Why I quit CILIP ...

i've posted this as a comment on Bethan Ruddocks blog,  but was subsequently guided here. Its my experience of CILIP as a chartered member and my recent resignation. As a CILIP Member of nine years and a Chartered Member for the past four, I have recently quit. A colleague from another institution suggested I do this publicly, which I was not used to, but after some deliberation, I've decided to share the whole process. Here is the guts of my resignation letter, outlining why:

 

A lot of ideas to comment on in here and much to agree with.  Stuff to disagree with to but Ed has been more than fair in raising some of the likely points already.  The impact of the organisation you work for and their provision of opportunities is a key point for me here.

In terms of the tech stuff I think there has to be some consideration of what CILIP (as a community + a central organisation) can best offer.  I am not a full on systems librarian so I do not know where they likely already congregate online but what could be done to complement and build on those things?  How could CILIP best partner to deliver the kind of technical learning people need at a more affordable price?

In terms of volunteers time spent on bureaucracy - not sure myself but I would certinaly like to see CILIP better support virtual meetings to save peoples time and travel expenses.

The thing about being involved for greater benefit is certainly true in my view.  A good example here is the opportunity to do things outside the current job role that would help with future roles.  Finance is a good example.

I really like the points about advocacy.  I was on the Policy group for a time - it has changed lately.  I think it needs to be a more focussed body with greater short term involvement around specific issues.

Finally on the paper journals - not sure I agree with the mostly about PL assessment.  Nothing to stop people writing stuff they want to read it in either.  I liked someone elses suggestion of staging forums around particular hot topics and then having these written up and reported in Update to get away from the "How I run my service good" style of article (not that I haven't got some great ideas from a few of these). 

In purely practical terms a bit of care when opening the bag means Gazette provides me with a handy source of bath room bin liners - one reason to always open the plastic!

I absolutely agree with the points about making CILIP more public facing and getting Librarians a higher public profile. I think the ideas about getting CILIP content in national newspapers, finding celebrity spokespeople and getting more involved in matters of national, even global, importance are great ones.

As I seem to have said several times today, in relation to various discussions, I think a lot of the problems of the profession could be solved if we could only raise our profile and shake off our dreadful stereotype. 

I agree with a lot of other things that Ed says here, but this particular point, at the moment, is the one I want CILIP to address as a priority.

Dear Ed,

 

I won't begin to argue with your figures (we all get the picture, even the CEO!). Everything you say about how you think CILIP has failed you may well be true but you can't change it from the outside. Still, you have already made up your mind. I have been a chartered librarian for about a quarter of a century and a finer career I could not have wished for, but then a day came when I found myself facing a problem. CILIP, to whom I turned for assistance, did not help. I believe this is called "shooting the messenger". I advise you to frame Dr McKee's letter/email. Could be a collector's item one day.   

 

Here's the real key to all this. In other professions, if you resign your membership of the controlling professional body you are no longer able to practice that profession with all that that entails. Funny how in librarianship it doesn't seem to work that way. The fatal flaw, but you are leaving so how much does it really matter?

 

F. Daniels

 

 

Thanks for all the comments both on and off board, and to those who have tweeted and posted links to this on their blogs.

Frank, I think that may well be the crux of it. Where I work, CILIP membership is largely the exception, not the norm. Once I stopped seeing membership and the qualification as a professional necessity, then I began to question the value I gained. It may potentially be a problem down the line if I wish to move out of academic libraries, but I will just have to deal with it then.

In terms of changing it from the outside, I agree and have some regret. But then, If I don't need it, then why should I attempt to change it? Furthermore, if CILIP is not actively researching the needs and opinions of those information workers who are NOT members, then it is certianly doomed. I'm sure this is not the case.

On a more positive note, Phil Bradleys' blog post on CILIP in 2020 is one of the most optimistic things I've read in ages regarding the profession and how it could operate. I'd join an organisation like that today. Some of what he descirbed is already in place at the Open University in their innovative Digi-lab centre.

 

Thanks Ed, I spotted your post a bit late but wanted to comment as lot of what you said echoed how I felt as an information scientist working in an information service for a large multinational company.  I left CILIP two years ago as I didn't feel engaged enough to stay. The main thing that had kept me a member for the last year or so was the daily updates on the information field which I found useful to keep up to date without much effort on my part but then these services were reduced & there just didn’t seem much of interest going on to help me justify the expense. 

