Presentation for a workshop on 'professional development: the what, why and how' at the CILIP New Professionals Information Day 2011

1. Professional Involvement: what, why & how Bethan Ruddock @bethanar #npid2011

2. What is professional involvement?

3. Learning ‘learning from my peers and professional networks and being to help/assist/collaborate in and out of workplace.’ ‘learning, developing and contributing. I also think entitlement to 'professional' label is based on involvement (or CPD at least)’ ‘'professional involvement' = continued learning’

4. Sharing ‘Sharing experiences/approaches with fellow professionals, including (especially) what didn't work!’ ‘It means knowing (some of) what's going on, what issues are big etc., and having a means to vent my opinions on that. It also means contributing to everyone's prof dev - by speaking/writing/organising stuff - & supporting colleagues informally.’

5. Participating ‘I think it's about active participation and engaging with peers in your industry’ ‘It means interacting with librarianship and / or the library industry, beyond your own job and institution.’ ‘being in contact/discussion with other professionals across sectoral boundaries, engaging with topical issues’ ‘Having an awareness of what is happening across the profession and contributing to that in some way through prof org or not’

6. And more… ‘a chance to influence the direction of my profession and my career within it.’ ‘have your own opinion, but be prepared to change, don't be afraid to make mistakes, be open’ ‘testing ideas & tweaking to make them work effectively for all. Finding ways to improve.’ ‘Having a good group of people on Twitter to ask random q’s on a Friday afternoon, & getting immediate, useful answers!’ (thanks to @girlinthe, @mandahill, @barbaragordon, @lukask, @suzyredrec, @wigglesweets, @el399, @estherarens, @therealwikiman, @nunuthunder, @thomasconnelly and @samanthahalf)

8. … engaging with the profession in any way that is beyond the normal demands of your job Professional involvement is…

9. Professional organisations

10. What can they do for you? Run events/conferences/training courses Provide opportunities for networking Provide opportunities for structured professional development (egChartership) Provide a mentoring or peer support program Publish journals/magazines/newsletters/blogs Have committees, staffed by members Provide careers advice & employment support – throughout your career

11. What can you do for them? Join! Membership organisations need your support Volunteer for something: join a committee, write an article/blog post Attend events & provide feedback Network – share ideas, support other members Become a mentor

12. Create your own…

13. Professional involvement can be whatever you want it to be… But what else can I do?

14. Blogging

15. Tweeting

16. Advocacy

17. And much, much more…

18. Knitting Image from http://www.ravelry.com/projects/girlinthemoon/classmark-mittens

19. Jigsaws Images from http://intothehobbithole.blogspot.com/

20. Cartooning Images courtesy of http://derangementanddescription.wordpress.com/

21. Dancing

22. Travelling Image from http://www.itinerantpoetrylibrarian.blogspot.com/

23. ‘They provide the opportunity for: benchmarking; discovering solutions to problems; finding out about tools others have used first; making you realise you are not alone in your struggles; encouraging professional engagement’ ‘They are great for informal training, sharing good practice, bouncing ideas around, commiserating and supporting in times of trouble - and giving good advice.’ Why… ? Peer networking

24. ‘To be effective anyone in the library/information needs to be able to network with peers. Not only can this help either directly or indirectly with your career but is stimulating and thought provoking to find out how others tackle particular issues. Your peers are also a valuable information source in themselves!’ Why… ? Peer networking

25. Why…? Opportunities 43% of opportunities came from prior personal contact 41% came from previous professional achievement/involvement 16% came from ‘traditional’ methods, eg call for papers

26. Why… ? Reputation Library Journal ‘Movers and Shakers’ 2011

27. Why..? Skills

28. Why... ? Employability

29. Why… ? Fun!

30. How do I get involved?

31. YES!

32. Can I help?

34. 1. Practitioner experience What professional involvement (if any) have you tried? What works for you and why? What positive experiences of professional involvement have you had? What negative experiences? 2. Boundaries and control Are there any barriers to your professional involvement? What are these barriers? Why are they there? How can you address them? 3. Future of the profession What are you doing as a practitioner to prepare yourselves for the future? Is it possible to prepare yourself? What help do you need to prepare for your future career? Where can you get it?

35. @bethanar bethaninfoprof.wordpress.com bethan.ruddock@manchester.ac.uk