What is Continuing Professional Development and why is it important?

1. CPD in the context of the whole of education for librarianship

Weingand, Darlene E. "Describing the Elephant: What is Continuing Professional Education?" Proceedings of the 65^th IFLA Council and General Conference (1999).
Available at: http://www.ifla.org/IV/ifla65/papers/089-104e.htm

Weingand uses the fable of the blind men and the elephant as an analogy for the confusion and complexity surrounding continuing professional education. In this article, she attempts to place CPE within the whole of education for librarianship by answering those ever-important "five W's and How."

• Who: CPE is in the best interests of every person working in the information industry. All of us in the profession are responsible for maintaining current knowledge, skills, and attitudes throughout our work life.
• What: CPE activities should keep practicing information professionals up-to-date in their particular areas and provide them with training in new fields.
• When: CPE is lifelong learning with the intent of maintaining competence and/or learning new skills.
• Where: CPE venues include formal courses, workshops, seminars, conferences, tutorials, independent study and reading, and teaching, presentations, and publishing.
• Why: The shelf life of a degree is approximately three years and declining. Maintaining competence and learning new skills is critical for every professional.
• How: CPE involves issues of both responsibility and quality. Participants need to feel that learning has taken place; funders must recognize values for monies expended; and providers require that training evaluations were positive and anticipated costs were met. Quality CPE programs can be created by (1) conducting a needs assessment, (2) planning and developing program objectives, and (3) evaluating the education event.

What you can do for your Continuing Professional Development

2. Personal current awareness

Bell, Steven J. "To keep up, go beyond: Developing a Personal Professional Development Plan Using E-resources Outside the Bounds of Library Literature." College and Research Libraries News 61(7) (July/Aug 2000): 581-584. Available at: http://www.ala.org/acrl/keepup.html

Keeping up and staying ahead in the field requires librarians to go beyond their own professional development resources. Developing your own personal current awareness program by drawing from other disciplines such as higher education, communications, computers, and instructional technologies can be helpful in discovering new ideas and resources that could lead to innovation in your library.

Using a combination of the following resources is an effective strategy for keeping up with minimal effort.

• E-newsletters, which are characterized by e-mail delivery and hypertext, deliver concise and targeted information on a wide range of technologies and skill development.
• Web-based resources, such as electronic magazines, journals, and newspapers, typically provide full text articles and industry news. Web sites and web pages can report both new information and provide periodically updated information.

To avoid getting overwhelmed:

• Be a browser. Don't attempt to read everything in detail. Concentrate on one or two items.
• Use your email client to get organized. Create a "keeping up folder."
• Print or capture and review later.
• Share the load and tackle it as a team.

3. Research, publication, and service

White, Gary W. "The Professional Development of Reference Librarians: Implications of Research, Publication, and Service." Reference Librarian 73 (2001): 337-350.
For subscription to Reference Librarian - http://www.haworthpressinc.com/store/product.asp?sku=J120&AuthType=

Research, publication, and service can bring great benefits to non-academic librarians as well as academic librarians. In academic settings, research and publication benefit the library profession by:

• Allowing librarians to achieve positions as faculty members;
• Enabling librarians to serve on governing boards and do other educational activities;
• Providing increased visibility among disciplines and increased sharing of knowledge through the library profession.

In all information settings, research and publication benefit the library profession by:

• Increasing the professional reputation of the author;
• Fostering acknowledgment of subject expertise among professional colleagues;
• Increasing the reputation of the author's institution;
• Enhancing the stature of the author in the organization;
• Contributing to the scholarly discipline of librarianship;
• Increasing understanding of trends and research in the field;
• Providing an opportunity to develop further research projects;
• Increasing marketability of the librarian for new jobs.

Some beginning strategies for research and publication include:

• Reading professional literature from librarianship and other fields;
• Seeking advice and teaming up with senior colleagues;
• Listening to patrons and colleagues;
• Attending conferences and meetings;
• Looking for publishing opportunities such as "calls" for papers;
• Developing papers from one's own programs.

