Visit to Northern Poetry Library

Where did we go?

On 27th November 2025, CILIP North East enjoyed a visit to the Northern Poetry Library (NPL), which is housed in Morpeth Library. We were hosted by Sarah (Senior Librarian), Michelle (Librarian), and Sarah-Jayne (Library Supervisor), and by poet Hilary Elder. Lauren Sissons and Suzie Williams have co-wrote this blog post to share highlights from the visit.

About the Northern Poetry Library

The NPL is one of the largest collections of contemporary poetry outside of London. Among its treasures, the collection includes first editions, signed copies, poetry periodicals, and a children’s collection.

What happened?

Part 1 – Talk from the Librarian

Our visit began with a talk about the Library’s history from Michelle who spoke of the challenges – financial, spatial, alluvial, and pestilential – faced by the NPL since its opening nearly sixty years ago. It was formed in 1968 by the North Northumberland Arts Group and Northern Arts, with an aim of collecting a copy of every poetry book published in the United Kingdom from that year onwards. It also collected more ephemeral items often missed by bigger libraries, including magazines, journals, and pamphlets. It was housed in Morpeth Library from 1968 until 2015.

The Northern Poetry Library celebrated its 25th anniversary in 1993, holding a poetry festival that featured Simon Armitage, Carol Ann Duffy, Liz Lochead, and many other poets beside. It has since faced challenging budgets, a damaging flood in 2008, dispersed collections, a temporary home at the Chantry from 2015-2024, and a relocation in 2024 to its current premises in Morpeth Library. What also emerged from Michelle’s talk was the extraordinary resilience and resourcefulness of the Library and its librarians, and the special place that this collection occupies in the community and more broadly.

Whilst it hasn’t been possible to collect a copy of every poetry book published in the country each year – the original aim of the collection’s founders – the Library now holds over 17,000 volumes and counting. During the 2000s, the collection was catalogued and is now searchable online. The Library gratefully accepts donations which help build the collection even in times of financial constraint. To aid the Library’s relaunch after the 2008 flood, the Arts Council provided funding in 2014, and the period from 2015 to 2017 saw several projects including poets in residence, the creation of a new website, and the official launch of the collection’s new home in the Chantry on National Poetry Day in 2016.

Fifty years after its founding, the NPL celebrated this milestone anniversary by hosting the first meeting of the UK Poetry Library Network, and by creating the Poem of the North: a living, co-created poem grown with the help of fifty selected poets. The result is available for everyone to read and enjoy. Activities even continued in the face of the Covid-19 pandemic and lockdowns, when the NPL participated in the Haiflu project, arranged virtual workshops, and held a virtual book launch for NPL poet Jan Clarke. The Library participated in the 2022 Illuminated Sheep project which marked the return of the Lindisfarne Gospels to the North East. On 3rd October 2024, the Northern Poetry Library was officially welcomed to its new and current home in Morpeth Library with a launch event which included a poetry competition. The winning poems and entries were published in an eBook, which is available to borrow from Northumberland Libraries’ digital lending system, Borrowbox.

Part 2 – Talk and reading from poet and library user

After learning about the history of the Library, we were given a poet’s perspective from Hilary Elder, a practising poet who uses the NPL regularly. In her reading of three poems written especially for our visit, she guided us through the library, from the experience of looking at shelves as a reader sat before the stacks; to the thoughts of books awaiting readers on the shelves, at once reluctant and eager for visitors to enjoy their words; to a new visitor eager for adventure among the volumes.

Hearing Hilary’s experience, it became clear what a special resource the Library is: describing it as a ‘rare gift’, she reminded us how poetry helps people to connect with each other, and to come to grips with the world and with each other. Poetry has long been a way for people to form a community, to understand their past and their environment, and to explore and express emotions. And not only that, referencing a study by the National Literacy Trust on children’s engagement with poetry, Hilary emphasised the benefits of poetry for children in particular – and especially those eligible for free school meals.

This, of course, makes collections like the Northern Poetry Library a fantastic resource with great potential. And yet, Hilary reminded us, barriers do exist. There are difficulties in searching for books on the shelves and in the catalogue, particularly for casual browsers, unless the poet is well known. Titles might be misleading, or unrevealing, and so opportunities for readers to find what they need might be missed. All of this might lead to a sense of overwhelm. Hilary ended her talk by posing the question - what can be done to open up the collections, and to make it more accessible for readers to embark on their own reading adventures?

