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CILIP Issues 10 Pledges to the U.K. Public and Government

Trust Libraries: Our Pledges to the Public and the Incoming Government

With the 2024 General Election just around the corner, today (Friday 7 June) CILIP releases ten pledges to the public and the incoming government which place libraries, information professionals and knowledge managers at the heart of positive change.

Trust libraries: our ten pledges to the public and the incoming government set out what the library sector can offer, as trusted and essential services. CILIP, and the profession we represent want to be part of the conversation, to drive policy and deliver positive change for the library and information sector, and the users it serves.

The general election on July 4 will result in a new government with potentially hundreds of new MPs joining the House of Commons for the first time. Whichever political party they represent, we believe libraries should be key to their political agendas, for everything from literacy and learning to economic growth and social cohesion.

These ten pledges build on a dossier of impact stories collected throughout 2024 in our ongoing Libraries Change Lives campaign. Libraries across the UK have been demonstrating the tangible and positive impact of their work with compelling case studies from public, prison, school and health libraries as well as those in higher education, on the themes of: sense of place, green and sustainable, stronger communities, health and care, enterprise and creativity, and learning and social mobility. These narratives are the foundation of our pledges to the new government and to the public.

 The pledge ... trust libraries

1. to deliver trustworthy information and access to culture
2. to inform better decisions (including in business, health and government)
3. to offer a warm welcome and a safe place for all
4. to champion the right to read and intellectual freedom
5. to enable learning at the heart of communities and institutions
6. to open a world of opportunities, inspiration, and ideas
7. to fuel the future green economy with data and skills
8. to support diverse and resilient start-ups
9. to help unlock new research and innovation
10. to be ethical partners committed to social justice

All this is only possible with sustained investment in knowledge managers, information professionals, and librarians, one of our most trusted professions.

CILIP Chief Executive Louis Coiffait-Gunn said:

The election is just the start. Among those candidates who will end up being elected to Parliament on Thursday 4 July, many will be brand new to Westminster and new to the wonderful world of library, knowledge and information professionals.

Our role as the UK’s library and information association will be to find advocates and help demonstrate how the sector can help them achieve benefits for the public.

You only have to look at the Libraries Change Lives case studies to get a flavour of their impact. These will be showcased at a Parliamentary event later in the year.

-ends-

Media Contact

Sharon Hardwick

communications manager

mpress@cilip.org.uk

Learn more at CILIP’s Election 2024 site.