For all librarians and information professionals, service through participation in professional associations and on committees at the regional and state levels allows librarians to have both local and broad impact on the profession, increases the visibility and status of the individual, and provides professional linkages. Some beginning strategies for service activities include volunteering to serve on a committee and attending meetings as a visitor.

4. Networking

Pedley, Paul. "Plugging into the network: networking as a tool for professional development." Library Association Record 102(10) (Oct 2000): 568-569.
For subscription to Library Association Record, now Library and Information Update - http://www.la-hq.org.uk/directory/record.html

One of the most valuable methods of CPD is to build a network of personal contacts. Creating an effective network takes time and effort and requires continuous nurturing. Effective professional networking:

• Helps the information professional keep abreast of developments in the field;
• Provides an opportunity to help others and to be helped;
• Is an effective recruitment tool;
• Is particularly useful for solo librarians with no access to other information professionals on the staff and limited opportunity for formal training.

Networking can be done in many ways, including:

• visiting other organizations;
• maintaining memberships in special interest groups;
• going to exhibits at conferences;
• participating in email listservs;
• sharing informal conversations, comparing notes, or exchanging information.

5. Mentoring

Jones-Quartey, Thea. "Mentoring - Personal Reflections of a Special Librarian." Information Outlook 4(7) (Jul 2000): 26-30.
For subscription to Information Outlook - http://www.sla.org/pubs/serial/io/index.shtml

Jones-Quartey discusses the importance of mentoring as a continuing professional development tool in the corporate world, particularly in light of technological advances, fast-paced changing corporate environments, and the increasing number of ethnic minorities who must be positioned for leadership positions in the workplace. The author notes that opportunities for mentorship fall into two main categories: (1) mentorship programs and (2) personal mentorship situations.

Mentorship programs are:

• Formalized and structured;
• Typically found in professional organizations, colleges and universities, and now in corporate and business organizations;
• Used to match up mentors with mentees and provide objectives and guidelines for the relationship;
• Becoming the management technique used to break down cultural barriers and foster diverse corporate environments.

Personal mentorship situations are sometimes identified by looking back at experiences in the past. They traditionally exist between a senior manager and a junior worker and are often difficult for minorities to cultivate.

Some sources for potential mentors include:

• Former lecturers or teachers;
• Current or former supervisors and managers;
• Recommendations from work colleagues;
• Colleagues with social expertise;
• Other professional organization members;
• Student and alumni organizations;
• Participants or presenters at professional meetings.

In choosing a mentor look for someone:

• With whom you feel you have an affinity;
• With whom you share the same basic values and goals;
• Who is discreet, a good listener, and generous with time and information;
• Who has expertise in the specialty area of interest to you.

6. Teaching

Keith, Ellen A. and Trudi E. Jacobson. "Part-time Library School Faculty, Full-time Librarians: An Opportunity for Continuing Education." College and Research Libraries News 62(2) (February 2001): 154-156.
For subscription to College and Research Libraries News - http://www.ala.org/acrl/c&rlfeb1.html

In this article the authors propose that teaching a course in a graduate school of library and information science is a form of continuing professional development for practicing librarians. The authors teach Reference and Online Services, Library User Instruction, and User Education: Theory and Techniques.

Teaching is a serious commitment in time and energy (preparing lesson plans, lectures, class discussions, and assignments, being available to students via email, phone and office hours, and grading homework) but the rewards are tremendous.

• Teaching an LIS course is a unique CPD experience.
• The librarian is paid for learning rather than the other way around.
• Almost every class period provides an opportunity to rethink the ways in which librarians do their full-time job or is a reminder of what needs to be focused on in those jobs.
• Librarians must stay current with literature and key resources in the field so that assigned readings and lessons are up-to-date.
• It provides an opportunity to expand one's range of teaching styles.

7. Reference work and interactive CPD

Black, Karla J. and Julia A. Kelly. "Integrating Informal Professional Development into the Work of Reference." Reference Librarian 72 (2001): 207-218.

