Runner up, CILIP/Online Information Personal Development Award 2004
I am a born again professional developer. Over eight years of working in government libraries, the idea of chartering hovered at the back of my mind, but my career was progressing well enough and the benefits of being able to put the letters after my name seemed too insubstantial. It was only a combination of spare time and management support that led me to prepare my submission. Even then, I had no clear idea what I was going to get out of chartership. I learnt along the way.
I have had a busy career. Preparing the submission reminded me of what I had done and what I had not, what I had done well, and what I had not done so well. Putting my work in the context of the headings of the professional development report helped me see how I could have done those things better.
Chartering is like a peer review. You are forced to look at your career more objectively, as other professionals see it. By putting the tricky negotiations with an awkward colleague in the changing information environment, they become elevated from the plane of office politics. Even if being chartered doesn't help you get a better job, chartering- that process of generalising your career- certainly helps with your applications.
I learnt that I am part of a wider professional community. My personality tends to the self-reliant, and I could perhaps have compiled my submission by myself. However, not only is it easier to accept help, it also makes the whole process far richer. Sharing my experiences helped me to identify and highlight their contribution to my professional development.
I now look to networks of fellow professionals far more readily than I once did- sharing problems and solutions on message boards and email lists, and participating in the affairs of CILIP. I have been elected to the committee of the Circle of State Librarians and am revelling in the opportunities it offers to broaden my experience and tackle new problems.
I am now doing the things candidates should- keeping up with library publications, taking part in professional bodies, keeping a diary of my professional activities. For myself, I am enthusiastic about the idea of revalidation. Reflecting on my professional development has to be a continual activity.
Before completing my professional development report, I regarded preparing the submission as a hurdle I had to jump- an obstacle to achieving the benefits of chartered status. I now realise that the real benefits come from the process of looking back and reflecting on your professional practice. You can do that at any time, of course, but the requirements of the development report force you to put your development in a wider, professional context. Being chartered has not changed my career, but chartering has certainly refreshed and energised it.
Updated: 06 December 2004