Part 3 – Discussion about challenges faced by the library, accessibility of collection/promoting it/encountering it

A Library’s layout, its catalogue, and the books themselves can all present accessibility problems and make it difficult to promote the collection and the space. In our discussion, we spoke about the use of social media and themed collections that coordinate throughout the whole library space, instead of only the floor that houses the NPL, to draw the interest of visitors who might not normally visit that particular area. But, as often is the case, the most effective ways might also be the most simple, and the most effective, in engaging users. 

A particularly popular idea discussed during our visit was to use colourful card to create speech bubbles to put on shelves next to the books, that describe the content of a particular volume, or thoughts from a visitor or member of staff who has read and enjoyed it (a bit like you often see in commercial book shops). Card bubbles and pens could be left out in the library for visitors and readers to add their own contributions to. Including a QR code and short url on the speech bubble could help other library users to follow up on these recommendations. Visitors could be encouraged to add to this collection of speech bubble to share their own experiences of using the poetry collection.

Concluding thoughts

We thoroughly enjoyed our visit to the Northern Poetry Library, learning about its history, resilience, and relevance, and hearing the perspective of a Library user who draws on the NPL in their own practice. The Library is open to all, and we would heartily recommend that you embark on your own adventure through those ‘shelves and shelves of sleeping words’. 

Join ALN's Research Support Group!

 

Photo by UX Indonesia on Unsplash

The Academic Libraries North (ALN) Research Support Group is a regional network for library staff working in research support to share ideas, learn from colleagues and build connections. It's a welcoming community made up of members from different backgrounds and levels of experience. The group is currently chaired by Delphine Doucet (University of Sunderland) and Megan Kilvington (York St John University).

One of the group's key activities is hosting regular virtual coffee mornings where members share best practice, discuss readings and learn more about each other's roles. These sessions are a great way to learn more about other areas of open research and what other institutions are doing.

The group also runs a peer support community, coordinated by Leah Maughan (Northumbria University), where members can request constructive feedback on training sessions and materials. I received some useful feedback from Delphine who kindly reviewed a guide I had written about data management. It was great to get a second pair of eyes on it and she provided helpful suggestions about how to improve the structure and add interactive elements.

The group’s next session will focus on green open access. It will take place on Wednesday 10^th December, 11:00-12:15 via Microsoft Teams. Click here to book your place!

If you’re working in a research-supporting role at a northern academic library, or would like to learn more about this area of librarianship, I highly recommend joining the group. For more information, please visit the ALNResearch Support Group.

4 ways being a member of CILIP North East can support your professional development

At CILIP North East, we're all about creating opportunities for members across the region to develop professionally and connect with others across the library and information sector. Here are five ways your membership can support your professional development:

1. Attend events held across the region and virtually

Every year CILIP North Easts host several events, both in person and online, to give you the chance to meet others in the sector, hear about other ways of working and experience areas of the sector you might not already have come across. These range from library visits, to webinars, to in-person talks.

A good example is our recent Sunderland Showcase at the University of Sunderland. People heard about The Big Talk (an annual student survey that shapes library strategy), visited a Reading for Wellbeing collection designed as a screen-free space, and learned how library colleagues use Power BI and Python to turn data into useful insights that support decision-making. Other events have included hearing about Northumberland Archives’ centenary activities, and visiting the Kittiwake Trust Multilingual Library in Gateshead.

These visits let you ask questions, see new spaces, and have conversations with people doing interesting work across our diverse profession.

Our next visit is to the Poetry Library in Morpeth - take a look at our event page!

2. Apply for our professional development bursary

Did you know CILIP North East offers two bursaries to support your professional development?

The CILIP North East Member Network bursary is for CILIP members living, working or studying in the North East. This financial support can be used to attend training events, workshops, conferences, or anything which is CPD-related.

The Beyond the Horizon bursary is for non-CILIP members based in the North East. This bursary sponsors three places to attend our annual Beyond the Horizon event, a virtual conference showcasing work from. 

