Editorial:
Spring is in the air!
Every
morning I try to spend just a few minutes out enjoying the
garden. As well as being a relaxing way to start the day,
it is, at this time of year, also a particularly rewarding
experience. My small plot of land is now finally bursting
into new life after several months of dormancy. Brave-hearted
Spring bulbs are offering their bright coloured flowers and
the birds are chirping away every morning, glad of the extra
food I put out for them. As this is the Spring issue of Impact,
I have been thinking quite a bit about the parallels between
the way the seasons turn and the way our professional lives
also follow a course. What season do you think your career
is in? Do you think the Spring time of your career is the
early years, when obtaining formal qualifications, a first
professional post and perhaps chartership are the key aims,
or do you see the Spring time of your career as something
which happens every year? Certain recent changes proposed
by CILIP are encouraging us to remember that Spring happens
every year, not just in the early stages of our working lives.
Professional development is about constant self-evaluation,
renewal of skills and the seeking of revalidation of our worth
as information professionals. The Career Development Group
has submitted a formal response to CILIP's proposed Framework
for Continuing Professional Development. Whilst considerable
progress has been made on furthering plans for revalidation
and improved access into the profession, the final scheme
will not be in place before the end of this Spring.
Where
does that leave you? Spring is a good time for us all to reflect
on areas for new growth, to cut out the dead wood carried
over from previous years, and to prepare the ground for the
forthcoming year. I hope this issue will help you do just
that. Alana Macmillan's article may help you if you are at
the early stages of your career, chartering under the transitional
regulations. If you've decided to mark Spring by applying
for a job, could you take a few tips from Lucy Anderson's
piece on delivering a training session as part of an interview?
Are there areas of your service that could be reviewed - provision
for people for whom English is a second language or the way
you utilise IT? The Career Development Group is also offering
a wide range of training events over the next few months to
help you. Whether you attend our high profile AGM event or
get involved locally, this is your group, here to help you
stay professionally renewed all year round.
Christopher
Cipkin
Joint Honorary Editor
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