Commissioned by the Archives and Records Association (ARA) and the Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals (CILIP), in 2014/15 a team from Edinburgh Napier University conducted the most extensive workforce mapping project of the information professions ever undertaken worldwide. The results of this work allowed for an estimate of the size of the UK information workforce and surfaced a number of interesting findings related to the workforce’s gender split, qualifications, age profile, and ethnic diversity. Since its completion, CILIP and ARA have been using this output to better understand the library and information sector, to monitor trends in the workforce, to support their advocacy work, to develop relevant and robust policies, and to develop their services. In this ‘research into practice’ case study Hazel Hall of Edinburgh Napier University presents the main findings of the project, and Sean McNamara of CILIP Scotland outlines how its findings have been used in practice.

1. Research, Impact, Value & LIS - #lisrival - Edinburgh – 7th November 2019
Practitioner research: value, impact, and priorities
Professor Hazel Hall
Edinburgh Napier University
RIVAL Network Event 2 – November 7th 2019 – Edinburgh
Research into Practice Case Study
CILIP/ARA Workforce Mapping Project
Professor Hazel Hall, Edinburgh Napier University
Sean McNamara, CILIPS

2. Research, Impact, Value & LIS - #lisrival - Edinburgh – 7th November 2019
Practitioner research: value, impact, and priorities
Professor Hazel Hall
Edinburgh Napier University
THE RESEARCH
Professor Hazel Hall
Edinburgh Napier University

3. Research, Impact, Value & LIS - #lisrival - Edinburgh – 7th November 2019

4. Research, Impact, Value & LIS - #lisrival - Edinburgh – 7th November 2019
CILIP/ARA Workforce Mapping Project
‘To enhance understanding of the nation’s
workforce in Library, Archives, Records,
Information Management, Knowledge
Management and related professional roles.’

5. Research, Impact, Value & LIS - #lisrival - Edinburgh – 7th November 2019
The team
Hall Irving Ryan
Centre for Social Informatics
• LIS qualified
• LIS research track record
• Prior work on domain theme
• CILIP consultancy experience
• Publishing expertise

6. Research, Impact, Value & LIS - #lisrival - Edinburgh – 7th November 2019
Raeside Dutton Chen
• Track record of research on
labour force composition
and characteristics
• Experts in quantitative
methods
Employment Research Institute
The team

7. Research, Impact, Value & LIS - #lisrival - Edinburgh – 7th November 2019
1. Scale
2. Antecedents
3. Scope of information work
4. Levels of penetration
An ‘ambitious’ project

8. Research, Impact, Value & LIS - #lisrival - Edinburgh – 7th November 2019
August 2014 to January 2015
 Scoping literature review
 Prior studies
 Methods
 Statistical analysis: UK Labour Force Survey
 Initial estimates workforce size
 Anticipated survey penetration levels
Project phase 1

9. Research, Impact, Value & LIS - #lisrival - Edinburgh – 7th November 2019
February 2015 to October 2015
 February 2015
 Survey development/piloting and comms planning
 March-April 2015
 Data collection: (1) demographics; (2) qualifications
and professional memberships; (3) diversity
 May-October 2015
 Data preparation, analysis, and report writing
Project phase 2

10. Research, Impact, Value & LIS - #lisrival - Edinburgh – 7th November 2019
9,103 usable survey responses

11. Research, Impact, Value & LIS - #lisrival - Edinburgh – 7th November 2019
86,376 information professionals

12. Research, Impact, Value & LIS - #lisrival - Edinburgh – 7th November 2019
86,376 information professionals
59.4% in libraries

13. Research, Impact, Value & LIS - #lisrival - Edinburgh – 7th November 2019
England
Majority of workforce: 78.4%
• London: 22.6%
• South East: 19.4%
Higher proportion of staff in senior roles: 8%
• Wales: 7.5%
• Scotland: 7.3%
• Northern Ireland: 3%

14. Research, Impact, Value & LIS - #lisrival - Edinburgh – 7th November 2019
Highly qualified workforce
57.2% hold professional qualifications
(53.6% hold professional memberships)

15. Research, Impact, Value & LIS - #lisrival - Edinburgh – 7th November 2019
Pay
 ‘Well paid’: 50%+ paid above national average salary
 but highly qualified workforce, some long service
and low pay
 No association between level of pay and care-giving
 No association between level of pay and long-term health
issues

16. Research, Impact, Value & LIS - #lisrival - Edinburgh – 7th November 2019
Higher earners
 Men
 Professionally qualified
 Members of professional bodies
 IM/KM/RM
 Commerce, business, higher education,
national libraries, & law

