next steps: continuing your education and pursuing certification john j. burke, msls ohio library...

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Next Steps: Continuing Your Education and Pursuing Certification John J. Burke, MSLS Ohio Library Support Staff Institute July 25, 2006

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Page 1: Next Steps: Continuing Your Education and Pursuing Certification John J. Burke, MSLS Ohio Library Support Staff Institute July 25, 2006

Next Steps:Continuing Your Education and

Pursuing Certification

John J. Burke, MSLS

Ohio Library Support Staff Institute

July 25, 2006

Page 2: Next Steps: Continuing Your Education and Pursuing Certification John J. Burke, MSLS Ohio Library Support Staff Institute July 25, 2006

Next steps1. Fit training to your goal(s) and learning

style(s)

2. Identify your opportunities for continuing education

3. Analyze your needs and create a plan

4. Justify your library’s investment in you

5. Understand support staff certification

Page 3: Next Steps: Continuing Your Education and Pursuing Certification John J. Burke, MSLS Ohio Library Support Staff Institute July 25, 2006

The naming of the parts

• Continuing education (CE) – Professional development– “Continuous learning”– Beyond on-the-job learning

• Certification– A recognition of achievement – A measurement to shoot for

Page 4: Next Steps: Continuing Your Education and Pursuing Certification John J. Burke, MSLS Ohio Library Support Staff Institute July 25, 2006

Why do we pursue continuing education?

• We have to– Your job is changing– Your role is changing– Your library is changing– The world is changing

• Because we want to:– Fight complacency– Hone skills– Add abilities– Refresh yourself– Share ideas with colleagues

Page 5: Next Steps: Continuing Your Education and Pursuing Certification John J. Burke, MSLS Ohio Library Support Staff Institute July 25, 2006

What is your educational goal?• Adding a specific skill(s)

• Keeping up with new developments

• Taking on new responsibilities

• Moving into a new role/location/library type – future employability

• Seeking promotion/reclassification/raises

• Personal satisfaction

Page 6: Next Steps: Continuing Your Education and Pursuing Certification John J. Burke, MSLS Ohio Library Support Staff Institute July 25, 2006

Where are you starting from?

• Measures of knowledge and ability:– Formal degrees (H.S., AA/AS, BA/BS,

MA/MS, PhD)– Past (& ongoing) CE – On-the-job training– Day to day library experience– Non-library experiences

• What’s your experience picture?

Page 7: Next Steps: Continuing Your Education and Pursuing Certification John J. Burke, MSLS Ohio Library Support Staff Institute July 25, 2006

Learning styles

• How do you learn best?

• Various ways to categorize/analyze:– Visual learners– Auditory learners– Kinesthetic/tactile learners

• Identify your style

• Find ways to strengthen your abilities

• No learning method pigeonholing!

• Take the test!

Page 8: Next Steps: Continuing Your Education and Pursuing Certification John J. Burke, MSLS Ohio Library Support Staff Institute July 25, 2006

Learning styles & learning situations

• Face to face (F2F)– Lecture– Group work/discussions– Hands-on– Combination of the above (active learning)

• Distance learning– Synchronous vs. asynchronous– Live videoconferencing– Web-based (various styles)– Video/correspondence courses

Page 9: Next Steps: Continuing Your Education and Pursuing Certification John J. Burke, MSLS Ohio Library Support Staff Institute July 25, 2006

Learning durations

• One-shot workshop or meeting

• Multiple sessions over days or weeks

• Formal credit course

• Self-directed learning

• Learning communities

Page 10: Next Steps: Continuing Your Education and Pursuing Certification John J. Burke, MSLS Ohio Library Support Staff Institute July 25, 2006

How committed are you?

Page 11: Next Steps: Continuing Your Education and Pursuing Certification John J. Burke, MSLS Ohio Library Support Staff Institute July 25, 2006

Where do you want to go?• Master of Library and Information Science

• Bachelor’s degree or degree-completion

• Associate degrees and certificates

• Credit courses

• CE grab-bag (workshops, conferences, etc.)

• Informal CE options

Page 12: Next Steps: Continuing Your Education and Pursuing Certification John J. Burke, MSLS Ohio Library Support Staff Institute July 25, 2006

MLS/MLIS/MSIS, etc.

• Kent State School of Library and Information Science– F2F: Kent or Columbus– Online: 12-12-12 Distance MLIS

• Several other accredited schools (online)

• Positives: recognized credential, promotion/job development

• Unknowns: job openings, the job you want?, opportunities in current library

Page 13: Next Steps: Continuing Your Education and Pursuing Certification John J. Burke, MSLS Ohio Library Support Staff Institute July 25, 2006

Bachelor’s degree/degree completion

• F2F: your local institution• Online: University of Maine at Augusta –

BS in Library & Information Services• Online: Bowling Green State University –

BS in Advanced Technological Education – AAS transfer

• Positives: offered in convenient formats, could add needed specialty to library, new career?, needed step prior to MLS

• Unknowns: cost?, time?, value to library?

Page 14: Next Steps: Continuing Your Education and Pursuing Certification John J. Burke, MSLS Ohio Library Support Staff Institute July 25, 2006

Associate degrees and certificates

• F2F: your local institution • Online: Belmont Technical College – AAS in

Information Services: Library Paraprofessional

• Online: University of Maine at Augusta – AS or Certificate in Library & Information Services

• Positives: preparation/extension of library knowledge, offered in convenient formats, could add needed specialty to library, new career?