The bursaries are there to help remove financial barriers, so all members can access development opportunities regardless of their circumstances. Visit the website for eligibility and how to apply!

3. Speak at Beyond the Horizon, our annual conference

Public speaking can feel daunting, but our annual Beyond the Horizon conference (held virtually each Spring) is a genuinely welcoming space to share your work.

We actively encourage first-time speakers and those from underrepresented groups. You don't need a polished, completed project; we're happy to hear about work in progress or even things that didn't go to plan! Often the learning is in the journey rather than just the end result.

Our 2025 call for speakers can give you an idea of what we generally ask for each year, and previous talks are available to watch on our YouTube channel, which gives you a sense of the variety of topics we cover.

If you've been thinking "I'd like to try speaking but I'm not sure I've got anything to say," this is the place to start. It can build your confidence with public speaking, raise your profile, and support you contribute something to the profession.

4. Join our committee and develop transferable skills

Joining the CILIP North East committee lets you build your CV whilst making a real contribution to your regional library and information community.

By joining our committee, you'll develop your event planning, communication, promotion, and networking skills, getting hands-on opportunities to coordinate committee meetings, organise library visits, contribute to social media and our blog, and liaise with professionals across the North East. It usually requires a few hours of commitment a month, including attending a few meetings per year (all held virtually, bar our annual planning meeting which takes place in-person).

We're a friendly group who support each other in balancing committee work with our day jobs and life. We currently have a few committee vacancies, so if you've been thinking about stepping up, we'd love to hear from you! Do get in touch with any questions or for an informal chat.

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CILIP North East membership offers practical ways to develop your career and get involved in your local professional community. Whether it’s coming to one event, receiving a bursary, or taking on a committee role, there's something for everyone!

And if you're not yet a CILIP member, we'd be happy to have you. If you already are, hopefully this has flagged up some opportunities worth exploring.

• Visit our blog
• Sign up to our newsletter
• Follow us on Bluesky: @cilipne

DARTS9 reflections: Part Three

 CILIP North East Regional Member Network were pleased to offer a bursary to Cheryl Francis from University of Sunderland to attend the DARTS conference. Cheryl has shared a review of her conference experience. Below find part three.

Read part one | Read part two

DARTS9 reflections: Part Three

Wednesday 21st May – Thursday 22nd May 2025

Barriers to librarians undertaking research and starting on the research pathway

Many of these talks covered the structural barriers librarians face as professional services staff, such as lack of organisation infrastructure to support librarians and other professional staff as it is focused on academic researchers. This means there is usually a lack of time to research whilst also facing the demands of the job. It’s highlighted that there is little training in LIS courses on research.

They also covered what you could call lack of confidence, imposter syndrome and the steep learning curve, often without peers. That creation of networks of librarian researchers is key, formal and informal, small and large, local and national, to enable the exchange of ideas, inspiration, motivation and peer-support. That although we are surrounded by research in the UK librarians don’t have a professional culture of doing research in a formalised way (unlike US for example). 

Resilience and determination is needed, but this is also an opportunity once it is recognised as a growing and learning element to our professional and personal development. There were several mentions from individuals who have undertaken research have done so by enacting some level of internal change in their institution, which makes research seem daunting in some ways, but also – they overcame these barriers. 

Beth Montague-Hellen has already been thinking about this, and in her session was interested in finding out what support is needed, from institutions, employers and from line managers to help lift librarians into research work. She suggested that the harsh feedback researcher can receive means a community of people is needed to help support and encourage self-belief so we don’t give up. 

She identifies barriers of TIME, MONEY and picks apart those assumptions that we “can’t because…”. 

Do we always need funding to do research? (see “We can do it!” to see the answer is “no!”). What can we do as wannabe-researchers?  Find the time – are we doing what we really need to right now – can that meeting be missed or that task be pushed back? Can we find research in our business as usual work?

Perhaps it’s momentum that’s our main challenge – when it’s not built into your day-to-day work it can be the thing that gets and left behind.

