Professional Learning Experiences
My first library job was as a part time circulation assistant. I only worked 12 hours a week but I quickly learned that I wanted to pursue a career in librarianship. One of the things I remember very clearly was looking at a job posting for a full time position in another library and a co-worker saying to me “you don’t want to work there, they make everyone do professional development.” Unfortunately, I’ve encountered this attitude from a great number of people in the libraries I’ve worked in. I’ve since seen the error of that way of thinking and this module on Infinite Learning has taught me more about how important it is to continue to seek learning opportunities for myself, the staff I work with, and our patrons.
When looking at the study by Stephens, et al. on the experiences of public library workers in Australia and the different learning “personas” they identified, I would describe myself as the Curious Ad Hoc Learner. I routinely seek out opportunities to learn more about my library, my profession, and my community. As a manager, I would like to learn how to support my staff and encourage them to take part in professional development and professional learning experiences. I think that creating a professional development plan for myself and my staff is a positive first step in showing them that I encourage and support them in their professional endeavors and that I am committed to continuous learning at our library.
I created this infographic of a 4 step professional development plan for small public library staff that I hope to be able to use in my library.
I feel this plan aligns with what we learned from Michael Stephens in Wholehearted Librarianship about what library workers are looking for in their professional development options. They want face-to-face, interactive, real-life learning experiences that challenge them, asks them questions of themselves, and encourages them to branch out and network with others. This plan does all of that and gives staff a chance to learn and grow within the field.
References:
Stephens, M. T. (2019). Wholehearted librarianship : finding hope, inspiration, and balance. ALA Editions.
Stephens, M., Partridge, H., Davis, K., & Snyder, M. (2022). The Strategic, Curious & Skeptical Learner : Australian Public Librarians and Professional Learning Experiences. Public Library Quarterly (New York, N.Y.), 41(3), 257–272. https://doi.org/10.1080/01616846.2021.1893114