So, only three short months after submission*, and yet still many weeks before the next scheduled Board meeting on 12th September (CILIP moves in arcane ways), I got an Exciting Email on the 24th August - my Chartership Revalidation portfolio had been accepted, yaaaaaaaaaay!
So, I believe this makes me a Very Valid librarian. You may worship at my feet, and shower me with gifts and adoration now...
And it also possibly shows me to be reasonably masochistic, to have effectively put myself through the whole Chartership process all over again, four years** after I did it for the first time. Not to mention that fact that I'm going to be doing it again in another three years***.
So why did I do it? Well, to quote George Mallory, "because it's there". Also, because it works well within my workplace's appraisal system. This system focusses on enabling staff to identify and address any deficiencies in either their own skills, or in the services that they provide to other staff, and allows them to set aside time to improve these areas, and set completion targets. So, it's actually part of the structure of my job to regularly look at what needs improved, and work on it...much like the Chartership and Revalidation process.
And as bizarre as it sounds, the feeling of achievement (if you disregard the minor, last minute doubts and panic) as you package up those copies to send off for assessment, is one of the few times that you get to look at a Big Professional Thing and think "Yeah: I did all that stuff in there. You know, I'm actually pretty good at this librarianing lark after all"...
* Warning: sarcasm.
**Yes, it's recommended that it be three years, but life happens.
*** Or so...dependent on workload/free time
So, I believe this makes me a Very Valid librarian. You may worship at my feet, and shower me with gifts and adoration now...
And it also possibly shows me to be reasonably masochistic, to have effectively put myself through the whole Chartership process all over again, four years** after I did it for the first time. Not to mention that fact that I'm going to be doing it again in another three years***.
So why did I do it? Well, to quote George Mallory, "because it's there". Also, because it works well within my workplace's appraisal system. This system focusses on enabling staff to identify and address any deficiencies in either their own skills, or in the services that they provide to other staff, and allows them to set aside time to improve these areas, and set completion targets. So, it's actually part of the structure of my job to regularly look at what needs improved, and work on it...much like the Chartership and Revalidation process.
And as bizarre as it sounds, the feeling of achievement (if you disregard the minor, last minute doubts and panic) as you package up those copies to send off for assessment, is one of the few times that you get to look at a Big Professional Thing and think "Yeah: I did all that stuff in there. You know, I'm actually pretty good at this librarianing lark after all"...
* Warning: sarcasm.
**Yes, it's recommended that it be three years, but life happens.
*** Or so...dependent on workload/free time
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