CILIPS > Alan Hasson, CILIPS President for 2008

Alan Hasson, Head of Community Services at Scottish Borders Council, is CILIPS President for 2008.

After working briefly in Glasgow University Library and then for the British Council in the Sudan, Alan started his library career with Renfrew District. Following a series of positions in that Authority, Alan moved to Cumbernauld and Kilsyth as Chief Librarian and then to East Ayrshire as head of the library service.

In 1999 he moved to Scottish Borders as Head of Cultural and Interpretive Services, with responsibility for libraries, museums and archives. Since that appointment Alan has filled a number of posts, including Project Director for the South of Scotland Broadband Pathfinder a partnership between Local Authorities and the Scottish Government . He is currently Head of Community Services, with a remit which covers libraries, museums, archives, community learning and development, community and curricular arts, sport and physical education and a number of specialised initiatives. He is particularly interested in the role of the “cultural” sector in social and economic regeneration.

As well as being a former Editor of the Public Library Journal, Alan has served on both the SLIC Management Committee and SLA Council and has represented Scottish libraries in work with the national lottery, the Wolfson Foundation and CoSLA amongst others.