Hope becomes new chair of CILIP Carnegie/Kate Greenaway working party

Jake Hope, reading development and children's book consultant, and the current chair of CILIP’s Youth Libraries Group (YLG), has been appointed as the new chair of the CILIP Carnegie and Kate Greenaway (CKG) Awards Working Party.

The working party is dedicated volunteers who work closely with library and information association CILIP to govern and run the Awards and Shadowing Scheme.

Hope succeeds Joy Court, whose six-year term - during which she engaged with CILIP to implement the recommendations of the diversity review of the awards, as well as championing the inclusion of works in translation - came to an end in July this year.

CILIP chief executive Nick Poole said: “I would like to extend our heartfelt thanks to Joy Court for the outstanding dedication and commitment she has shown to the CKG Awards over the course of her term as Chair. She has been a fantastic champion and advocate for the Awards, children’s books and reading, and I know we can count on her continued support.

"I am thrilled to welcome Jake Hope as our new Chair. Jake has an impressive vision for the future of the Awards and I am really looking forward to working closely with him on the Awards mission: to inspire and empower the next generation to create a better world through books and reading.”

Court commented: “It has been an enormous honour, privilege and pleasure to have been able to support something I am so passionate about and  to work with the fantastic, hardworking CILP team and all the amazing librarians that have dedicated their time to the process over the years. Following the challenging and immensely rewarding Diversity Review of the Awards I feel enormously positive about the mission we have developed and our capacity going forward and I could not be more delighted to hand over to Jake Hope, who was an outstanding judge and Chair of Judges, and will now be taking the Medals into their undoubtedly exciting future."

Hope added: “Chairing the Working Party for the CILIP Carnegie and Kate Greenaway Medals feels massively exciting.  The Awards have played an instrumental role in the history and development of children's books in the UK and in my own interest and work within the sector.  Taking over from Joy Court is a big task and I am very grateful for the support of Joy and the CILIP team. Following the Diversity Review and introduction of the Shadowers’ Choice Award, it feels a significant and vibrant point in the history of the Medals, one where it's possible to ensure connections with books, libraries and readers continue to be made with verve and vitality securing ongoing relevance and a bright future for the Awards.”