Empowering Books for Girls' includes fiction and non-fiction titles that are sure to empower the young women of tomorrow - we think there are also plenty of boys who would enjoy reading about what women and girls can achieve!

Compiled in collaboration with Zero Tolerance's You Can Be Campaign, this Scottish Book Trust list contains ten terrific titles that challenge gender stereotypes: starting early to help foster empathy, acceptance and self-belief to last a lifetime.

Regular book reviews from Glasgow Women's Library will keep you up-to-date with new releases from women writers, and you can even submit your own reviews.

Many of us know and love the work of Jane Austen, but have you heard about her Scottish literary equivalents? We hadn't until we discovered this fantastic learning resource from the National Library of Scotland. Click to remember Forgotten Women Writers: Jane Austen's Scottish Sisters.

The National Library of Scotland's Women in Science collection also illuminates the vital yet severely underacknowledged contributions of women to our nation's scientific progress, transforming their disciplines and in many cases saving lives.

This reading list, also compiled by the National Library of Scotland, features some of the most exciting women writers in Scotland today - plus helpful catalogue links for you to find their work in the library!

From Gail Honeyman's inspiring 'Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine' to Denise Mina's chilling 'The Long Drop', today's Scottish women writers are shaking up the literary landscape. We enjoyed reading this Bella Caledonia blog highlighting their work along with that of many other Scottish women writers who would make excellent additions to any library catalogue.

Scottish Women Writers on the Web re-examines the reputations of many talented Scottish women writers whose poetry, prose and plays fell into obscurity as a consequence of the sexism of their times. Search for women poets, novelists, dramatists, biographers, historians, essayists or travel writers and discover a hidden world of women writing in Scottish history whose voices deserve to be heard.

Keen to tackle gender stereotypes in your library's collection for young readers? The G-Book project is an exceptional collaboration across six European partners that brings together books for children which challenge restrictive gender stereotypes (such as girls being sweet, submissive, and passive while boys are brave and rebellious, or mothers staying home from adventures while fathers go out to work or explore). Search the full bibliography by title, author or thematic content like 'body', 'family', 'feelings and emotions' and 'famous personalities'.

'Fur maist o history, anonymous wis a wumman...' Did you know that 25th January marks not only Burns Night but also the birthday of Virginia Woolf? Much as we adore our National Bard, Scotland's library community has been making sure that the silenced voices of female writers past and present are finally being heard. Check out this thought-provoking Scottish Poetry Library commission of Scots scholar and writer Ashley Douglas, considering the absences and erasure of women's voices from early published poetry in Scotland, or watch The Trysting Thorns, where SPL invited poets Janette Ayachi, Victoria McNulty, Susi Briggs and Morag Anderson to share their creative responses to the life and work of Burns.

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Feminism for Libraries and Librarians - CILIPS

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Women make up the majority of the Library and Information Sector workforce, as well as a majority of CILIPS members. And yet all too often, women across Scotland continue to encounter barriers in their professional and personal lives as a result of sexism, economic and/or social inequalities, and stereotypical expectations...

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https://www.cilips.org.uk/lgbtq

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CILIPS is committed to helping make our profession safe, inclusive and accepting for all LGBTQ+ professionals and library users. Below is an evolving collection of resources that we hope will be helpful in supporting LGBTQ+ library staff members, enhancing the representativeness of library collections, and ensuring that libraries are spaces of inclusion, acceptance and tolerance for everyone.

If you have any additional resources to recommend, we would love to hear your suggestions: email us here.
For LGBTQ+ library professionals:

The CILIP LGBTQ+ Network is a UK-wide community group that is free and open to all library, information and knowledge workers who identify as LGBTQ+, both CILIP members and non-members. Click here for more information about the Network's activities or follow them on Twitter. An allies group for those who wish to support their LGBTQ+ colleagues will also be established shortly.

New for 2021, we are delighted to be offering a sponsored place at this year's CILIPS Annual Conference for a member of the CILIP LGBTQ+ Network - click here for more information and to apply.

If you are ever in search of support or advice, Stonewall Scotland offers a freephone service and online/email information service, in addition to a variety of online resources on topics including coming out, partnership and parenting rights, and your legal rights if you experience discrimination.

Scotland's LGBT Health and Wellbeing helpline is available for online, email and telephone support. They also currently offer a free telefriending service for any LGBTQ+ people in Scotland aged 50+ who may be feeling isolated as a result of the pandemic.

Pink Saltire provides a community voice for LGBTQ+ Scots and their website features a variety of helpful resources from general news and upcoming Pride activities to specific support during Covid-19.

