3 Continuing professional development

Networking, especially for those librarians who work alone or whose team is limited in size, is an important part of the role. By attending conferences, meeting new people, and participating in training days, you will develop new ideas, gain knowledge, and refine your approach to librarianship. This will help you make decisions, tackle problems, and achieve your goals, all of which can empower you to better advocate for your library.

In addition to networking, it can be beneficial to read as much about school libraries as you can. This will help you learn best practice and identify different approaches to librarianship which you can adopt in your own library and learn best practice. Just as with networking, reading relevant literature so you are up to date with developments in the school library sector will contribute to your continuing professional development (CPD). By progressing and developing as a librarian and utilising new innovations and ideas, you will elevate your status in your school, be better placed to realise your ambitions, and make sure the library is able to meet the needs of the school community.

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Transcript: Video 3

NICK:

As librarians it's important that we give back to the profession by reflecting on what we've learned on our journey. And this can also feed into furthering our own professional development. You can do this by contributing to blogs, writing articles for journals, or attending training courses, conferences, or just informally by meeting up with other school librarians in your local area.

Try to read as much as you can about school libraries. You're doing this course to find out more. But reflect on how you can incorporate that into your own practice. It can also be useful to see what librarians are doing in other sectors as well, such as in public libraries or universities.

One way you can do this is through membership of CILIP, and in particular the School Libraries Group. This will give you the opportunity to learn from the experience of a huge network of school librarians. The National Committee of CILIP helps develop national policy through committees in parliament and initiatives like the Great School Libraries campaign.

Working on the committee is a fantastic experience. But you don't have to have been in the trade for years. New school librarians are just as welcome. CILIP membership can give you the opportunity to gain professional qualifications and chartership. But as a librarian, it's keeping your knowledge up to date and reflecting on your own working practice that's just as important.

You might be new to school libraries or you might work on your own, but whatever your experience, it's great to know that there's a recognised professional network to support you, and help you grow and develop.

End transcript: Video 3

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Video 3

As Nick mentioned in Video 3, networking can be a symbiotic process which benefits both your library and the wider industry. It’s important, therefore, to remember the power of unions and professional library organisations to provide guidance, support and an opportunity to network with your peers. There are many of these organisations around the world but some of the most prominent include the following.

(To avoid losing your place in the course, if you are studying on a desktop you should open the link in a new tab or window by holding down Ctrl (or Cmd on a Mac) when you click on it. If you are studying on a mobile device hold down the link and select to ‘Open in New Tab’. Return here when you have finished. You might find it useful to bookmark these links so you can return to them at a later point.)

• The Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals (CILIP) [Tip: hold Ctrl and click a link to open it in a new tab. (Hide tip)]
• The CILIP School Libraries Group (SLG)
• School Library Association (SLA)
• International Federation of Library Associations (IFLA)
• Libraries Connected
• International Association of School Librarianship (IASL)
• National Education Union (NEU)

By exposing you to large networks of librarians, these organisations help reinforce that you are not alone when it comes to defending the library cause. You don’t have to have been in the profession for years; new librarians are just as welcome. Crucially, professional organisations can help you better advocate for your library by exposing you to new ideas, keeping you abreast of developments in the sector, and giving you the opportunity to meet and engage with your peers. Membership also gives you a valuable opportunity to pass your insights on to others and use your expertise to influence national policy advice for school libraries. You may wish, for example, to join committees as part of these organisations or deliver talks where you can defend the interests of other librarians and advocate for the profession as a whole.

Now that you have watched the video, you should reflect on your present approach to networking by completing Activity 3.