What does CPD mean, later on in your career?
So as background: I qualified in 1992 in New Zealand, worked there for 7 years in professional posts and then moved to London and carried on – mainly in academic libraries but with brief stints in a national libray, a public library, government, law and an international development NGO.
Is CPD different? As a late Chartership candidate, one thing I’ve noticed in comparison to those I mentor is that much of my CPD then was by doing rather than attending courses. Which isn’t to say that courses don’t have their use, but endorses the fact that much of what you learn is by doing, and by taking on new tasks, responsibilities and roles. My Revalidation was a chance to think about the next stage, and once I hand that in Fellowship the next goal (and one difference I perceive is I’m more likely to be presenting or organisaing a confernece than just going along and listening – though when I do the latter it is a nice place to be).
Obviously my career is still developing and changing. Some key things I have done which will be included in my revalidation submission have been attending the Leadership Foundation for Higher Education’s Future Leaders Project, and my study tour to the US via the CILIP/English Speaking Union Travelling Librarian Award. I spoke about both of these at a CDG confernce last year. Much of my focus has been in two directions – in subject specialism areas and in management and leadership, nicely reflecting my current role. In the future I see increased management roles as being where I’m heading. At the same time I’ve been keen to keep up with new and emerging technologies. While my systems librarian days are well behind me I feel a need to have a good overview of developments and to understand new tools.
In an environment where everything moves (and very quickly) and in a career where I want to keep moving too, continued CPD is essential and remains important.