Scottish Trans is part of the Equality Network and aims to improve equality, rights and inclusion for trans and non-binary people in Scotland. Their website provides many informative and supportive online resources addressing issues like healthcare, the law regarding Trans Equality, and much more.

AVEN, the Asexuality Visibility and Education Network, offers a large number of resources to promote greater awareness and understanding of asexuality, as well as answers to FAQs and community forums.

For making workplaces more LGBTQ+ inclusive:

This CILIP blog offers some fantastic tips to get your organisation started with becoming more inclusive, whatever your sector, including training ideas for staff and suggestions for resource collections (for more book recommendations, please see below).

This glossary created by Stonewall is an easy-to-read yet informative introduction to the key terms you are likely to come across when engaging with issues that might affect LGBTQ+ people.

This padlet of resources includes book and journal article recommendations, news items and histories of LGBTQ+ life in Britain.

Stonewall best practice toolkits and resources - search by location, sector and/or what you want to achieve (from 'employee policies' to 'getting started with inclusion', 'role models' or 'facts and figures').

This article by Steven Dryden for The British Library traces 'A Short History of LGBT+ Rights in the UK', highlighting the resilience of Britain's LGBTQ+ communities in face of what has often been life-threatening prejudice and why it remains so important to create inclusive, welcoming spaces in our libraries today.

TUC have created this guide to being a good trans ally, helping you make sure that trans colleagues and library users feel safe, supported and included in your workplace.

For building more diverse, representative and inclusive library collections:

This extensive book list by Schools Out includes titles that address the importance of creating LGBTQ+ friendly cultures in schools, as well as books for children and young people themselves.

The Scottish Book Trust has compiled this fantastic recommendation list of LGBTQ+ books for teenagers: encompassing both fiction and non-fiction, the list includes themes like self-acceptance, asexuality, unsung icons of queer history and much more.

The picture books on this Scottish Book Trust list are for younger children, helping them to learn how loving families come in all shapes and sizes, and hopefully see their own experiences represented in literature too.

TIE (Time for Inclusive Education) is an award-winning charity promoting inclusive LGBTQ+ education in schools (we especially love their rainbow tie logo!) Visit their website for some great resources including a 'What is Discrimination?' e-resource for young people, the 'Icons' booklet introducing key figures in LGBTQ+ life past and present, and 'If you're LGBT, you can talk to me' posters that you can display in your library.

Book 28 director and founder Isadore Auerbach George reflects here on best practice in collections development from a LGBTQ+ perspective (Isadore also kindly contributed this insightful blog to our recent campaign on why #LibrariesAreEssential to LGBTQ+ communities).

These books for adult readers offer a great introduction for anyone wanting to learn more about LGBTQ+ history and would make excellent additions to any library catalogue. Have you ever read about Flora Murray and Louisa Garret Anderson, who set up a trailblazing WWI military hospital, or 'The Unlikely True Story' of Lesbians and Gays Support the Miners (LGSM)?

Lavender Menace was the first lesbian and gay bookshop in Scotland and the Lavender Menace Queer Bookshop Archive is now in the process of being established: creating a comprehensive database of LGBTQ+ books and facilitating talks, workshops and more to promote LGBTQ+ writing. Visit their website to find out more about their ground-breaking history or even volunteer your skills in developing the archive.

Glasgow Women's Library is home to The Lesbian Archive and also offers this LGBTQ Online Collections Resource where you can discover some fascinating insights into the often hidden queer histories and herstories of our nation. We will be hearing more from GWL about their Lesbian Archive at #CILIPS2021 - click for the full programme and to book your place!

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LGBTQ+ Friendly Resources for Libraries and Librarians - CILIPS

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CILIPS is committed to helping make our profession safe, inclusive and accepting for all LGBTQ+ professionals and library users. Below is an evolving collection of resources that we hope will be helpful in supporting LGBTQ+ library staff members, enhancing the representativeness of library collections, and ensuring that libraries are spaces...

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Thrilled to see these resource collections - libraries are sanctuaries and key to building a better world

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Thrilled to see these resource collections - libraries are sanctuaries and key to building a better world

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In a world facing multiple crises that are putting immense pressure on communities, achieving gender equality is more vital than ever. Ensuring women's and girls' rights across all aspects...
Read more

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News and stories | UN Women - Headquarters

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In a world facing multiple crises that are putting immense pressure on communities, achieving gender equality is more vital than ever. Ensuring women's and girls' rights across all aspects... Read more