Stuart Hunt also showed how Durham University Library has shifted from a research enabler to research active by establishing a supportive culture which includes attending conferences and writing for publication. Some of his thoughts were more strategic than and I found them harder to grasp, but the overall message was that research in libraries is being encouraged from the very top of the institution. He also identified barrier such as status of librarians as non-academic staff, professional staff workload models how to balance business as usual with research when it’s not built-in, that being identified as potential research partners is not usual and it’s not well known how  to secure external funding for bigger projects.

We can do it!

Gillian Siddall, Alice Cann, and Frankie Marsh & Lucy Woolhouse all shared research they have undertaken, although Gillian was the only person to secure funding for her very interesting research which used visual research methods via funding from the RLUK professional practitioner fellowship, the others are stories of using everyday work and opportunities to build a research element into their roles. This second route felt more achievable.

Alice Cann’s journey into research is one many librarians can likely relate to and possibly emulate:

... and finally, some more words from Lizzie's keynote:

Sometimes it enough to turn up. Support each other and remember life is tough and as humans we all make mistakes. 40% PGR have suicide ideation and 20% a suicide plan. Just keep going because there’s always something you can do – and the smallest thing can sometimes be the biggest thing. Change needs shouters, but also normalisers behind them. There’s never “nothing” you can do. 

We don’t all have to be leaders - being a first follower is a crucial role - Lizzie showed us this video that shows how someone looking ridiculous dancing on their own can become the start of a movement…when they get enough followers. I’d seen before and often thinking about its message: https://youtu.be/fW8amMCVAJQ?si=eae91O8VO0ZpMlD5 

Overall the DARTS9 conference was an inspirational joining together of information professionals who aspire to - or are already - doing research. It gave me the belief I can do it do.

I applied for the RLUK research catalyst cohort programme 2025/6 and got a place. Thank you to CILIP Northeast for the bursary to attend DARTS9 and everyone at DARTS9 for the inspiration!

Part 1 | Part 2

DARTS9 reflections: Part Two

CILIP North East Regional Member Network were pleased to offer a bursary to Cheryl Francis from University of Sunderland to attend the DARTS conference. Cheryl has shared a review of her conference experience. Below find part two.

Read part one.

DARTS9 reflections: Part Two

Wednesday 21st May – Thursday 22nd May 2025

Strengths

During the conference a number of speakers mentioned the skills librarians already have -reflection, teaching, literature review, contacts across the university.

 

Catherine Dack, University of Bristol and Kim Davis gave the example of teaching librarians constantly redesigning their teaching, and that reflection and re-creation of material is research. For example, evaluating what didn’t/didn’t go well the usual missing links can be some kind of formal evaluation. But the main thing we are missing is dissemination.

The Research Catalyst Cohort programme, the main subject of their talk came about after a RLUK scoping study, which led to the Research Excellence Programme, which the Research Catalyst Cohort is a part of. It identifies libraries as a key place for research.

Lizzie also highlighted this in her talk when she spoke of the Librarian-ly qualities that are needed everywhere:

“Well read individuals who have a sense of social justice (eg:free knowledge, equal access, non-profit, service-led), believe in collective action (SCONUL, ILL, library collection for all v individual collections of books) and have advocacy as a way of life (protesting against book bans, paywalls, eBook SoS, public library cuts)

We (you!) are enough to make a difference, admit when you don’t know - not knowing but wanting to know is where all knowledge starts.

Find your people, find a partner, build a team, identify your successor, it’s easier to start something together. We enable others to make contributions, which is why we help so many people. Start small and build.”

Tim Wales was one of the many people who talked about the collaborative nature of our profession and that we can look for opportunities to collaborate with those who can teach us to develop our knowledge and understanding.

Opportunities for librarians to research

Catherine Dack, Kim Davis, Lesley MacRae and Michelle O’Hara shared experiences from the RLUK research catalyst cohort programme.

The programme focuses on how to obtain funding and how to write a proposal, to understand eligibility, articulate and idea, find collaborators, create networks to motivate and exchange ideas and build confidence.

Empowerment and understanding of our role in research, we lack the knowledge on the whole to disseminate our research, gain funding to undertake research, but libraries are well placed to be at the hub of research culture.

Be bold and approach publishers with ideas, and spot potential case studies you can write up and reuse and recycle your work. Even though a research portfolio isn’t a career progression tool for a librarian it can open doors and opportunities.

