Having only just chartered I must admit the thought of re-sitting is
very unattractive at the moment!

However, I do think it may possibly be fairer. As Lesha noted, I
have had the experience in my previous post of working alongside
people who were chartered librarians (when I wasn't) and who were
regarded more highly than me and paid more money. And yet they
came into the profession at a time when you did not need a degree
to become a librarian let alone a postgrad qualifcation aswell. They
became automatically chartered when, after one year working in a
library in any role, you were sent a certificate through the post from
the LA.

I have also noticed, particularly for school library posts, that they
tend to ask for people who are Chartered but not for people with
degrees/professional qualifications. Doesn't that mean that you
could have a BA, an MA and a wealth of experience but if you
weren't yet chartered then someone with no qualifications and who
didn't have to earn their charter could beat you to the post?

Continual assessment would mean EVERYONE had to earn their
charter this time round. A fairer system?

Sarah




On 17 Jan 2002, at 13:06, Lesha Fossey wrote:

> On Thu, 17 Jan 2002 11:47:44 +0000 [log in to unmask] wrote:
>
> > I really disagree with having to 'resit' the charter in
> > a few years' time - once you have got the qualification, as I say, it shows
> > you are a professional librarian.  You wouldn't resit your BA or whatever
> > would you?  Yes, you may add to it with a Masters or Diploma, which are then
> > with you for life too.  I
>
> I don't think that currently the charter shows you are a professional librarian.
> It might prove you are a "Professional Librarian"  but that's not the same in
> my eyes. It's a bit like the difference between being a conservative and a
> Conservative. You can be conservative (small c) in your thinking without
> holding "Conservative" party views and conversely not all members of the
> Conservative party actually hold conservative (small c) views. Currently
> Librarians can call themselves "Professional" without actually having to
> demonstrate continued professional competence and attitudes. To me professional
> (small p) means keeping up to date, developing, looking beyond the immediate job
> etc. Currently Professional (big P) seems to mean paying LA subs but nothing
> actually about what you do/are. The charter currently shows you have developed
> since qualifying up to the date the charter was awarded. But what about after
> that? I have worked with / come across people who can put ALA after their name
> without even ever having to do a PDR (i.e. old people ;-) who have not kept up
> to date with recent developments in the profession, new technology, etc. They
> have less knowledge/experience of current/future professional issues than many
> people fresh out of library school, yet they can call themselves "Chartered" and
> the inference is that they conform to a particular standard of professionalism.
> I want my ALA to mean more than that - when I get it... ;-) I don't think it
> should (like  my BA or MA) say what I did once upon a time in the past, I think
> it should say what I can and do, do NOW. Would you buy a car that passed its MOT
> in 1993 but had nothing to say it would work well now?
>
> I'm also currently studying to become a fitness instructor. There's a new
> National Register which the qualification I get will allow me to be on.
> However, I will have to accumulate a particular number of CPD "points" every 2
> years in order to stay on the Register. So people will know that by picking
> someone who's on the Register they can be more sure of the standard of
> instruction and the currency of the professional guidance they'll receive. I
> wouldn't pick a personal trainer who wasn't on the Register, and I'd pay more
> for one who was (as will gyms).  Perhaps the CPD requirement of the new
> qualification will result in an upward shift in our salaries too? e.g. if law
> firms and businesses looking for info professionals pay more to get someone with
> an ALA because they know that person will prove to be a consistently better
> investment for their company, then there'll be more competition among the rest
> of the employers for the remaining ALAs. Currently if a particular skill or
> experience is required in a sector/geographical area where it's hard to recruit,
> then more will be paid to attract the necessary candidates. If people can
> demonstrate how much MORE having an ALA is worth, then it WILL mean something.
>
> >>I think the value
> is in having the charter and having the letters after your name, not the
> process of writing it up.>>
>
> I think the two should not be separated. The process of writing it up is "being
> professional" and is therefore valuable as it's something you should be doing
> anyway, not just to compile a portfolio/write a PDR etc. And the ALA
> letters should be valued because they should mean that as you can prove that you
> are "professional" you can therefore call yourself "Professional aka Chartered"
>
> Just my thoughts
>
> Lesha
>
> --
> ----------------------
> Lesha Fossey
> Assistant Librarian, Circulation Services
> University of Exeter
> Stocker Road            TEL: 01392 263867
> Exeter                  FAX: 01392 263871
> EX4 4PT         E-MAIL: [log in to unmask]




Sarah Pink
Assistant Librarian
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