The Biomedical Library at the University of Minnesota offers an informal, flexible and highly interactive professional development program for the professionals and para-professionals at the reference desk. The dynamic environment of reference work demands that reference staff engage in ongoing CPD activities.

Their program, transferable to any reference environment, includes:

• Interactive activities
  • Search camp - training focuses on a different database each week and organizers send out sample searches for the participants to try. Then search strategies and results are discussed and awards are given.
  • Hands-on search contest - background information and sample searches are given in advance and then a contest is held. Searches increase in difficulty. Awards are provided as incentives.
  • Cross-training with other libraries.
  • Weekly exercises for all staff.
• Informational activities
  • "E-sessions" to introduce new electronic tools in the field or to provide background on resources outside of the health sciences field. Staff prepares an informal presentation and demonstration showing strengths, weaknesses, search capabilities, and other features of the resource.
  • Weekly staff meetings.
• Professional development tools
  • An "Ask Reference" database, using askSam software, for unusual, difficult, or common questions to avoid duplication of effort.
  • Staff resources web site that includes links to important and frequently used resources.

More Resources

Spotlight on U of I GSLIS Research - Visiting Lecturer Pat Lawton

Lawton, Pat. "Retooling Cataloguers and Indexers for the Information and Knowledge Management Society: A Needs Assessment for Continuing Professional Education in the UK and the US." In Continuing Professional Education for the Information Society: The Fifth World Conference on Continuing Professional Education for the Library and Information Science Professions. Munich: KG Saur, 2002.

Lawton describes part one of a two part study designed to identify the changing roles and responsibilities of working professional cataloguers and indexers and the concepts and skills CPE can provide to help them better meet new challenges in information organization. The key question guiding this part of the study was "What can and should CPE offer to assist the retooling of our cataloguers and indexers?"

Interviews were conducted with practitioners (consumers of CPE) and experts (providers of CPE) from the U.S. and the UK. Both groups agreed that there is a real problem in keeping up with both the theory and technology of information organization and that the theoretical foundation should come from LIS schools and the exposure to new applications and technologies could come from CPE. At the same time, there was nearly unanimous agreement that LIS schools are not providing a good foundation in the principles of organization of information and that filling the gap is not the role of CPE.

Lawton notes that the problem is that we still lack understanding of (a) what sort of information professional the library schools aim to turn out and (b) what sort of information professional employers want now and in the future. If we achieve an understanding of (a) and (b), then hopefully it will give us a better picture of how CPE can support, enhance, and even ensure the success of the information organization (IO) professional.

Part two of the study will examine the offerings of CPE to better gauge how the respondents' views of their needs for CPE match with the state of the art in CPE.

Web Resources for Professional Development - A short list

ALA Human Resource Development and Recruitment - Provides links to LIS education and continuing professional development websites. http://www.ala.org/hrdr/education.html

Learn with SLA - Special Libraries Association: Lists many opportunities available through the association, including a calendar of seminars, career and employment services, and a series of specific courses, conferences, and self-study programs. http://www.sla.org/content/learn/index.cfm

American Society for Information Science and Technology Continuing Education - Most ASIST courses are held in conjunction with ASIST conferences. Includes a catalog of courses offered and information about conferences. In-house training for larger groups also available. http://www.asis.org/CE/index.html

Association of Research Libraries Office of Leadership and Management Services (ARL/OLMS) Organizational Learning Services - Institutes and workshops for training library managers in large research libraries are listed. ARL/OLMS also sponsors on-site workshops. http://arl.cni.org/training/index.html

World Lecture Hall - Provides links to free online course materials from around the world in many subject areas, including Library and Information Science. http://www.utexas.edu/world/lecture/

Steven Bell's Keeping Up Web Page - Designed to help library and information science professionals develop and maintain a program of self-guided professional development. http://staff.philau.edu/bells/keepup/

The Information Professional's Guide to Career Development Online - Companion website to the book (same name) by Sarah Nesbeitt and Rachel Singer Gordon. List of links by chapter to every address in the book. http://www.lisjobs.com/careerdev/