I can’t decide if I am extremely lucky or extremely unlucky. Last year, while in the flush of excitement of doing my research for my blogging paper and discovering that blogging counts as a professional development activity recognised by the Australian Library and Information Association (ALIA), I went and signed up for the professional development scheme. Easy, I thought. I can keep up and have it recognised. (See page 8 of the October 2005 issue of inCite.)
I remember noting that each year ALIA audits some 10% of the participants in the scheme. What are the odds, that in the first year of my membership of the scheme, I get randomly selected as part of this 10%?
Still, it is not all bad, because for the 2005 – 2006 period (the audit period is 1 July 2005 – 30 June 2006) I have been doing plenty of things that are recognised, and not just blogging. Things like “informal learning”, which includes “workplace learning: for example, in-house briefings, seminars, workshops, structured workplace training, shadowing; self-paced learning: through audio, video, CD media, television programs; and contribution to issues-based discussion lists relevant to the sector” (I think blogging fits in here; I’ll check). I’ve done lots of “professional reading”, too, thanks to doing research in blogging and all the so-called new technologies, and with the help of Angel and other bloggers pointing out articles worth reading. (Not linking to these lists of activities because they live in the “Members-only” part of the ALIA website.)
Even better, for the present year, I already have plenty of things I can count. You’re supposed to amass a minimum of 30 points per year (and 120 points for each three year period), and with this year’s conference I already have 115 accumulated points!
What would be the odds of getting audited, not once but twice? (Just looking at my track record over the past few months…)
8 Comments
Unlucky for you because you need to get together all the paperwork. Although you can point to your name in a conference program, say “Look at THAT” and instantly score a huge swag of PD points.
Lucky for us, because it makes the PD committee understand that blogging and “peripheral” techie activities are actually PD.
Do you have to accumulate PD points just to stay a librarian in Australia?!? Or is this a voluntary program that you can join if you want to but that requires PD?
Hi Kathryn, yes, the paperwork is going to be a killer. I’m just glad I have been diligently collecting the details of the articles I’ve been reading, in EndNote. Providing a list of my “professional reading” should be a breeze! And yes, I’m trying to see where I can work in the setting up of lint as a PD activity…
Iris it’s voluntary. I do wonder if some aspects should be mandatory, though, as the whole “keeping up” aspect is surely vital if we’re going to continue to be competent and confident as librarians…
Hmm, I may have to give something like EndNote a try for keeping track of articles I read. It is part of the reason I blog about articles I read, to keep track of them, but something to generate a quick list may be good. I agree, the keeping up should be essential. If not mandatory, then at least give incentives and recognition for doing it. Hey, maybe if it is not mandatory, the ones who fail to keep up will naturally be wedded out. Yes, I know, a mean thought, but I am not one to be sympathetic to a librarian that refuses to keep up with the profession.
Anyhow, I have faith you will do fine on your audit. Best, and keep on blogging.
Thanks Angel! I’m suprised to hear that you don’t use any sort of bibliographic management software, actually! Interesting that you should say this about keeping up (I agree) – one of my colleagues is very vehemently AGAINST any sort of scheme, thinks it’s all a waste of time and that “our work should speak for itself”. My response: Sure, we need to do good work, but is that it? Does nothing else change? … topic of many a blog post in the future, I suspect!
LIANZA just voted for a professional registration requirement for NZ librarians so it looks like “keeping up” will have to be part of my career hiatus!
Not looking forward to that.
Wow, Penny! Have you got more detail on this? I checked the LIANZA website where I saw that it was to be discussed but couldn’t see anything specific on the final decision. Is this scheme like what accountants have to do to continue to be recognised as accountants, for instance?
You might find some more paperwork here:-http://lianza.org.nz/events/AGM2006.html
I haven’t yet heard “officially” that the thing got passed but from those that went to the AGM I understand it was passed.
The theory is that being registered is not going to be a required thing in terms of being employed as a librarian. That may be true for jobs at a certain level like library assistants.
But the reality for jobs at the level I will be interested in is a little different. I mean, if you were an employer and had to make a decision over one applicant who was registered (having jumped through the hoops that requires), and a person who was not… who would you choose? I’d say the registered person would have the edge.
Call me cynical but I think the only people who will care if their librarian is registered is those within the profession…