Where it all began…

Born in 1995, the Association of Senior Children’s and Education Librarian (ASCEL) was founded by a group of passionate library professionals. They saw the power of peer-to-peer knowledge sharing and networking. So, they came together to form a member collective from the ground up to provide advice and support.

It was time to evolve, combining three regional organisations representing the Metropolitan districts, County Councils and London boroughs, to create a stronger national network. And so ASCEL arrived with a formal launch on 2nd October 1995 with three co-chairs from each group.

AMDECL (Association of Metropolitan District Education and Children’s Librarians), SOCCEL (Society of County Children’s and Education Librarians), and YELL (Youth and Education Librarians in London).

Messages of congratulation were sent by authors and illustrators, including this gem, sent via fax from author Mary Hoffman

“Much as I regret the passing of the sounds of SOCking, DECking and YELLing, so appropriate to the campaigning life of a librarian in the nineties, I applaud the added strength which comes from unity. Let’s hope the new body will ASCEL-erate the pace of change and play a large part in convincing politicians of both principal parties that library services for young people are too important to be left to the ideologies of either side. ASCEL has my warmest good wishes for the future and I will support its work in any way I can.”

Our next milestone? The decision to transform into a charity, first discussed by the National Committee in 2019. After much work from committee members, we gained charity status in 2022 as an Arts Council England funded IPSO, appointing our Board of Trustees and our first CEO.

We’re celebrating our 30th birthday this autumn, and it’s time to evolve again. We couldn’t have timed it better.

“looking to future…what’s next”