Welsh Library Association.

Corporate body

Welsh Library Association.

The Library Association of Great Britain was set up in 1877. The idea of establishing a Conference on Libraries in Wales and Monmouthshire was suggested at the 45th Annual Meeting of the Association, held in Cardiff in 1922. In 1925, the first conference was held in Aberystwyth. After the fifth Conference, held in June 1930, Harry Farr, Librarian of Cardiff Public Library, proposed to form a Branch of the Library Association for Wales and Monmouthshire; it came into being in 1931. In 1972, the branch was re-named the Welsh Library Association. It aims to develop librarianship in Wales, alongside other institutions such as the College of Librarianship Wales, the Welsh Books Council and the Library Advisory Council for Wales, through activities including weekend and annual conferences, meetings, and publications, by supporting the professional development of library staff through travel bursaries, and by acting as a professional body commenting on library provision. It has also promoted the use of Welsh by the Library Association. The Welsh Library Association oversees the Kathleen Cooks Bequest, set up to commemorate Miss Kathleen Cooks, FLA, Librarian of Llandudno, 1947-1973; the Bequest is used to finance projects to benefit the library profession in Wales. CILIP, the Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals, was formed in 2002, following the unification of the Institute of Information Scientists (IIS) and The Library Association, and in 2003 the Welsh Library Association became CILIP Cymru/Wales.