Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals

The Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals (CILIP) is a professional body representing librarians and other information professionals in the United Kingdom. It was formed in 2002 by the merger of the Library Association - founded in 1877 and awarded a Royal Charter in 1898 - and the Institute of Information Scientists - founded in 1958. Membership is not compulsory for practice, but members can work towards chartership which entitles them to the postnominal letters MCLIP and subsequently FCLIP (sic). Affiliated members can also obtain ACLIP upon completing certification. Honorary Fellowship - akin to an honorary degree- (HonFCLIP or FCLIP(hc)) is granted to a small number of people who have rendered distinguished service to the profession.

CILIP accredits degree programmes in library and information science at universities in the UK, including City University, London, Loughborough University, the Manchester Metropolitan University, the Robert Gordon University, the University of Sheffield and University College London.

CILIP is perhaps best known to the general public for awarding the Carnegie and Kate Greenaway Medals for children's books.

CILIP publishes a monthly magazine, Library & Information Update, and a fortnightly newsletter, Library & Information Gazette, including listings of job vacancies. It also runs a recruitment agency, INFOmatch and a publishing imprint: Facet Publishing. There are several local branches across the United Kingdom, 28 special interest groups and over 20 organisations in liaison including such bodies as the African Caribbean Library Association, the Librarians' Christian Fellowship and the Society of Indexers.

CILIP hosts a conference every two years called Umbrella.

Selected Special Interest Groups

• Affliated members
• Branch and mobile libraries
• Career development
• Cataloguing & Indexing
• Education librarians
• Government libraries
• Health libraries
• Industry and commercial
• Information Services
• Library and Information History
• Local Studies
• Multimedia and Information Technology Group
• Patent & Trademark
• Public libraries
• Rare books
• Prison libraries

External links

• CILIP website
• Facet Publishing website
• 24 Hour Reference Service article by Ben Chan
• INFOmatch
• CILIP in Scotland website