Achieving career excellence in librarianship OR 5 rules of engagement for librarians
1. ACHIEVING CAREER EXCELLENCE IN LIBRARIANSHIP
OR: 5 RULES OF ENGAGEMENT FOR LIBRARIANS
Choy Fatt Cheong
University Librarian
Nanyang Technological University
Library Association of Singapore
PPM-LAS Joint Conference 2012, Mahkota Hotel, Melaka, 16 March 2012
2. What is career excellence?
Attainment of high office and status?
Help libraries/profession create impact
Making a difference to the intellectual life
and learning outcome of people through
library services
3. Will indicators of excellence be the
same in the future?
LIBRARIANSHIP
Libraries
Librarians
Collective memory?
Preservation &
transmission of
knowledge?
4. Important interdependent
relationships
Source of legitimacy,
trustworthiness and
knowledge base
The vehicle used by
librarians to deliver
their expertise and
services
LIBRARIAN
PROFESSION
INSTITUTION
1
2
3 Rules of engagement
5. What makes a librarian a professional?
Experience
Contribution
Knowledge
base
Delivery of
service &
expertise
Education &
training
6. How does the profession help us?
Define our
domain
Collection of books for
lending?
Providing access to
information?
Enable independent & self-
directed learning?
Preservation and ensuring
use of collective memory?
THE PROFESSION
MUST EXIST & BE
THRIVING TO ENSURE
Wide recognition of the real roles
of libraries and librarians
Constantly shaping the boundary
of the profession with the times
7. How does the profession help us?
The “Profession” is abstract, while
professional association is concrete
The collective voice of librarians
Articulate and advocate the role of libraries and
librarians
Prescribe competencies & standards
Recommend education & training
Sets ethical standards & behavioral norms
Successful librarians have to participate actively in
giving strength and shaping the direction of the
professional body
8. Libraries – an important institution
for success
Can librarians be separated from “libraries”
– information brokers, independent info professionals, etc.
Power of libraries derived from pooling of
resources – enable access to expensive resources,
expertise, services and facilities.
Librarians & information
professionals use the
power of libraries to do
their work.
LIBRARIES Users, Clients
9. Librarians - Learning from Ranganathan
FIVE LAWS OF LIBRARY SCIENCE
Books are for use
Every reader his[her] book
Every book its reader
Save the time of the reader
The Library is a growing
organism
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
80 YEARS OF USER-CENTRIC VIEW
Focus on enabling people
with knowledge
Cater to people who have
diverse interests
Readers/users are at the
centre of the library
Readers seek knowledge to
empower themselves
10. Librarians are experts1.
5 RULES OF ENGAGEMENT FOR
LIBRARIANS (Choy F.C.)
2. Every librarian a friend of users
3. Every encounter with users should add value
to them
4. Users must have high demand & expectation
of librarians
5. The Library’s critical role in knowledge work
must be widely recognized and acknowledged
11. RULE 1 : LIBRARIANS ARE EXPERTS
Experts
depend on an
asymmetry of
knowledge
What is so special about the knowledge and
skills of librarians?
Do things that others cannot do
Do things better than others
Do things others can do but
don’t want to do
Need to examine dominant skills of the past to assess
their relevance in the future?
Continued acquisition of new skills
Core skills that define librarians CISPIN Recommendations
Professional Development
Scheme (PDS)
12. Encourage all librarians to remain competent in a
dynamic profession & information environment
LAS Professional Development Scheme
Conceived in 2006 and implemented in 2008
Award of Practicing Professional (PP) status to
librarians who have completed a series of
professional development activities - as indicated
by a minimum number of points achieved within a
2 year period
A professional statement to our users &
stateholders – we pledge to always upgrade and
update ourselves to serve you better
13. Engage in activities to pick up points
= 1,000 pts+ +
Get gazetted as PP (Practicing Professional)
ED (Expertise Development) 500
ID (Industry Development) 400
SD (Self Development) 100
1000
Within 2 years
PDS Board
5 members
appointed by LAS
Submit records of activities for approval
May submit in
any quarter
Applicants tally
up points
Board verifies
& decide
Professional Development Scheme (PDS) IN BRIEF
Entitled to use
PPLAS
designation
Names listed in
LAS website for
2 years
1 mth public scrutiny of PDS records
14. Activity groups Points
CATEGORIES OF ACTIVITIES
Expertise
Development
ED 500Activities that will help to upgrade and improve the
skills and knowledge of practitioners
Industry
Development
ID 400Activities that keep the practitioner informed of
current developments in the information industry
Self (Personal)
Development
SD 100Activities that help the practitioner improve on
work productivity, management skills and general
knowledge
Description
15. ED-EXPERTISE DEVELOPMENT - TYPES OF ACTIVITIES
500
TRAINING
Participate in conference, seminar, workshop,
briefing – face-to-face or online
Participate in internship
17 – 160
points
Speaker at forum, chair of session
PROFESSIONAL
ACTIVITIES
Member of committee of professional bodies
