The get together for chartership candidates in the London area happened 
at the White Horse, Parsons Green, on 9th December.  

The directions to the pub were great, but unfortunately we couldn't 
remember if a way of recognising fellow candidates was arranged!  After 
wandering aimlessly through the bar a couple of times wondering exactly 
how do you recognise an off-duty librarian (we look just like normal 
people...) we were accosted by two drinkers who very tactfully asked if 
we were there 'for a meeting'.  Together it only took another 20 minutes
to locate the table festooned with CDG leaflets and reports!

It was really good to meet others from a range of sectors, all at 
different stages of the chartering process, eight of us in total.  A 
couple of academic librarians just finished Route A and trying to get 
motivated to write-up, a couple from the British Standards Institute, a 
health librarian and the FE sector going down Route B and a school 
librarian unusually (only the third candidate ever to go down this 
route) building up a portfolio.

Probably the most useful thing for me was having the chance to look at 
a number of completed (and passed!) PDRs, as I'm about to start writing 
mine, so many thanks to Ian Hunter, the Regional Liaison Officer, for 
supplying them.  It's good to get an idea of the standard expected and 
now it doesn't seem quite as daunting a task.

Personally I thought it was great to meet informally and exchange 
experiences of what I think can be quite an isolated process of 
'getting chartered'.  It was interesting to chat about why people were 
doing it in the first place (or why they hadn't bothered until now) and 
whether it really meant anything in terms of being a 'professional' - a 
discussion I know this list has played host to before.  To my 
knowledge the LA don't really provide a forum for informal meetings 
like this, but I think there's definitely a place for them in this 
context.  The CDG training I've been to has been excellent but doesn't 
offer the same chance to socialise and offer each other support.

Big thank you to Denise for organising it.  There will be another 
meeting sometime towards the end of February - so watch this space!

********************************************************
Katy Sidwell
Assistant Librarian (Manufacturing and Applied Sciences)
Kings Norton Library
Cranfield University
Cranfield
Bedfordshire
MK43 0AL

Tel: 01234 750111 ext 4451
Fax: 01234 752391
E-mail:  [log in to unmask]
URL: http://www.cranfield.ac.uk/cils/library



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