Powerpoint - short version

1. Equalities & Diversity
Action Plan
CILIP, July 2017

2. Background
In 2013, CILIP organised an ‘Equalities Summit’ to review
our position on Equality & Diversity & recommend further
action.
Key recommendations included a comprehensive
Workforce Mapping Survey, completed in 2015.

3. Workforce Mapping Survey data
Data shows that the profession has:
• An ageing workforce
• A clear gender pay gap
• A lack of ethnic diversity
• A high barrier to entry
To address these problems, CILIP has committed to
creating, implementing, monitoring and improving an
Equalities and Diversity Action Plan

4. As the UK’s information and library association, we will
challenge ourselves to become an exemplar of best practice in
equalities and diversity
CILIP as an
exemplar of
best practice
Promoting
positive
change in
today’s
profession
Building an
open and
inclusive
profession
for the
future
We will work with partners and the profession to identify,
challenge and overcome today’s structural and systemic
barriers to diversity, inclusion and equality
We take positive action to deliver an open, inclusive and
diverse workforce for the future
3 priorities in the Equalities and
Diversity Action Plan:

5. CILIP
Employer
Service
provider
Registered
Charity
Physical
location
Purchaser
Policy
body
Priority 1: CILIP as an exemplar of
best practice
CILIP’s commitment to equalities
and diversity is guided by:
• Our legal obligations as a
registered Legal Entity, a Charity,
an employer and a venue
• Our ethical obligations as the UK’s
library and information association

6. Priority 2: Promoting positive change
in today’s profession
As the professional association for the information & library sector, CILIP has
set 5 core Goals through which we will address current challenges to equality
and diversity in our profession:
Goal 1 A diverse and inclusive CILIP membership
Goal 2 Diversity and equality as core values of CILIP members
Goal 3 Diversity and equality as core values of the profession
Goal 4 A diverse and inclusive information and library profession
Goal 5 Promoting diverse and inclusive library and information services

7. Priority 3: Building an open, inclusive
profession for the future
In order to continue to deliver excellent, relevant services to their users,
libraries and information services need access to a diverse pool of talent. We
will focus on 3 linked longer-term priorities:
• Awareness – we will work in partnership with other sector and non-sector
organisations to raise public awareness of the nature of library and
information work, the skills required and the career opportunities available.
• Perceptions – we need to ensure that a career in the information and
library profession is regarded as rewarding, aspirational and creating
opportunities for future employment and progression.
• Talent – we need to ensure that a career as an information professional is
accessible to the widest possible pool of talented people. This means
opening up non-academic pathways to the profession, for example through
vocational training, experience or apprenticeship.

8. The Action Plan
The Action Plan sets out our actions in five areas:
• CILIP as an organisation
• Diversity and the membership
• Diversity and the profession
• Celebrating diversity
• Diverse and inclusive library and information services

9. Timeline for the Action Plan
Quick wins: Will allow us to make positive progress toward
our overall goal of becoming an organisation that
celebrates and reinforces equality, diversity and inclusion.
Longer term-goals: At the same time, we believe that some
of the issues we have identified are more embedded and
structural and will require commitment to longer term-goals
and actions.

10. Find out more
www.cilip.org.uk/equalities
Diversity by Thomas Hawk on Flickr