The people presenting their research were from the RLUK Research Catalyst Cohort, identifying this route to research as a key opportunity (See “We can do it!”)

"Take home" ideas for aspiring researchers (1-6 and a-g!):

1. Ringfence time to read
2. Look for free CPD
3. Consider what you are already working on – how can you turn that into research and disseminate it? It’s ok to start small.
4. Join / follow organisation and groups in the library research area, such as CILIP groups ARLG and LIRG, RLUK, LibrariesXResearch, 
5. Use a practice-research approach. Suggested reading: Candy, L. (2022) The Routledge international handbook of practice-based research. Edited by C. Vear and E. Edmonds. London: Routledge.
6. Start small and build, get used to writing for newsletters, blogs

Writing tips from Tim Wales’ talk:

Part 1 | Part 3

DARTS9 reflections: Part One

CILIP North East Regional Member Network were pleased to offer a bursary to Cheryl Francis from University of Sunderland to attend the DARTS conference. Cheryl has shared a review of her conference experience and we're delighted to share that here in three parts. 

DARTS9 reflections: Part One

Wednesday 21st May – Thursday 22nd May 2025

"Don't challenge power, assume power" 

Thanks to a bursary from CILIP Northeast I was able to undertake my first ever visit to DARTS, a biannual conference run by CILIP ARLG. I was particularly drawn to this conference as it was focused on encouraging librarians to actively take part in research. I applied for the bursary as there was little chance of me being able to attend otherwise. All the slides are available on the Darts web page: https://arlgdarts.wordpress.com/   

The Keynote on the first day was by Dr Elizabeth Gadd, known as Lizzie. I had not heard of her before, but I many people at the conference (and beyond) are very aware of her impact. Lizzie set the tone of the conference beautifully, particularly highlighting the good libraries can do and how librarians can make a difference. The title of this blog is taken from her talk, she said:

“Don’t challenge power, assume power, decide what needs doing and make the change. Inhabit your own voice and don’t ‘other’ your problems. Embrace the painful process of change.”

Lizzie spent much of her career working on and advocating for research evaluation metrics that would present a more wholistic picture of output. She continues to advocate for a fairer system. In the publication-dominant culture, where authors give up so much to publishers, she has been highlighting the nuance that was lost in the quantitative focus of the REF. “What you measure is what you get more of” she says. “Changes to metrics need to be global”.

Lizzie also talked about the Matthew effect (or cumulative advantage) and the academic wheel of privilege to set the tone on how librarians can be part of uplifting others.

Academic wheel of privilege

There was something about the personal and professional story she weaved that felt uplifting. By the end I felt connected to the library and information science community in the room, and beyond.

Overview of the conference

I found the conference had recurring themes based around both how well-placed libraries are to undertake research and yet how barriers to research for librarians is and professional staff in general is very real. I decided a SWOT- type theme (using Strengths, Opportunities, Barriers) theme would work well, so over the next two posts I cover what was mentioned in terms of library and librarian participation in research from a Strengths, Opportunities and Barriers perspective.  

Part 2 | Part 3 

Do you have any resolutions for the new academic year?

Many people start new courses at this time of year, and it can be a good time to explore new opportunities ourselves to help with our professional development. Here are a few tips for ways to get involved in the CILIP North-East community.

Would you like to join our committee?

We are always keen to have new people join our committee. Read about what we've been doing recently, and get in touch if you'd like to know more about what is involved. If you're keen to be actively involved, joining in committee discussions and helping organise events, you are the person we are looking for!

Calling all budding writers

Have you learnt a new skill recently that you'd like to pass on to readers of this newsletter eg how to do something in an IT package. Do you have an initiative or development in your library that you'd like to share in our newsletter? Suzie Williams, our newsletter editor, would love to hear your ideas for what you'd like to see in this newsletter.

Keep in touch

Are you receiving our CILP North-East email newsletter direct into your inbox? It is a great way to keep up to date with what is going on locally. Sign up to keep in touch.

Suzie Williams

Academic Liaison Librarian, University of Sunderland
CILIP North-East Newsletter Editor

Source of image: https://pixabay.com/illustrations/training-development-growth-1848687/