Making a Case for Professional Development in Lean Times

Gather a dozen youth services librarians in a room and they will likely share one trait:  Librarians are learners. Even the most recently credentialed book jockeys have plenty to learn from their colleagues in the field, but it can be especially intimidating to self-advocate when you’re new to your position. Professional development is vital to staying informed on emerging trends and technologies, and can provide much-needed space to build strong connections among librarians across institutions (Core Competencies). 

Librarians know better than almost anyone else- you have to seek out high quality information to develop high quality skills, so why is professional development so often the first place budgets (and staff hours) are shaved? And how on earth can an already overextended librarian advocate for the importance of funding continuing education?

A solid first step in any advocacy campaign is information gathering. A great source of supporting info is just waiting for you to employ it: your institution’s strategic plan. Virtually every library, school, and information institution has a strategic plan that guides near-term decision making, usually on five to ten year cycles. Find and refer to the section about staff development and continuing education as the basis supporting your professional goal-setting. Your institution wants you to learn about your job, right? It’s written there by the administration in the strategic plan! Why, cutting spending in continuing education would be contrary to what your library says it MUST do!

Supervisors nearly always want more collaboration on staff performance plans, so build on your narrative of necessity by finding some specific events, seminars, or courses to strengthen your skillset and include as examples. If you are at a loss for your starting point, take a look at the seven ALSC Core Competencies and choose a broad area you would like to focus on, then read further on that competency to find some specific skills you would like to strengthen. For example, you could seek out a conference session focused on library programming in the community and build your ability to “[deliver] programs outside or inside the library to meet users where they are.”

Funding is often the biggest hurdle to conquer as you make your case for professional development as a librarian. Free is always a librarian’s favorite price, right? Your friends in ALSC have your back, as usual. Check out the “Webinars and Virtual Events” section of the ALSC website for the latest on-demand offerings and upcoming live learning events. There’s even a perfect fit for the performance plan example above! Online seminars are not the only resource available to you with your ALSC membership. Don’t forget about the ALSC on Connect forums where practitioners from around the globe collaborate to elevate their service to children and families. 

If you meet resistance about scheduling time to focus solely on professional development, keep a Connect forum tab open on your browser and a Word doc for notes so you can snatch any available moment to learn. Your excellence as a librarian demands you stay on top of trends and technology in your field, and you deserve to connect with fellow professionals- particularly as you develop your skills early in your career.

Take the time to set your professional development goals this January and you’ll reap the rewards through the new year. ALSC is here to support you!

Melissa Horak-Hern is a member of the 2024-2025 ALSC Membership Committee. 

This blog post relates to ALSC Core Competencies of: VII. Professionalism and Professional Development.

The post Making a Case for Professional Development in Lean Times appeared first on ALSC Blog.

 Gather a dozen youth services librarians in a room and they will likely share one trait:  Librarians are learners. Even the most recently credentialed book jockeys have plenty to learn from their colleagues in the field, but it can be especially intimidating to self-advocate when you’re new to your position. Professional development is vital to staying informed on emerging trends and technologies, and can provide much-needed space to build strong connections among librarians across institutions (Core Competencies).  Librarians know better than almost anyone else- you have to seek out high quality information to develop high quality skills, so why is professional development so often the first place budgets (and staff hours) are shaved? And how on earth can an already overextended librarian advocate for the importance of funding continuing education? A solid first step in any advocacy campaign is information gathering. A great source of supporting info is just waiting…
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