17. Research, Impact, Value & LIS - #lisrival - Edinburgh – 7th November 2019
A workforce dominated by women
Women Men

18. Research, Impact, Value & LIS - #lisrival - Edinburgh – 7th November 2019
BUT...

19. Research, Impact, Value & LIS - #lisrival - Edinburgh – 7th November 2019
Age and ethnicity
 An ageing workforce
 55.3% 45+
 UK workforce in general: 41.1%
 Low ethnic diversity
 96.7% identified as ‘white’
 UK workforce in general: 87.5%

20. Workforce Mapping – The Impact
Sean McNamara, Head of CILIP Scotland

21. Launch
• 25th November 2015 in
London
• Media Coverage for launch
https://hazelhall.org/2015/12/02/w
ho-is-the-typical-uk-information-
worker-headline-findings-of-the-
cilipara-workforce-mapping-
project/

22. Initial reaction

23. Policy Impact
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/libraries-deliver-ambition-for-public-
libraries-in-england-2016-to-2021/libraries-deliver-ambition-for-public-libraries-in-
england-2016-to-2021
Impact: policy development in England

24. Policy Impact
https://www.cilip.org.uk/page/PublicLibrarySkillsStrategy

25. Impact on CILIP policy
• The impact of the Workforce Mapping project on our work and strategic
direction has been fundamental. In the face of a real paucity of evidence,
we frequently have recourse to it to guide our decisions.
• Used in the development of policy, position statements and advocacy with
stakeholders
• We have used the extrapolation for the estimated size of the workforce to
inform our Business Plan and targets for growth over recent years (CILIP
Action Plan 2016-20)
• Supported us to develop the new membership model
• Influences marketing and planning of qualifications

26. Workforce Development Strategy 2019-2024
The Workforce Development Strategy sets out our priorities to 2024:
• Position the profession as an attractive, accessible and aspirational career choice
• Attract, retain and develop diverse talent
• Build a future-ready workforce with digital skills
• Prioritise diversity, equality, representation and inclusion
• Maximise the value of an intergenerational workforce
• Embrace ‘leadership at every level’
• Connect the supply of skills with changing employer demand
• Work in partnership with learning providers to ensure access to skills and CPD
• Define a new, inclusive and progressive view of ‘professionalism’ in our sector
• Clarify our own regulatory or developmental role

27. Workforce Development Strategy 2019-2024
Success criteria:
• The workforce is more diverse and representative of our communities
• Employers are creating more opportunities for Information Professionals
• There is greater mobility within and outside the Information Profession
• Employers are able to recruit and retain people with the right skills and aptitudes
• Our skillset is recognised and valued
• More Information Professionals continue to up-skill and retrain to stay ahead of service needs
• There is a new generation of leaders that have come through the Information Profession
• There is a sector-wide understanding of professionalism

28. Diversity and Equalities Action Plan
CILIP published this action plan in 2017 following the Workforce Mapping.
The Equalities and Diversity Action Plan sets out our actions in five areas:
• CILIP as an organisation
• Diversity & the membership
• Diversity & the profession
• Celebrating diversity
• Diverse and inclusive library, information and knowledge services
https://cdn.ymaws.com/www.cilip.org.uk/resource/resmgr/cilip_new_website/about/
equalities/equalities_and_diversity_act.pdf

29. BAME Steering Group

30. LGBTQ+ Steering Group

31. Continual review of ‘Professionalism’
• An open, inclusive and progressive definition of libraries,
information and knowledge as a ‘profession’
• Relaunch of more streamlined Professional Registration
process
• What defines a professional?
• New routes into library and information as a career
• Increased Knowledge Management Offer

32. Apprenticeships
• Level 3 Apprenticeship approved October 2018
• https://www.instituteforapprenticeships.org/apprenticeship-
standards/library-information-archive-services-assistant/
• Different system in Scotland – we are currently assessing need and
demand for similar standard

33. Future Careers
• Career information and support being
upgraded on CILIP website
• More event content for new professionals
• How do factors such as AI and big data
influence our professional skills?

34. 2020 and beyond
“The only future we should
accept as a profession is one
which fully and explicitly
represents the communities it
serves” – Nick Poole, CILIP CEO

35. Copies available in your packs!!
http://www.napier.ac.uk/~/media/worktribe/output-364676/mapping-the-uk-
information-workforce-in-the-library-archives-records-information-management.pdf

36. Research, Impact, Value & LIS - #lisrival - Edinburgh – 7th November 2019
Practitioner research: value, impact, and priorities
Professor Hazel Hall
Edinburgh Napier University
RIVAL Network Event 2 – November 7th 2019 – Edinburgh
Research into Practice Case Study
CILIP/ARA Workforce Mapping Project
Professor Hazel Hall, Edinburgh Napier University
Sean McNamara, CILIPS