Well done, Emma!

Emma Illingworth, a part-time student on the University of Brighton 's MA in Information Studies, has won the student place at Umbrella 2007 sponsored by the South East Branch. Students in the region were invited to submit a 1000-word essay on 'Catalysts for change in the library and information world'. Emma's entry was “well thought through and carefully put together” said John Hobson, Branch Secretary. Emma's key catalysts were users, technology, the economy, government and the library and information profession. She emphasised the need for continual updating of skills:

Although as students of library and information studies today we are learning new and different skills to … those of our predecessors, we will continually have to update and develop those skills once in the workplace in order to keep up with the inevitable changes that will continue to come our way.

She concluded that while the information services we provide will change, as will their delivery methods, our values and ethos are a constant and as a profession we “will remain a lasting and important feature in society”.

Emma's winning essay will appear in a future issue of Eclipse, the South East Branch newsletter as well as on the Branch website, and she will also write up her experiences of the conference for publication.