Making a difference in city of discovery

Well, our annual CILIP Scotland conference has come and gone.  And what a good event it was.  There was a fantastic buzz about the Apex Hotel.  The decision to move the conference to Dundee has more than paid off and I think everyone has felt really positively about the venue and the atmosphere. 

Annie Mauger and I had a difficult call in the opening keynote; we had to explain some of the major structural and governance changes that have taken place with CILIP and CILIPS over the last two years.  This was never going to be an audience with Sir Peter Ustinov but I hope that I managed to convey just how important these changes were without coming across as too dull.

I was delighted that Cathy had invited my chum Jens Thorhauge from Denmark to speak to our annual gathering.  Jens is one the foremost thinkers of his generation in the library sector and he always offers a cerebral sophistication in his presentations which is coupled with practical examples from the situation in Denmark and elsewhere.  I much enjoyed his presentation and chatting to him og Fru Thorhauge at dinner. 

He did, however, bring some sad news, namely that Niels Ole Pors, formerly head of the Royal Library School in Copenhagen, had died suddenly at Easter.  The old School of Librarianship and then later School of Information at Media at RGU had very strong links with the Royal School and Niels Ole Pors was a great friend of Douglas Anderson, whom many of you know. 

I thought Miranda McKearney of the Reading Agency was also absolutely brilliant, displaying her passion, commitment, drive and energy.  I know that the Scottish Library and Information Council are keen to follow up on a good number of the issues that she raised her in presentation.  I tweeted at the end of her talk that she should be made a Dame.....and I stand by this.

Gavin Oattes was, well, Gavin Oattes.  Irrepressible, enthusiastic and thoroughly uplifting.  And what a good sport to do a stand-in slot at the last moment.  Which sort of brings me to the people behind the conference.  Cathy and Sean did a magnificent job in organizing it and bringing together such an entertaining and varied programme with something of relevance for everyone.  And, of course, President Audrey was wonderful.  'Making a difference' was an excellent choice of theme for the year and the conference presentations explored and developed this splendidly.  Audrey was her usual warm, affectionate and utterly inspiring self.  And, yes, she looks better in the chain that I did.

There was, of course, lots of galant socializing, all done in the name of libraries you understand.  And, every Gin and Tonic I forced myself to have was purely in the cause of advancing our profession.