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CILIP, the Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals, has voted to retain its name, as well as passing a vote of no confidence in libraries minister Ed Vaizey.
At the organisation's AGM, held on Saturday (21st September) at the recently opened Library of Birmingham, the membership voted to retain the current name, rejecting the alternative Information and Library Professionals UK.
The new name had been selected as a result of a controversial rebranding exercise. Members had previously rejected a bid to halt the £35,000 rebranding, leading to today's final vote, which was defeated 644 against 356, with 22 abstentions.
John Dolan, chair of the CILIP council, had previously urged members to vote in favour of the name change. He said today: "A two-thirds majority of votes would have been needed for CILIP to change its name – members have decided, so we won’t change our name. The proposed name change was one part of the rebranding project, which is in turn one part of the broader change programme at CILIP; a change programme to make sure we provide relevant offers to the breadth of the library, information and knowledge professions."
The vote of no confidence in Ed Vaizey was proposed by CILIP members Jo Richardson and Tom Roper. Roper said this week: "There has never been a minister who has presided over so many closures yet done so little. This vote can start a discussion on the problems we are facing, in the same way the British Medical Association expressed their lack of confidence in Jeremy Hunt."
The motion was passed by 669 votes to 200, with 103 abstentions.
Dolan said: "We’ve all seen the pressure on public library services in England and we’re all extremely concerned by them. CILIP has identified through surveys the impact that budget reductions are having on staffing, opening hours and library service budgets – as well as building closures."
He added: "We want to ensure that the voice of the practitioners doing an excellent job under difficult circumstances is heard strongly. The funding environment is tough. New technology and changes to the way we all access information bring significant opportunities yet to be fully captured by public library providers. That means there’s never been a more important time for us to all advocate our value, and to develop and demonstrate our members’ skills, expertise and professionalism."
At the meeting, CILIP also approved new subscription rates, which includes free access for students.