2020 Annual Conference - it should have been The Leeds Library!

In 2020 our conference should have been at the Leeds Library.

Due to the UK’s lengthy lockdown and other Covid-19 restrictions around mass gatherings, it was postponed to 2021. The ILA were determined to meet, however, and two very well-attended ‘town hall’ style meetings were held via Zoom. The notes from one of the Zoom meetings can be found here. As you’ll see it was frank, funny, and inspiring, filled with advice on how to cope with Covid-19 and its challenges. You won’t find advice like that in your disaster manuals!

The ILA want to thank Melanie Duffil-Jeffs of Bromley House Library, Nottingham, whose enthusiasm for hosting and chairing both meetings allowed for some moments of real positivity in a challenging pandemic.

2019 Annual Conference - The Devon and Exeter Institution

2019 was the Independent Library Association’s thirtieth birthday! In this celebratory year the annual conference theme was one of adaptation: ‘the action or process of altering, amending, or modifying something (esp. something that has been created for a particular purpose) so that it is suitable for a new use’.

Any library is an adaptable space: we’ve embraced technology, changing reader demographics, the loss of original buildings, the addition of new buildings, ever-shifting collections, and much more. What is so intriguing about libraries is that continuity is as important as adaptation. All libraries treasure their original buildings and oldest books; their longevity is their USP. How do libraries change while also remaining the same? How do libraries emphasise the new while retaining the old? 

The theme was ably embraced by a fantastic keynote speaker, Naomi Korn, one of the UK’s leading authorities on copyright, licensing and data protection.

This special ILA annual conference brought together those working in and around the independent library sector, fostering networking between all those who work in or around libraries, archives, and special collections. Papers from library founders, readers, members, subscribers, librarians, archivists, interns, volunteers, trustees, benefactors, partner institutions and the general public were all part of a wonderful weekend!  

Download a PDF copy of the full 2019 programme here

Details of all talks and contributors can be found here

2018 Annual Conference - The Library of Innerpeffray & The Leighton Library

The Independent Libraries Association’s annual conference 2018 continued the aim of bringing together those working in and around the independent library sector. 2017’s conference followed the theme of ‘collections’, the core of any library; but what are texts without their readers? In 2018 the conference focused on people. The membership of independent libraries is growing healthily, but individual institutions often battle against perceptions of exclusivity and anonymity.

People who use independent collections, as well as the people who make the collections accessible were all welcomed under this year’s theme. Papers on library founders, readers, members, subscribers, librarians, archivists, interns, volunteers, trustees, benefactors, partner institutions and/or the general public were all part of this year's programme.

The keynote address was 'Bibliographers, Biographers, and Independent Libraries', by Dr Kelsey Jackson Williams, Lecturer in Early Modern Literature, University of Stirling. For the first time the keynote address was joined by a creative performance, with delegates treated to an exclusive cast reading of 'The Lamp', a play inspired by and written for the Library of Innerpeffray by writer and playwright Linda Cracknell.

We were delighted to be holding the 2018 conference in Scotland, with joint hosts the Library of Innerpeffray, by Crieff, and the Leighton Library, Dunblane. The Associations’ intention is to foster networking between all those who work in or around libraries, archives, and special collections. 

For a conference report of the whole weekend, see Mhairi Rutherford's report here, and Jessica Hudson's report here.

Download a PDF copy of the 2018 conference programme.

2017 Annual Conference - Chawton House Library

We were delighted to announce the 28th Annual Conference, held at one of our newest member libraries, Chawton House Library in Alton, Hampshire. This was the second to be held in the new conference format, after the successful launch in 2016 at Bromley House Library, Nottingham. We more than doubled the number of speakers and welcomed delegates from across the UK and the world.

The keynote speaker was Mark Purcell, Deputy Director of Research Collections at the University of Cambridge. The programme allowed delegates to hear from some of the world's most unique library and archive collections, while also allowing delegates the chance to explore one of the UK's finest independent libraries, Chawton House Library. The audience was diverse - librarians, archivists, researchers, academics, as well as the general public who wanted to learn more about one of the UK's key cultural industries. The ILA conference is a weekend of learning, networking, discussion and #librarychat, held during the weekend, so all member libraries and independent members will have a chance to have their say. 

Download a PDF copy of the 2017 conference programme