Meet Shebiqa

Parliament is in the spotlight during an election, and many thousands of people visit the Commons Library website to learn more about boundary changes, election timetables and State Opening. We ask online content manager Shebiqa Hakim how she makes sure the Library’s website is accessible to everyone.

So Shebiqa, tell us about your role in the Commons Library.

Currently, my role is the online content manager in the Library’s Communications and Engagement team, and that means I’m responsible for managing, monitoring, and maintaining the content on the Commons Library and Parliamentary Office of Science and Technology (POST) websites. These are the main channels for MPs and their staff to engage with research published by the Commons Library and POST, and it’s my responsibility to make sure they’re up to date and all working correctly. I’m also responsible for managing the accessibility standards of the website, making sure that our web content meets best practice.

What projects have you been working on for the new Parliament?

I’ve been working on the Library’s bitesize research publication, Research In Brief. It’s a collection of short research articles on lots of key topics for the new Parliament and shows MPs the service that the Library provides. It’s also available to the public on the Library website. One of my main responsibilities has been to make sure that this digital version is accessible and clear for the public to access.

I think our main challenge is to make sure that the research produced by so many different experts all meets the same standard of online content on our website. We make sure all the text, links and data tables are formatted correctly. This is especially important if the information needs to be picked up by a screen reader – software that allows people with visual impairments to access digital content – and makes it easier for everyone to navigate. We know a lot of people are going to be on the website, so we have to make sure everyone can access our content.

We know this isn’t your first election! What’s your career in Parliament been like so far?

It’s been a journey! I’ve worked in Parliament for a little over ten years now, and it’s taken me all over the place. I started off as a Clerk’s apprentice, and as part of that I also did a qualification. After I graduated, I got a temporary position in the Speaker’s Office, before moving over to the finance team as a Systems Administrator and then as a Pensions Administrator. After that, I joined Members’ Library Services as an Enquiry Executive where I stayed for a few years, until I eventually moved to the role I’m in now. It’s been amazing considering I had no prior work background because I came in straight out of college!

Elections are a really fun time because you get to experience things that you’d never normally get to experience. What I really remember from 2019 was “swearing in” training, which allowed parliamentary staff to rehearse before the new MPs arrived. I actually went through the experience of what MPs do when they’re sworn in – and I got to sit on the green benches as I was acting as an MP. That was really fun! When you practice swearing in, you can swear in on your religious book of choice, so someone rushed to go and get the Qur’an for me so they could practice for MPs that would be swearing in on it.

What makes being part of the Commons Library special to you during the election?

I think getting the opportunity to take part in these tasks and projects during this time makes it really enjoyable. It’s so special because you’re in the centre of politics and history being made. It doesn’t come around often, so once it’s here you really have to make the most of it!