Phil Bradley’s post on the pronunciation of Cilip was interesting – I’d never considered it could be said any other way! But thinking about it, I don’t talk about it very much, if at all possible, because I don’t like it. It sounds stupid. I’m a member of Cilip. It doesn’t roll off the tongue nicely (however you pronounce it).

But we’re not alone. It’s not just us information/library folk that suffer. Other professional bodies have terrible names. The IEE (Institution of Electrical Engineers, generally referred to as the I-double-E) recently changed its name to IET (Institution of Engineering and Technology). Spare a thought also for NACGT (National Association of Careers and Guidance Teachers), IMBM (The Institute of Maintenance and Building Management), RCVS (The Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons) and BWDMA (British Web Design and Marketing Association). At least we have an acronym that is pronounceable.