Data, insight & evidence-based decision-making

Editor's Notes

1. Good afternoon everyone and thank you to UKeIG for giving me this opportunity to come and speak to you about CILIP’s view on the increasingly important role of data, insight and intelligence in driving better decision-making. In a long-distant part of my past, I worked as a database designer, so I know first-hand the importance of well-structured data in helping to drive business intelligence. So I’d like to talk about the emerging importance of evidence-based decision-making, and the tremendous opportunity it represents for our profession.
2. In 2015-16, we undertook a sector-wide consultation called Shape the Future This consultation revealed a central opportunity for our profession Our future success depends on the ability to bring library and information skills and values to every part of society and the economy It is my contention that over the next 20-30 years, every part of our society and economy will need to harness the power of their information assets, which means that they will need access to our professional skills and values.
3. Our society, industry and economy are undergoing a period of immense and very rapid change. CILIP is currently working on our response to the Government’s Industrial Strategy...[INCLUDE CONTENT ON THIS]
4. We know that the UK’s library, information and knowledge workforce is changing – adapting to support our institutions in harnessing the power of data, insight and information.
5. In 2015, in partnership with the Archives and Records Association (ARA), we undertook the first comprehensive mapping of the information workforce in the UK. There are approximately 87,000 people working in information roles in the UK Of these, the majority are librarians, but a significant proportion are now working in wider ‘information professional’ roles
6. As the Chartered Institute, CILIP currently represents approximately 18% of the workforce This is roughly in line with other industries, which typically see 20% of the workforce in membership of a professional association A key goal is to maintain and increase the proportion of the library, information and knowledge management workforce in CILIP membership
7. As of today, we have ~12,350 members across all four nations of the UK We typically welcome 1,200 to 1,300 new members to CILIP membership each year This is offset by circa 1,500 people leaving membership due to retirement or job losses (45% of our current membership technically reach minimum retirement age within the next decade) We have members in every part of the public, private and 3rd sector – representing a widely embedded profession
8. Our profession is experiencing a rapid period of change, partly driven by digital disruption This mapping shows the range of professional roles held by CILIP members At the centre, the ‘information professional’ roles increasingly include people working more broadly with knowledge and information management A key challenge for us over the next 4 years is to become an organisation that can properly speak up for this very diverse community
9. Our Action Plan 2016-2020 highlights a single goal, to put library and information skills at the heart of a democratic, equal and prosperous society All of our projects and programmes are designed to deliver measurable progress toward this goal
10. Our Action Plan 2016-2020 highlights a single goal, to put library and information skills at the heart of a democratic, equal and prosperous society All of our projects and programmes are designed to deliver measurable progress toward this goal
11. Thank you for your attention! Please do share this link and encourage your colleagues to join – our strongest platform for new members is word-of-mouth, so we really depend on you!