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Expertise development (ED) |
Activities that will help to upgrade and improve the skills and knowledge of practitioners |
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Industry Knowledge Development (ID) |
Activities that keep the practitioner informed of current developments in the information industry |
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Personal Development (PD) |
Activities that helps the practitioner improve on his work productivity, personal management skills and general knowledge |
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2.2 Each activity entitles the applicant to a number of points. To qualify for the Practicing Professional (PP) Award, the applicant needs to accumulate at least 500 points for ED, 300 points for ID and 200 points for PD within 2 years.
2.3 Please see the PDS Points.
2.4 For a list of past and current activities with designated PDS points, please refer to LAS calendar of events. However please note that you may acquire points from activities outside of this list provided they fall into the categories given in the PDS points award chart and adhere to the guidelines given. Announcement of courses and activities by LAS also provide indication of points that will be awarded to participants.
Keeping proper records & verification
3.1 Applicants can download the PDS Activities Record (PAR) [PDS Activities Record (PAR) Form - Download]. This is an Excel spreadsheet that is preformatted to calculate points for each type of activity. Enter the appropriate activity information as you progress in your professional development activity.
3.2 Instructions on filling in the form are given in the PAR From.
3.3 Applications can choose one of two options in verifying the activities that they engaged in
(i) Public display
Upon acceptance of application by the PDS Board, the activities form for each application will be made available for public viewing at the LAS website. Applicants need not submit any supporting documentation to prove the undertaking of the activities stated. If no queries and objections are raised by LAS members on the accuracy of the information submitted within one month, the award will be confirmed.
(ii) No display
If applicant does not wish to make their activities form public, they must provide proof of attendance for all activities. Documentation for verification can include certification by Head of Library, evidence of attendance from event provider, payment receipts, etc. Applicants need to pay an administrative fee of $50 to exercise this option.
Submission of application
4.1 To qualify for the award, applicants must accumulate 1,000 points within a 2-year period. The 2 year period can start from any time within a year. For example, a person who accumulated 1,000 points from activities engaged from 1 Feb 2009 to 31 Jan 2011 will qualify for the award on the following quarter of 1 Apr 2011.
Inaugural Implementation in 2008/09
5.1 To kick start the scheme for its first run, the duration for accumulating PDS points will be reduced to one year instead of 2 years and applicants need only gain 500 points, which is half the required points in a normal run to qualify for the award. The effort remains unchanged but the duration for eligibility is shortened.
5.2 For this inaugural implementation, applicants can submit their application for the award by end Dec 2008 onwards. Professional development activities starting from 1 Jan 2008 to 31 Dec 2009 can be used to earn PDS points, i.e. points can be assigned retrospectively. The award will be valid for a period of 2 years. This inaugural implementation will end in the Jan 2010 assessment quarter (qualifying period being 12 months period within Jan 2008 to Dec 2009). Thereafter, the scheme will operate on a 2-year period. Please see Application Schedule for the projected assessment quarters and the respective qualification period.
Benefits of the PP status
6.1 For individuals, gaining PP status will enable them to show their employers or potential employers that they have engaged in a systematic programme of continuous professional development and training expected of any modern professional. For some major organizations, the attainment of PP status may be tied to promotion considerations, career advancement and successful job applications.
6.2 For libraries, the PDS scheme provides a useful framework to encourage all librarians to engage in continuing training and professional development in a systematic and consistent manner. The scheme can dovetail with any existing staff development scheme easily. The attainment of PP status by staff member can be used as a pre-requisite for recruitment, promotion and incentive scheme for achieving higher professionalism and productivity. One useful feature of the PDS is that it takes into account non-training activities such as publishing, self-study, professional reading, participation in community projects, etc., which are important component of professional development and which are not normally considered as training activities in an organization’s staff training programme.
6.3 For parent bodies of libraries, the PDS scheme provides an industry standard in terms of what it takes to be recognized as sufficient effort in continuing professional development for librarians. Employers of librarians now have a common yardstick to determine the professional development effort undertaken by existing as well as potential employees. Also, unlike staff training schemes in an organization, whereby a person’s training record is kept in-house and is specific to the organization, the PP certification is portable and can be used wherever the person works.