Partnerships for Development: Linking Education and Practice

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Partnerships for Development Linking Education
and Practice
CILIP North West Branch Manchester Metropolitan
University

• Sheila Corrall
• Director of Academic Services
• University of Southampton
• President
• CILIP

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CILIP North West Branch Manchester Metropolitan
University

• Partnerships for Development
• Linking Education and Practice
• Environmental and service context
• CILIPs educational objectives
• Messages for educators from reports
• Problems related to practitioners
• Existing and potential links

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Environmental context

• Fast-moving operational environment
• Convergence of technologies and services
• Continually evolving body of knowledge
• Blurring of professions and disciplines
• Government commitment to e-agenda
• Project funding and partnership working
• Changes in student finance and fees
• New unified professional organisation

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Service developments

• Traditional activities transformed by IT, eg
  knowledge organisation systems, digital
  reference, reader development
• Professional skills transfer to new areas, eg
  assistive technology services, development of key
  skills, e-prints
• Partnership working and organisational
  convergence with related / allied services, eg
  computing, corporate information, learning,
  knowledge management, e-gov

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CILIPs educational agenda

• Redefine the sectors body of knowledge
• Review the process of accreditation
• Widen access to educational programmes
• Develop alternative routes to registration
• Take a key role in leadership development
• Examine feasibility of bursary scheme
• Extend the knowledge of the profession
• Agree a code of professional conduct

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The key objective

• By March 2005
• A framework of qualifications which is
  accessible, inclusive, relevant and
  authoritative, and supported by a wide range of
  opportunities for CPD, including
• CPD scheme for chartered members
• certification for affiliated members
• alternative access routes . . . to enable a
  continuous career path from frontline assistant
  to chartered member

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Quotes from reports

• Specific actions for activity 2002-2004
• To identify the learner support skills needs of
  library staff in all sectors
• To develop initial training and continuing
  professional development programmes to teach
  library and information staff learner support
  skills
• Libraries and lifelong learning
• a strategy 2002-4. 2001

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Quotes from reports

• Recommendations
• Graduate and postgraduate educators in the
  computing and library fields should ensure that
  there an adequate element of each course is
  devoted to development of generic management
  skills and knowledge. Similarly, discussions of
  converged and hybrid services should become an
  integral part of such courses,
• HIMSS final research report. 2002

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Quotes from reports

• Recommendation
• CILIP needs to facilitate regular discussion
  between all the key stakeholders employers and
  their staff, professional bodies, education and
  training providers, students as to the skills
  needs that require to be met and the most
  effective means of doing this.
• National information policy report of
• the Policy Advisory Group. 2002

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Quotes from reports

• Library schools need to include in their
  curricula importance of the librarian role in
  delivery of information skills training
• New graduates had skills gaps in classification
  and cataloguing work that affected their ability
  to undertake jobs
• Learning support skills are part of the new
  competences expected of library and information
  staff in a range of contexts
• Report of social inclusion awayday. 2002

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Quotes from reports

• Recommendations
• 2.5 The training courses provided for both
  teachers and librarians, whether at first
  professional level or as in-service training,
  should enable a better understanding of each
  others roles and functions.
• Start with the child report of the CILIP Working
  Group on library provision for children and young
  people. 2002

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Quotes from reports

• Specific recommendations
• 21 CILIP should work to influence the design of
  academic courses to ensure that information
  specialist subjects are taught in the context of
  the business and organisational world
• CILIP in the knowledge economy
• a leadership strategy. 2002

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Quotes from reports

• Emerging areas for priority action
• Knowledge management
• Project management
• User support
• Leadership
• Strategic thinking
• ICT applications
• B Fisher. Report on skills and competencies for
  information professionals. 2002

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Messages for educators

• Gaps in knowledge and skills
• cataloguing and classification
• management and leadership
• analytical and critical thinking
• Subjects not put in real-world context
• Teaching not related to present-day roles
• support for learning and learners
• information skills training / teaching
• hybrid and converged services
• We need to talk to each other more often!

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Problems with practitioners

• Assume curricula can change instantly and have
  infinite capacity for expansion
• Expect people to be trained for the job rather
  than educated for a profession
• Hard to find people who are willing and able to
  provide right input to programmes
• Real shortage of thought leaders and
  contributors to professional literature
• Significant variation in activities and awareness
  in different parts of the UK

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Challenges for the profession

• Asserting our competence and expertise in a
  competitive business environment
• Balancing core knowledge and skills with other
  related and generic elements
• Establishing an acceptable mix of academic and
  experiential learning
• Making chartership a qualification that is valued
  by both members and employers
• Removing barriers to entry while maintaining
  professional standards

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Existing education-practice links

• Accreditation process
• Dissertation fieldwork
• External examiners
• Practical placements
• Visiting professors

• Advisory boards
• Class visits
• Guest speakers
• Professional groups
• Research projects

AD HOC INDIVIDUAL FRAGMENTED
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Potential education-practice links

• Closer involvement of practitioners in design and
  delivery of initial education
• More educator-practitioner collaboration on
  research projects, joint publications and
  development of case study material
• National forum on information education to
  discuss strategic issues and actions
• University-based research fellowships for
  practitioners giving them time out for reflection
  and engagement with academia

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Sheila Corrall, CILIP PresidentEmail
S.M.Corrall_at_soton.ac.uk
Chartered Institute of Library and Information
Professionals 7 Ridgmount Street, London WC1E
7AE Telephone [phone] Fax [phone]
0501 Textphone 020 7255 0505 Email info_at_cilip
.org.uk Website www.cilip.org.uk