Gathering at Gosforth

Last Friday afternoon I visited the new Gosforth Library in Newcastle for a gathering of Public Library Heads of Service and other colleagues brought together from across the North East region by Jane Hall, City Librarian of Sunderland (see point about job titles in previous blog posting) to discuss the issue of professionalism in public libraries.

We had an excellent discussion, which evolved into three (of course) points.  First we looked at different models of service provision being explored in the North East - transfer of library service responsibilities to local communities, integration of library provision with a range of other related services, co-location of library facilities with other services.  Then we looked at the difference between a "retail" model of library provision (efficient stock supply, attractive building, welcoming staff) and a "professional" model incorporating the skills and values and specialisms of library and information professionals.  And then we looked at CILIP's Framework of Qualifications and Accreditation (FoQA) and its relevance to the ways in which public library provision is evolving.

It was a really good discussion (my thanks to all who gave their time to take part) and that's why I wanted to share the outcomes with you, the readers of my blog.  Outcomes as follows:

Yes, there are alternative models of public library provision that need to be taken seriously, particularly given the government's wish to see greater economic efficiency and more community engagement in the delivery of public services.  Yes, there is something different - something important, something better - about a "professional" rather than a "retail" model of public library provision.  Yes, there is value in CILIP's FoQA - indeed one Public Library Authority represented at the gathering had used the specialist knowledge of Chartered LIS professionals as a (successful) argument for their upgrading during the job evaluation process, thus proving the contention that Chartership can increase pay.  But the value of CILIP's FoQA was also seen as something broader than the pay of some individual practitioners - the fact that we are a regulated profession, through the CILIP FoQA, enhances the status and standing of the profession to the benefit of all practitioners.

And yes, to build on the value of the CILIP FoQA we need to continue to improve the FoQA.  Three messages about the FoQA emerged strongly from the gathering at Gosforth.  Keep it simple for practitioners - make the processes of application and revalidation and assessment as simple as possible.  Keep it relevant for employers - which means, inevitably, moving to a system of revalidation (through assessment of continuing personal professional development) which is compulsory for registered practitioners.  And keep it authoritative - which means linking it to the emerging National Occupational Standards and the various competency frameworks being developed by employing organisations.

The gathering at Gosforth gave me much to mull over as I headed south towards Ridgmount Street.  For me, it helped to kick-start three of the major lines of action for CILIP in 2008 - around the future for public library provision, the concept of professionalism and the review of CILIP's processes of qualification and accreditation.

Of course, I didn't head south immediately.  A quiet Friday evening in Newcastle (yes really - a couple of excellent pints of Timothy Taylors Landlord sufficed without recourse to the clubs of the Quayside or the fleshpots of the Bigg Market) was followed by a feast of football over the weekend before I headed south at an alarmingly early hour on Monday morning.

Football - now there's a topic deserving of some blog attention .......