Good afternoon

I have become aware that a certain amount of misinformation is circulating
on this list regarding the processing of submitted PDRs and other forms of
submission for Chartered Membership.  A brief explanation of procedures will
clear up any ongoing misunderstandings.  I would also like to point out that
these procedures have not been changed or altered in any way in the recent
past.

The Chartership Board meets every eight weeks but the dates of the various
meetings have never been published as it is entirely up to individual
candidates when they consider they are ready to submit their documentation
for assessment.  This assessment process is a continuous one which is not
dependent on or restricted by Board meetings.  Decisions on any
documentation which has passed through all the preliminary stages, and for
some candidates these can be quite lengthy, will be sent for final
ratification at the next available Board meeting.

When a candidate's submission arrives in this Department it may arrive at
any point in the eight week cycle.  It does not spend more than a day or two
being processed and is then despatched immediately to a pair of Board
members for initial assessment.  If this pair agrees to accept the
submission then that decision will be ratified at the Board meeting
immediately following the return of all paperwork to this office.  If there
are problems with or gaps in the submission then assessors can ask for
further information from the candidate or, depending on submission type,
arrange for an interview etc.  This can add a further eight to twelve weeks
to the timeline depending on how soon the candidate responds to the request.
As soon as these responses are looked at by the assessors and a decision is
made then that decision will be ratified at the Board meeting immediately
following the return of all paperwork to this office. Extreme cases where
there are multiple difficulties with a submission can take several Board
cycles to pass through the assessment procedures.  For these reasons it has
never been possible to tell candidates which particular Board meeting will
look at their submission.  We can, however, assure candidates that their
submission will be seen as soon as possible.

The issue of the June Board meeting mentioned is something of a red herring.
This was a date which had been inserted as an extra into the normal cycle
(offering a four week split between two meetings) had we needed it this year
in response to the change to the new Regulations.  The level of submissions
did not alter substantially so this extra meeting was removed again from the
cycle although it is possible that, if the need arises, we will reinsert it
later in the year.  There has been no interruption to the normal flow of
business to the Board cycle.

I hope that perhaps this full explanation of the assessment process will
clarify any misunderstandings and serve to assure you that there is
absolutely no question of submissions being held back in this office for any
reason.   We have always made every effort to assist candidates through this
process and will continue with our best efforts to do so.

If you have any particular questions regarding this message or something
about your own submission which you would like to clarify, please do not
hesitate to call me and we will talk things through.  After today, I will be
back in the office on Thursday and Friday of this week.

With best wishes

Susan Kay
Professional Adviser
Membership, Careers & Qualifications Department
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T: 020 7255 0612

CILIP:  the Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals was
formed in April 2002 following the unification of the Institute of
Information Scientists and the Library Association