Bursaries

Bursary winners announced!

We are pleased to announce the winners of the LILAC 2026 bursary places.

LILAC 2026 bursary winners

Mairead Harney
Hammersmith Academy

Originally from Ireland, I studied English and Classical History and completed a Masters in Classical Civilisations at National University of Ireland, Galway in 2008. I have been a school librarian for nearly 10 years and love creating a safe (if sometimes noisy) space for the students to go during breaks and lunch.

Sarah Mathieson
Hertfordshire Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust

I'm a qualified, Chartered Librarian with over 20 years’ experience in public, school and health libraries. I'm currently the Library Manager at Hertfordshire Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust which specialises in mental health and learning disabilities. I am part of the CILIP YLG Eastern committee and was a Carnegie and Greenaway Awards judge for 2021/2022. Information literacy and teaching information skills have been a fundamental part of all my roles, and I'm delighted to be one of the 2026 bursary recipients for the LILAC conference.

David Jacquest
Cheshire College South and West

I've worked as a library professional at Cheshire College South and West since 2017; I'm currently working towards becoming a Chartered member of CILIP. I'm neurodivergent, and in my spare time I enjoy solving, and occasionally creating, cryptic crosswords.

Masniza Sore
University of Northampton

Mas joined the University of Northampton in 2019 as a Discovery Specialist and transitioned to the role of Resource Integration Specialist in 2021.  In her current role, she oversees reading lists and coordinates the acquisition of print and electronic books alongside alternative formats to support learning, teaching and research.  She brings more than 14 years of prior experience supporting students in information literacy, helping them navigate and evaluate information with confidence.

Richard Pecout
Hertfordshire Libraries

I have been working for Hertfordshire Libraries for over 20 years, starting as a library assistant. As Senior Librarian for information and digital services, I lead and manage the development of our information services, digital inclusion initiatives and health and wellbeing activities.

Local to LILAC bursary winners

Chloe Bolsover
Sheffield Hallam University

Chloe has worked in Higher Education and school libraries since 2019. As a Learning and Teaching Librarian, she develops and delivers training for information literacy, referencing and using reference management systems. She has recently achieved her fellowship of Advance HE. Her professional interests include asynchronous teaching resources, universal design for learning and AI literacy.

Jacqui Hunt
Leeds Beckett

I am Jacqui Hunt, Learning Resources Librarian at Leeds Beckett University, and I am looking forward to finding out more about how we can support and develop information literacy at our University. As a teacher previously (for 16 years), I am passionate about making sure our students are equipped for their studies and their future careers.

Elizabeth Montgomerie
University of Lincoln

I’m a Learning and Teaching Librarian for Engineering, Physical Sciences, and Natural Sciences at the University of Lincoln.

Rhian Stephenson
University of Sheffield

Rhian is the Digital Skills Librarian in the Learning and Teaching Section at the University of Sheffield. Her role involves managing the creation and maintenance of the Library's online learning resources and facilitating sessions in the Digital Commons, the Library's creative makerspace. She is also involved with the Library's partnership with the Student's Union, to celebrate the liberation priorities of students and include previously missing voices in the university libraries via collaboration and co-creation through an ongoing initiative, Lib Fest, which she has previously presented on at LILAC.  

Laura Broadbent
University of Huddersfield

Laura Broadbent is Subject Librarian for the School of Business, Education and Law at the University of Huddersfield, and a member of the CILIP Yorkshire and Humberside committee. 

Emma Finney
Sheffield Hallam University

Emma Finney is a Librarian at Sheffield Hallam University. She is a keen advocate for universal design and encouraging all to consider how neuroinclusive their space, processes and libraries are. Emma  has previously presented at LILAC 24 in and within the Neurodivergent Library and Information Staff about neurodiversity.

LILAC 2026 bursaries

The LILAC conference has two types of bursary for 2026; LILAC bursaries for under-represented groups and Local to LILAC bursaries for delegates living or working near to the LILAC conference venue.

The Academic and Research Libraries Group is funding two further bursaries targeted at Further Education and Higher Education librarians. 

How to apply

To apply for a bursary, you must be a librarian, volunteer, or information professional working in the UK.

To apply for a bursary you will need to register for an account; if you already have an account then you just need to login (go to the link top right of this webpage) and go to ‘my account’ where you’ll see details of how to apply.

Complete the application form for the bursary you are applying for, confirming you have your line manager’s approval to attend, if successful. Winners will be randomly selected using a lottery system and will be notified early December if they have been successful.

LILAC bursaries

To have a truly engaging conference, we need delegates who bring a variety of perspectives and backgrounds. The LILAC conference is therefore offering five free places for people in the following under-represented groups based in the UK:

• Ethnic minority backgrounds
• School libraries
• Further Education
• Public libraries
• Health libraries (e.g. NHS – please note; librarians working in Higher Education who support health subjects are not eligible to apply)

Each of the five bursaries will include three days at the conference and social events. They also include up to £250 in expenses for reasonable travel and accommodation.

Winners will be notified early December if they have been successful.

Local to LILAC Bursaries

These bursaries are day delegate places, and we are offering two places for each day of the three-day conference. LILAC is committed to encouraging information professionals across the UK to attend LILAC, especially for those whom the cost or other commitments make attending all three days not always possible. We have created these six day delegate places, intended for people who live or work near to the LILAC venue, to have the chance to attend a day at LILAC and experience what the conference offers.

Each of the six bursaries will involve a free day place to one day of the conference and £50 for reasonable travel expenses. Please note that these bursary places do not include evening social events, in order to be as flexible as possible, but do include lunch and refreshments on the day.

Winners will be notified early December if they have been successful.

Academic and Research Libraries Group bursaries

In addition to the LILAC Bursaries and Local to LILAC Bursaries, the Academic and Research Libraries Group (ARLG) is very pleased this year to fund two further bursaries targeted at Further Education and Higher Education librarians. 

The two ARLG bursaries will include three days at the conference and social events. They also include up to £250 in expenses for reasonable travel and accommodation.

To apply for the ARLG bursaries you must be a current CILIP member - if selected, you will be asked to provide your membership details to confirm this. 

For any questions about the ARLG bursaries, please contact: Chair.Arlg@cilip.org.uk

Winners will be notified early December if they have been successful.