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

5. Priority 1: CILIP as an exemplar of best practice
Employer
Service provider
Registered Charity
Physical location
Purchaser
Policy body
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