• Unknowns: cost?, time?, worth it?

Page 15: Next Steps: Continuing Your Education and Pursuing Certification John J. Burke, MSLS Ohio Library Support Staff Institute July 25, 2006

Credit courses

• F2F: your local institution

• Online: Ohio Learning Network – OhioLearns

• F2F or Online: Kent State SLIS

• Positives: definable outcome, solid grasp of topic, feedback, focused period

• Unknowns: specific enough to need?, too much theory?, cost?, time?

Page 16: Next Steps: Continuing Your Education and Pursuing Certification John J. Burke, MSLS Ohio Library Support Staff Institute July 25, 2006

CE grab-bag• F2F and online: Workshops and conferences

(many choices, including OLSSI; check organization sites)

• Ohio Library Continuing Education – automated statewide calendar system

• OHIONET• State Library of Ohio – F2F and eLearning• LibraryU – web-based training modules• OPAL (Online Programming for All Libraries)

• Positives: just what you need, small investment, offered often or regularly

• Unknowns: not enough information, unknown quality

Page 17: Next Steps: Continuing Your Education and Pursuing Certification John J. Burke, MSLS Ohio Library Support Staff Institute July 25, 2006

Informal CE opportunities

• Participation in electronic discussion groups, local/regional/state professional organizations, networking of all kinds

• Having a regular source for updates, new concepts, sharing of successes and failures

• Choosing ways to stay in touch with the wider world

• Positives: no or low cost, ongoing, builds relationships, constantly spotting trends and developments, way to pick opportunities for deeper learning

• Unknowns: too informal to keep you focused?, too much information?, too disconnected from daily work?

Page 18: Next Steps: Continuing Your Education and Pursuing Certification John J. Burke, MSLS Ohio Library Support Staff Institute July 25, 2006

How to get more out of CE opportunities

• Plan ahead: have a goal!• Ask questions!• Networking – strike up conversations!• Exhibits are not just for pens!• Take good notes and review them!• Follow up on suggested resources• Look for the connection to your job• Share your story after (whether you’re asked

to or not!)• See it as freedom from day to day pressures

– not its own pressure

Page 19: Next Steps: Continuing Your Education and Pursuing Certification John J. Burke, MSLS Ohio Library Support Staff Institute July 25, 2006

A plan comes together

• Your CE strategy:1. Identify your preferred learning styles and

learning situations 2. Name your goal3. Choose opportunities to meet that goal4. Make your case5. Persevere

• Write it down! Track your progress• Bring the breadth of your experiences into

the library

Page 20: Next Steps: Continuing Your Education and Pursuing Certification John J. Burke, MSLS Ohio Library Support Staff Institute July 25, 2006

How is CE supported in your library?

• Encouragement

• Time off to attend

• Flexibility in scheduling

• Paid/reimbursed opportunities

• Know your options and benefits:– How is CE funded/allocated at your library?– Does your larger organization offer funds

or scholarships?

Page 21: Next Steps: Continuing Your Education and Pursuing Certification John J. Burke, MSLS Ohio Library Support Staff Institute July 25, 2006
Page 22: Next Steps: Continuing Your Education and Pursuing Certification John J. Burke, MSLS Ohio Library Support Staff Institute July 25, 2006
Page 23: Next Steps: Continuing Your Education and Pursuing Certification John J. Burke, MSLS Ohio Library Support Staff Institute July 25, 2006
Page 24: Next Steps: Continuing Your Education and Pursuing Certification John J. Burke, MSLS Ohio Library Support Staff Institute July 25, 2006

Building a case

• ROI – what is the library getting for its investment?– Measure the impact of CE– Agree on long-term impacts– Look for case examples elsewhere

• The 1.6% solution - James Casey – Regular maintenance of a larger investment

• How is your desired activity relevant?

• Going beyond in-house training

Page 25: Next Steps: Continuing Your Education and Pursuing Certification John J. Burke, MSLS Ohio Library Support Staff Institute July 25, 2006

The certification story

• Recognition of ability and accomplishments• Typically voluntary• Existing certification programs:

– Michigan– Minnesota– New York– Utah

• Librarian certification programs• May exist elsewhere in larger organizations• Impact

Page 26: Next Steps: Continuing Your Education and Pursuing Certification John J. Burke, MSLS Ohio Library Support Staff Institute July 25, 2006

What can you do about certification?

• Work with statewide library groups to establish an Ohio program

• Work with ALA LSSIRT or COLT to institute a national certification program

• Build a certification program within your own library

Page 27: Next Steps: Continuing Your Education and Pursuing Certification John J. Burke, MSLS Ohio Library Support Staff Institute July 25, 2006

How’s the job market?

• Nationally: 260,000+ support staff, 136,000 librarians (ALA)

• Ohio: Labor Market Information – % change from 2002 to 2012 (& number of annual jobs)– Library assistants, clerical – up 16.2% (528)– Library technicians – up 10% (281)– Librarians – up 5% (186)

• Regular growth; changing nature of jobs; new expectations?

Page 28: Next Steps: Continuing Your Education and Pursuing Certification John J. Burke, MSLS Ohio Library Support Staff Institute July 25, 2006

Questions, Queries, or Quizzical Quotations?

John J. Burke, MSLS

Director, Gardner-Harvey Library

Miami University Middletown

[email protected]

513-727-3293

AIM: infomanjjb