The Carnegies are governed by CILIP, supported by CILIP’s Youth Libraries Group, and managed by the Awards Team.
Jake Hope is the Awards Executive, a post which supports CILIP in leading the strategic development of the Awards. Jake is an experienced children’s book and reading development consultant, named as one of the UK’s top librarians of the future in the National Love Libraries Campaign. He has written extensively on children’s reading development and librarianship, contributing chapters to numerous books, producing the SLA publication on diversity and inclusion and previews for The Bookseller. He is the author of the recently published book on visual literacy, Seeing Sense, (Facet Publishing, 2020). Jake enjoys working creatively, has strong network links across the book trade and reading sector and is passionate about children’s books and promoting a love of reading and writing with young people and their families.
I have loved reading from an early age, devouring all the books that I could get my hands on from home, school and my local library in South Wales. After qualifying as a librarian in 2002, I worked for a charity library in London. I started working as a school librarian when I loved to Wrexham in North Wales because it was the only library job available. However, I quickly realised that I found the perfect sector to work in and loved working with children and young people over the next 18 years (and three different schools) to develop a love of reading. In my present role, I support schools in setting up and managing their digital libraries, and so I still get the joy of talking about and promoting books.
While at The King’s School in Chester, I won the SLA’s School Librarian of the Year award, which was one of the proudest moments of my professional life The ‘dream come true’ and highlight of my career though was being a judge for the CKG awards in 2021/22, representing the North West region. It was a difficult time to become a judge, (the 2021 panel didn’t get to meet in person until the 2022 award ceremony), but it was still an incredible experience. I feel very lucky indeed to be Chair of Judges for 2025 and to support this year’s wonderful judges through the process.
Mackenzie joined CILIP in 2021, and works to ensure the effective planning, delivery and growth of the Awards in partnership with the wider CILIP team and external contractors.
With degrees in Communications and Museum Studies, she has previously worked in programmes and project management in several archives and museums, and across the wider charitable sector in the UK and Canada.
If you are interested in supporting the awards or becoming a Judge for the Carnegies, we would love to hear from you. Please get in touch at carnegies.executive@CILIP.org.uk and we will send you more information.