In contrast, a colleague was a member of the Special Libraries Association (SLA) where it seemed there was much more was going on & despite the name had much more relevance to my information scientist role. So I joined!  The association is largely US based but does have a European chapter & various special interest groups. SLA has a virtual “innovation lab” environment similar to that suggested by Phil & developed an interesting & useful programme called 23 things to encourage people to try new web 2.0 tools. They have a vibrant yearly conference where the agenda is always tantalizing and covers a wide range of topics including management & personal skills as well as technical & industry updates so people can update their whole skill set. 

They are not afraid to try things & had a virtual component at the annual conference this year that enabled me to attend some of the sessions (as our training budget doesn't unfortunately cover conferences in the US!). They even have an island in second life with a virtual library full of information resources complete with helpful in world librarians!

They have regular webinars & have created certificate programs for specific development areas making professional development easily accessible. They also use experts outside the industry to talk & inspire on information related topics. Something which doesn’t happen enough in CILIP. I’d like see CILIP also doing the reverse & going conferences outside the information sphere to inspire people on the benefits of innovative & effective information management & services to get the message out there & increase our visibility within the UK. I actually don’t know where CILIP has been able to make a difference to the information environment. I’m sure there must be activities that have been initiated from CILIP that have had significant impact or changed policies to the benefit of the wider community. Shouting about successes & keeping a list of past achievements would help members feel part of association that is actively working for them & improve external visibility & recognition. Similar to a lot of comments I have read, I do believe CILIP has a unique opportunity to influence UK government policy & promote the value & unique skills of information professionals but doesn’t appear to be doing this effectively at the moment.

Regular F2F contact with like-minded professionals in my locality (East Midlands, UK), is another area I’d like to see CILIP to improve its engagement. It has the home advantage as although there are specialist groups, none of which has such wide membership throughout the UK and being able to connect people from such a range of different sectors & encourage the transfer of knowledge across these. From my viewpoint, we have lot we can learn from each other, many of our skills are transferable but we seem to be siloed in our approach. I read with interest an article about a librarian who attended a conference in a different sector and found it helped her think about her own work in a new way. We should embrace our diversity and makes the most of it, yet we seem to see it as an issue rather than an opportunity. In my role, I see how valuable it is to bring together people who are interested in same topic but perhaps coming at from different approaches. The organisations we work for are generally siloed into departments but the information service & library reaches across these boundaries and so has a unique vantagepoint to spot where it’s worth pooling resources & knowledge & get people talking to each other resulting in a more innovative outcome. I see CILIP as being in a great position to do this for the information community.

The SLA have done a lot of work in the last year or so looking at aligning the organisation to the changing environment including how to support their members & help communicate their value more effectively (see http://www.sla.org/content/SLA/governance/namechange/timeline.cfm#jan_jun10). I’d like CILIP to look at what other professional associations are doing to help their members and identify best practices & where they can create synergies to help attract non traditional information professionals e.g. British Computing Society (BCS) and also where they can differentiate themselves & create unique value for their members.

I have rejoined CILIP in the last few months quite simply because the site I work at is expected to close in the next year and I wanted to use every opportunity to develop my professional skills & network but despite my efforts I have yet to persuade my colleagues that CILIP is worth joining. I hope this will change and CILIP will become the place to be for all information professionals, librarian or not, & will be key influencer & inspiration in the future information environment at least in the UK & so then be able to contribute effectively to the global information economy!

Thanks again,

Liz

 

 

You've made some very interesting points - like others, some I agree with, some I don't.  But one struck me as just incorrect:

• Save the big stuff for other academic LIS journals. Maybe sponsor one and make it freely available online with membership

CILIP publishes Journal of Information Science (JIS) via Sage.  This,  Journal of Librarianship and Information Science (JOLIS), IFLA Journal and Health Informatics Journal are available... free, online to members.  They also provide access to a large database of library science articles via ProQuest.

It's one of my favourite member benefits, despite being hard to find on the website (The most popular section is "below the fold" on my monitor so I always forget it's there...)

Thanks for the correction Elizabeth.  I had a feeling  this was the case and should have been more scrupulous in my checking. As you said though, its not easy to locate on the site. It would be great to see this being promoted more.

I belive the crux of my point still stands, why not get more material into those journals and push them more?

@Elizabeth Jennings

Thanks for your response - you are doing my job for me in this instance - and very well too!

With regard to them being a little hard to find, i've noted this comment and while I can't promise to move them up and shunt something else out of place, perhaps it indicates that we should promote them via a few more homepage slots in the future.

Thanks again.

