Continuing professional development
Book review
Title of Book: Continuing professional development: a guide for information professionals
Author: Alan Brine
ISBN: 184334081X
Publisher: Chandos Publishing
Publisher website: http://www.chandospublishing.com
Reviewer name: Michele Hilton Boon
Title: Information Officer
Contact details: Scottish Intercollegiate Guidelines Network (SIGN), 28 Thistle Street, Edinburgh, EH2 1EN
0131 718 5092
Email: michele.hiltonboon@nhs.net
Review
Continuing professional development (CPD) is high on our profession’s agenda at the moment, with CILIP introducing revalidation and a revamped Framework of Qualifications while other organisations, such as the NHS, introduce skills-related frameworks for staff. Ivor Lloyd devoted his most recent Presidential column to the topic, arguing that “One of the distinguishing features of being a professional is a commitment to continuing professional development” (1). Alan Brine, Library Systems and IT Manager at De Montfort University library and doctoral candidate at Loughborough, would agree, and has produced a useful, brief and readable volume that covers key concepts of CPD and provides many pathways to follow when engaging in this core professional activity.
With the emphasis on the C in CPD, this book is not only for the new professional interested in Chartering, but will equally be of interest to more experienced librarians, especially those who would like to progress and develop their career. This is not a job-hunting manual and does not discuss issues such as the CV. Instead, the focus is on learning and development and how to plan and document related activities, beginning with a discussion of different learning styles and how the learner can adapt to meet the need for reflective practice. An explanation of how to conduct a training needs analysis is followed by a detailed discussion of how to put together a good portfolio. The author then explores how to take advantage of programmes that support professional development, ranging from the international to national, sector-specific, regional, and local levels. Other sources of support are described, with a particularly detailed and useful section devoted to the mentoring process and how this can best be conducted for the benefit of all parties. Finally, these ideas are brought together in a chapter on career development, which offers very helpful, practical advice and interesting ideas about ways to progress in library/information careers. Examples throughout are taken from Britain, Australia, the United States, and a variety of sectors, including health.
Primarily this book offers useful information that can immediately be put into practice to make professional development more effective and beneficial for the individual. It does not attempt to cover the topic of professional development in an encyclopaedic fashion, and might well be less useful if it did. Neither does it attempt to make an academic argument or present research findings. The author does frequently return to his assertion that professional development is the responsibility of the individual, but his purpose is to present information and ideas that will help the individual to make the most of the process and to find support for it.
The central content of the book has been judiciously selected and satisfactorily covered, with suggestions for further reading compensating for brevity. The only disappointments are the introduction and conclusion. The former strangely neglects to explain the aims, structure, or intended audience of the book; the conclusion is a rather unnecessary construction consisting of a literal reproduction of most of the section headings and bulleted lists from the body of the book – effectively a 25-page crib sheet. However, these criticisms do not detract from the overall usefulness of the book’s main content. I found many tips and ideas, for example on ways to document and annotate evidence, that I could immediately put into practice; having read this book, I feel more confident and positive as I approach my next round of CPD planning.
If you maintain a collection of materials to support professional development, whether for library and information staff or for personal use, this book should be in that collection. It makes a very useful reference for the candidate putting together a Chartership application, but will also aid and inspire more experienced librarians, whether they are thinking about revalidation, creating a professional development plan, or considering where they would like their career to take them next.
1. Lloyd, I. President’s perspective: use it or lose it. Information Scotland 2006;4(4):4.