Participate in mentorship scheme
29 – 176
points
PROFESSIONAL
READING
Personal reading
Participate in reading circles
Maintain blogs on professional matters
Engage in independent learning project
100
points
Write paper for conference, present posters
AUTHORSHIP
Publish journal paper or book
Write feature articles for news bulletin, official
blog
50 – 220
points
16. TYPES OF ACTIVITIESID & PD - TYPES OF ACTIVITIES
1,000
400
INDUSTRY
KNOWLEDGE
DEVELOPMENT
Participate in talks, forums, discussion
Participate in product/service briefing &
demonstration by vendors
24 – 70
points
Attend library related exhibitions
Study visit to other libraries
100
PERSONAL
DEVELOPMENT
Participate in any self development or
productivity courses not directly related to
library & information work
26 - 32
points
18. TYPES OF ACTIVITIESMORE INFORMATION
http://sites.google.com/site/laspds09/Home OR www.las.org.sg
19. Prescribe 6 basic expertise areas for entry
level librarians – Recommendations for “Library school”
Ability to pursue or guide users in building up
domain knowledge in specific subject areas or
disciplines
Ability to teach information skills and provide
information services as expert information
seekers with strong skills in discerning reliable,
accurate and authentic information
CISPIN recommendations – Basic
expertise of librarians
20. Ability to bring order and structure to a range of
information objects and documents so that they
can be retrieved, found, gathered and used
Ability to source for all types of information
resources through good understanding of the
information industry and publishing trade
Ability to tailor library and information services
that are effective in meeting different
information and learning needs of users
Ability to apply information technology
effectively to build solutions to improve library
services
22. Treat all users as friends – have their best
interest at heart
EVERY LIBRARIAN A
FRIEND OF USERS
RULE 2 :
An attitude & approach rather than personal
Have empathy with users
Each user is different – in knowledge state, character
and disposition – treat each differently
Extend good working relationship with colleagues to
users
Put yourself in the same mind frame of the user
23. EVERY LIBRARIAN A
FRIEND OF USERS
Think of users as friends in all areas of library
work, not just for one-to-one transactions
RULE 2 :
Benefits to this approach
Remove communication barriers
How policies and changes affect our friend, the user!
Greater satisfaction in serving “friends”
Replace the word “user” with “friend”
Lead to repeat visits and call for assistance
24. EVERY ENCOUNTER WITH
USERS SHOULD ADD VALUE
A user wants something out of a transaction
with the librarian – we fail when he[she]
goes away empty handed
RULE 3 :
Face-to-face
Over the phone
Email
Social media
Fully satisfied
Partially satisfied
Not satisfied, but pleasant
No change
25. Seeking alternatives are opportunities to
develop creativity and resourcefulness
Aim to produce positive outcome even when
we cannot fully satisfy the user
Explore alternatives, provide other added value
EVERY ENCOUNTER WITH
USERS SHOULD ADD VALUE
RULE 3 :
Not a business transaction
Continuous patronage of library services
A noble goal - making a difference in people’s intellectual
development and understanding of the world
26. Most people have low expectation of
librarians
USERS MUST HAVE HIGH
DEMAND & EXPECTATION
OF LIBRARIANS
RULE 4 :
Percieved as “book” people – loans and space only
Not aware of multitude of services
Surprised by high educational requirement of staff
INDICATORS:
Low expectations = low demand erosion
of economic value
27. USERS MUST HAVE HIGH
DEMAND & EXPECTATION
OF LIBRARIANS
High expectation = recognition of needed
service high economic value
RULE 4 :
Must not be worried about over-extending our work
Proactive – Generate demand for services
Must have confidence in entering new territories
Take criticism as confidence by user in delivering
highly demanded service
Seek opportunities to expand scope of work
Do not be too cautious
28. THE LIBRARY’S CRITICAL ROLE IN
KNOWLEDGE WORK MUST BE WIDELY
RECOGNIZED & ACKNOWLEDGED
Most people associate librarians with low
level & undemanding work – compared with
other professionals
RULE 5 :
Higher purpose in librarianship is not well
articulated and recognized
29. THE LIBRARY’S CRITICAL ROLE IN
KNOWLEDGE WORK MUST BE WIDELY
RECOGNIZED & ACKNOWLEDGED
Libraries
enable
advancement
of knowledge
RULE 5 :
Cumulated store
of knowledge (a
knowledge base)
Enable people to
encounter &
engage with ideas
and thoughts from
past and present
Affirm and
substantiate
information
Enable
independent
learning
Discover and
explore
“If I have seen
further it is by
standing on the
shoulders of giants”
– Isaac Newton
Need to reframe
our roles & work
in a larger context
30. CONCLUSION
Libraries undergoing profound changes –
affect the character of libraries & librarians
Achieving career excellence depends on our
how innovative we respond to unpredictable
changes
Something should not change – user-centric
approach – keystone of librarianship
5 rules of engagement proposed as a guide
31. Choy Fatt Cheong
University Librarian
Nanyang Technological University
CONTACT: fcchoy@ntu.edu.sg
THE END
Terima Kaseh