CILIP Qualifications: the new regulations explained

I achieved Certification 3 years ago and having recently registered to Charter wanted to find out more about the new changes to the process.  Therefore I attended the CILIP Qualifications: the new regulations explained training at Plymouth Central Library, November 26^th 2013.  Pam Martindale led the training and as a CILIP Qualifications Board Assessor and Mentor gave us a very good insight from both points of view. 

 

During the morning we learnt about the 3 criteria we have to demonstrate that we meet.  The 3 criteria are similar for both Certification and Chartership: personal performance and skills, your organisation and how you contribute and the wider profession.  For ACLIP the emphasis is on developing your knowledge and MCLIP focuses on what you do with your knowledge.   We also learnt about evaluation and reflective writing and their importance in the CILIP qualifications.  I found the morning very informative, wrote lot of notes, gained ideas I will pursue and promised myself that I will make more time to blog (reflectively of course). 

 

During lunch I enjoyed meeting and making links with other people in the library and information profession.  I work in a public city library and enjoyed finding out about life in school, college, university, etc libraries. As a result I intend to visit the libraries/work shadow some of the people I met.  

 

In the afternoon we learnt about using the Personal Knowledge and Skills Base and building a portfolio.  I was finding wading through the 45 page PKSB daunting, as I seemed to have many areas that needed development, so was reassured to find that we were not expected to be superhuman and know and work on all areas of the PKSB.  Therefore I am narrowing down which 5/6 areas I want to improve my score and planning how to do that.  I also have come away with the less is more message for the portfolio evidence and reflect, reflect, reflect.

 

I recommend both the training and the networking for anyone going for Certification, Chartering or Revalidation. 

Gadget and Social Media Day

I really enjoyed the SWRLS/CILIPSW Gadget and Social Media Day.  I got there early so I could have a good look round the library at UWE.  The staff were really helpful and gave me a behind the scenes look at the Book Sorter they have had for 18 months.  Staff were asked to think of a name to call it and the winner was BERTHA, Big Electronic Re-Turns Handling Apparatus.  Even the initially sceptical now can not remember how they managed before it. The books are transferred straight from the sorting bins to the correspondingly labelled book trolleys.  Also in the entrance foyer of the library is their 3D printer.  It is a donated £2500 domestic 3D printer using plastic to build up the models.  The university added a webcam so that the students can see when it is in use.  It certainly sparks interest in people walking by, however it does take several hours to build a model so it is lucky that the library is open 24 hours a day.

72 people arrived for the day.  It started with 15 presentations of 5 minutes each in length.  They covered Technology Petting Sessions, IPADs, tablets, Iphones, e-readers, Roving, Apps, Twitter, My Study Bar, Plymouth University Library App, Flikr etc.  After lunch it was into groups to try out the devices.  There was a treasure box of devices from Bridgwater College.  I liked the Easi-Speak microphone with USB.  Talk into the microphone, eg to record 6 book challenge, and then put into USB port.  The old library I worked in, which is being refurbished, had a Plasma in the entrance foyer.  I hadn’t thought of using a simple Kodak photoframe on enquiry desks to also promote library services and events.  Gloucester Library hadn’t even had their trial Library App for a whole day but demonstrated it’s uses.  It was bright, colourful and easy to use.  People particulary liked that you could scan a book in a bookshop and see if it is in the library and reserve it.  Very interesting day and met lots of interesting people.  Only thing wrong was that it was too short as I still had so much more to find out and more devices to try out. 

I have just started to have a look at My Study Bar.   I like the overlay which colours the whole screen and the Tbar, a block of colour overlay, so that text is easier to read by people with dislexia.  I also like the VuBar so that only one sentence can be viewed in a white box at a time, helping people with sight difficulites.  Lots more to explore. 

I am now re-energised for 23 Things @ Devon Libraries course.