Professional Development and Lifelong Learning

Core Competency Guidelines

Students will be able to perform effectively in the library and information professions by demonstrating knowledge of strategies for professional development and lifelong learning. 

By the conclusion of the master’s degree program, students should be able to: 

• formulate short- and long-term plans for professional development based on an awareness of the needs and realistic demands of the chosen work setting(s), personal competencies, and the profession 

• explain the role of the library and information professional in the community, culture, and society 

• develop a personal philosophy of professional behavior and ethics 

• demonstrate professional communication skills necessary for interaction, collaboration, and instruction 

• construct a career plan based on personal and professional goals 

• engage with a professional network of colleagues via professional associations and communities of learning and practice

Work sample

Description

For this assignment I developed a philosophy statement for my career in information science and short and long-term professional development plans. In the philosophy statement, I demonstrated mastery of lifelong learning and professional development by including my personal philosophy of professional behavior and ethics and by explaining the role of libraries and information professionals in the community. I emphasize the information professional's role as a collaborator; an integral part of the community that must reflect the community's needs, increase information accessibility, and ultimately support the community and community members in their goals. It is critical for libraries and information professionals to maintain culturally responsive, equitable policies, practices, and behavior. I further demonstrated mastery of lifelong learning and professional development by basing my plans on the realistic needs and demands of my expected future in medical librarianship. The short-term plan includes measures to develop critical skills, relationships, and constructive experiences for future work as a medical librarian. The long-term plan includes measures to continue my education as a professional, build my professional relationships and network, track and plan my progress, and prevent stagnation and burnout.

Analysis

Grounding the philosophy statement in the concept of libraries as community partners helped to establish a reliable thread between professional behavior and ethics, goals, and planning. It allowed me to maintain perspective and prioritize the overarching goal in all areas. However, focusing so much on health literacy in the philosophy statement may have narrowed the scope unnecessarily, especially given that I had no library experience at the time. Given my lack of experience, it was especially pertinent that the short term plan prioritized skill and experience building and familiarizing myself with the field. I failed to account for how challenging it would be to work or volunteer in different libraries with the rapid policy fluctuations caused by the pandemic, but the goal to experience different library settings was worthwhile despite the challenges. The long term professional plan was more vague than is ideal due to my being new to the field and uncertain of which paths would be available to me after graduation, but I compensated for this by prioritizing continued education, relationship building, and maintaining focus on my overall philosophy.

Reflection

A throughline of this artifact is my dedication to merging my former career in nursing with my new career in information science. While my previous work experience still provides me with insight that I use in librarianship, I chose to broaden my focus rather than narrow it down. Instead of taking health and health information-related classes, I enrolled in more diversity, equity, and inclusion classes, even earning enough credits to apply for a Certificate in Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. I stepped even further outside of my comfort zone with a course in data visualization. Planning to leverage my healthcare knowledge and experience was a good plan since they are so useful in medical librarianship. However, since I already have such a strong base in that area, I opted to gain new skills and insight so that I can apply what I learned in my previous career in a wider range of environments and opportunities. Partly due to limited opportunities for in-person work and volunteerism being more limited during the global pandemic, I started a full-time position as a library specialist after completing my internship. This allowed me to develop more in-depth experience and skills in an academic library environment, instead of having brief interludes in many different types of libraries. The daily exposure has allowed me to build stronger professional bonds for networking, learn more from colleagues, and better define my professional goals. My plans to actively seek advice when I feel unsure and find inspirational experiences when I feel stuck have remained key parts of my professional strategy. I will continue to incorporate them in my future plans as measures to take to avoid burnout and stagnation.