Given at the CPD25 Applying To Study Library And Information Science … And Beyond event, November 2013 http://www.cpd25.ac.uk/events/applis/ About the benefits of professional involvement for all LIS professionals, but especially new professionals and students

2. Professional
involvement: why,
what and how
Bethan Ruddock, Project Manager, Library & Archival Services,
Mimas @bethanar
CPD25 Applying To Study Library And Information Science …
And Beyond, November 2013
#applis13
mimas.ac.uk

3. Who am I?
Bethan Ruddock, MCLIP
CILIP Chartership mentor
SLA Board of Directors (2014-2017)
SLA Europe board, 2009Blog: bethaninfoprof.wordpress.com
Slideshare: slideshare.net/bethanar
Twitter: @bethanar
Book: The New Professional’s
Toolkit, Facet, 2012, http://lisnewprofs.c
om/
mimas.ac.uk

4. What is ‘professional involvement’?
Involvement in professional activities outside or not directly related to
your workplace or place of study.
Can be formal, such as: membership of professional bodies;
volunteering for committees; giving presentations; writing articles;
attending conferences; formal mentoring
Can be informal, such as: blogging; tweeting; joining online
discussion groups; informal/peer mentoring; sharing your work
Whatever you do, it’s about learning, sharing, & participating
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5. Why become involved?
Professional involvement is a great way to:
Learn skills: especially ones you might need for career
progression, but don’t have the opportunity to learn through
work or study. You can practice these skills in a safe environment.
Make contacts: form a peer network for mutual support,
knowledge sharing, and inspiration
Gain confidence through new experiences
Improve your CV and get your name known by potential future
employees and colleagues
Give back to the sector by sharing and helping others
mimas.ac.uk
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6. Why become involved as a student/earlycareer professional?
Good foundation for building your career: stand out
early, gain extra skills & experience
More experience/understanding of the sector can
help you decide on future career directions…
… And contacts can help you get there
You have something to offer the profession no matter
how early on in your career you are: your personal
skills, experience, insights, ideas, & enthusiasm
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mimas.ac.uk

7. Professional associations
Membership bodies, affiliated
to a profession
May have a Charter
May qualify or register
practitioners
May be a charity
Professional associations may:
•
Set standards
•
Develop guidelines
•
Advocate for the profession
•
Lobby decision makers
•
Provide ethical guidelines
•
Develop the profession
•
Provide support and guidance for
practitioners
mimas.ac.uk
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8. What can they do for you?
A professional association will do most or all of the following:
• Run events/conferences/training courses
• And provide awards/bursaries to attend them
• Provide opportunities for networking
• Provide opportunities for structured professional development
• Provide chances for a mentoring or peer support program
• Publish journals/magazines/newsletters/blogs
• Have committees, staffed by members
• Provide careers advice & employment support – throughout
your career
• Provide access to resources such as journals, databases, web-
based training
• Be based around a particular sector/area of expertise, or
have sub-groups that are
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mimas.ac.uk

9. What can you do for a
professional association?
• Join!
• Advocate the value of the body
• Get involved – offer time and talents
• Provide feedback
• Support other members
A strong membership is
necessary for
organisations to have a
strong voice
Fiona Bradley, IFLA
mimas.ac.uk
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11. Membership fees
Student membership fees, 2013/14:
CILIP: FREE
Special Libraries Association: $40 (about £25)
ARA: £12
ISKO: €15 (about £12)
BIALL: £8.50
ALA: $34 (about £21)
Aslib: FREE (if your workplace/university is a member)
= £153
IFLA: FREE (with membership of an affiliated
organisation, such as CILIP)
IRMS: FREE
IAML(UK & Irl): FREE (1 year)
School Library Association: £47.50
ALISS: £15
ARLIS: £12 (basic)
mimas.ac.uk
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12. How to find the right association for you?
• Join!
• Try them out while they’re cheap
• Find out about them
• Read website & publications
(where available – try your university
library)
• Talk to members
• Read blog posts
• Look at conference programs
• What are other people in your
sector/desired sector members of?
mimas.ac.uk
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13. What if you can’t find the right
organisation for you?
Try creating your own!
mimas.ac.uk

14. Conferences
Current awareness, networking, new ideas. Find out what other
people are doing, and what the current hot
topics are. Get
different points of view. Make new contacts. Meet vendors.
Learn, present, share.
mimas.ac.uk
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15. Attending conferences
• Apply to present
• Presenters often get free registration
• Offer to help out on a stand, or as a steward
• Associations and conference organisers often look for
volunteers
• Will get you in for free – but you will have to do some work!
• Look for bursaries and awards
• SLA Europe Early Career Conference Awards
• Most CILIP branches and groups offer student bursaries to
Umbrella
• Often student sponsored places for: UKSG, LILAC, IFLA, CILIP
SIG conferences
• Funders: UKeIG, John Campbell Trust
• lis-awards jiscmail list
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mimas.ac.uk

16. Writing/blogging/speaking
Practice at communicating with different audiences
Develop confidence
Share your ideas and experiences
Reflect. Inspire. Influence.
mimas.ac.uk
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17. Writing/blogging/speaking
Involvement breeds involvement:
43% of opportunities came from
prior personal contact
41% came from previous
professional
achievement/involvement
16% came from ‘traditional’
methods, eg call for papers
mimas.ac.uk
From http://thewikiman.org/blog/?p=1603

18. Writing/blogging: finding opportunities
Blogging:
low barriers to entry – anyone can start a blog
often informal writing style
can cover any topic, or a variety
can keep it private if you don’t want to share
get into the habit of reflective writing
Writing articles:
association/SIG newsletters/magazines often
looking for content
contact editor & volunteer, or look for calls for:
event reviews
book reviews (might get you a free book, too!)
mimas.ac.uk
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19. Networking
It’s not all about ‘what can you do for me?’
Build a genuine connection
Make friends
Share experiences
Remember, you have something to give, too
mimas.ac.uk
Image used under a CC licence from http://www.flickr.com/photos/screenpunk/3474867233/

20. Advocacy
Advocacy may not directly affect your career,
but it raises the value of the profession in society:
do it!!
Ulla de Stricker, ILI 2013
Advocacy starts with doing your job well, and believing in and
articulating your own value…
… But it doesn’t end in your workplace, your sector, or even your
profession
Take every opportunity to speak
up about the value of
libraries, librarians, and information professionals in all sectors
mimas.ac.uk

21. Getting the most out of your involvement
Reflect: before and after
What I think I’ll get out
of this experience:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
What I did get out of that
experience:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Compare your lists. Did you get what you thought you would?
What ‘extras’ did you get? What did you miss out on?
mimas.ac.uk

22. Getting the most out of your involvement
Don’t burn out!
Factor professional involvement into your CPD
Make sure that your involvement meets your needs
Time, skills, experience
Respect your limits
Sometimes you need to #justsayno
mimas.ac.uk
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23. Image used under a CC licence from http://www.flickr.com/photos/itsgreg/707054525/
11/11/2013
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Image used under a CC licence from http://www.flickr.com/photos/taedc/8555605808/
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25. 11/11/2013
age used under a CC licence from http://www.flickr.com/photos/three-legged-cat/2334391735/
Bethan Ruddock
bethan.ruddock@manchester.ac.uk
@bethana
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