Chartered Institutue of Library and Information Professionals in Scotland

The Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals in Scotland (CILIPS) is the Scottish arm of CILIP.

CILIPS is the professional body for librarians and information specialists working in Scotland and represents members from across sectors: academic, public and school libraries as well as commercial, health and voluntary organisations.

CILIPS was formed in 2002 by the amalgamation of the Library Association and the Institute of Information Scientists.

The relationship between CILIP and CILIPS is defined by an internal agreement signed in 1995 which gives the basis for CILIPS to operate under a devolved model. Policy, finances, operational matters and advocacy are devolved to CILIPS Council and staff. This has been a mutually beneficial model which has proved successful both pre and post devolution.

CILIPS publishes a professional journal Information Scotland every two months and hosts an annual conference which usually takes place in June.

CILIPS works closely with the Scottish Library and Information Council (SLIC), the advisory body for the Scottish Government on library and information matters. The two organisations share staffing, accommodation and co-operate on many joint projects.

Selected Special Interest Groups active in Scotland

• Career Development Group
• Cataloguing and Indexing Group
• Community Services Group
• Information Services Group
• Multimedia, Information & Technology Group
• Local Studies Group
• School Libraries Group
• Youth Libraries Group