Hi Ed et al, I too am planning to quit CILIP as I know work technically in the commercial sector and CILIP really doesn't seem to have a lot to offer me any more. It costs a lot to remain a member, and Chartership is going to mean less to potential employers now than it ever did (skills and experience, or specifically relevant quals maybe, fluffy and vague CPD, not so much). It's not just the move to a sector that pays me a living wage that has pushed this consideration to the front burner - it's the process of Chartering itself. Apparently there used to be some exams on had to pass but the idea (and *experience*!) of putting together the portfolio of "evidence" has really made me feel this "qualification" is little more than writing a long-winded job application (in my case, for a job I already got). I can agree with almost all of Ed's reasons below and could probably add 5 or 6 more. CILIP "from the outside" seems more and more outdated and irrelevant with each passing day...

Hi Michael,

If your job takes you outside the information world, then certainly it may be time to leave CILIP. But don't be without a professional voice. Join an appropriate professional body. Without a professional body there is no profession, just jobs.

Ensure:

• they have authority to back up your professional decisions;

• that they have a credible framework of qualifications that will accredit academic programmes to enhance employability and to embed employer needs into courses

• that they offer you a chance to maintain and reflect on your continuing professional development so that you can continue to broaden your career opportunities
• that the professional body has national and international networks so you're a part of an influential community that can draw upon the knowledge and good will of experts, mentors and enthusiasts.
• there are leaders and activists in that professional body who will campaign for your interests and the interests of your community.

Maintaining a portfolio of personal professional development is not just a glorified job application, it is about getting the most from your experience and training by reflecting on your learning (have a look at John Dewey's works on reflection) and raising standards. You do open up more job opportunities and the fact that people apply for Chartership -- maintain their CPD --raises the profile of the profession, which then reflects well on the individual professional.

Our assessors are committed senior professionals who are also employers. Because some people in senior positions are no longer active or say they do not value professional qualifications don't make the mistake of thinking this is universal; many employers expect to see professional engagement and achievement from prospective employees. They know that commitment to personal and professional development will serve their interests and they want someone who demonstrates that they make the effort to learn from experience. 

Good luck with your continuing career Michael, I'll be sorry to miss you at events and on the professional networks.

All the best

Michael

 

 

 

Hi Ed,

I'm interested to know - why did you decide to go for Chartership?

I've been doing it because "it was the next step", but now it seems more and more a step leading nowhere I couldn't get without it.

Cheers!

Hi again Martin,

You wrote "If your job takes you outside the information world, then certainly it may be time to leave CILIP..."

This is why I consciously wrote about my contrasting experience *in the public sector* - I am still very much doing information work, but it really feels like another world, despite the fact I am using the same professional knowledge, the same skills and experience I gained in Govt and academic libraries.

If anything I feel like I am more of an active "professional" because I am actually using those skills rather than talking or writing about them.

In response to "Our assessors are committed senior professionals who are also employers. Because some people in senior positions are no longer active or say they do not value professional qualifications don't make the mistake of thinking this is universal; many employers expect to see professional engagement and achievement from prospective employees. They know that commitment to personal and professional development will serve their interests and they want someone who demonstrates that they make the effort to learn from experience.

Well, I agree, those are good points. But I don't see that Chartership is the only, or even the best way to demonstrate them. Putting my portfolio together I realised that I'd certainly learned and developed a lot but that demonstrating it to CILIP doesn't seem to pay off for me in any way - in fact, I pay CILIP rather a lot for something I would do anyway, and again, Chartership is not explicitly in demand. Or is there a sort of gentlemen's agreement to only hired Chartered members among some senior professionals?

Whilst I agree CILIP has its faults I would challenge anyone to find a professional association without any shortcomings. When I chartered many years ago this was considered de rigueur in terms of professional mobility. Now it seems even being a member of CILIP is an arbitrary decision. I am saddened by this because when libraries and librarians are under attack as never before from economic, political, technological and social forces, we as a profession can't quite see the necessity in having a professional association to represent us. If CILIP isn't doing enough then it is up to us as librarians to insist that it does. But you can't do that by leaving. I know it isn't perfect, I accept that, and I have been critical of its inactions over the years. However, personally, I do feel proud to be a chartered member of my professional association, however effete and irrelevant that sounds. If my employers don't know about CILIP then it is up to me to explain its importance to them. I have found as a working professional that CILIP provides me with enough useful information and continuing training and networking opportunities to make it worthwhile continuing my membership. Even if my employers didn't value my professional membership, I still derive personal satisfaction from being chartered and being a librarian. If we don't all start to rally round the flag now, within a very few years there will not be a library profession. So for me at least, Chartering still is very relevant.

Best wishes

Roger Farbey (FCLIP and proud!)

Michael, I was at the time in a senior assistants' post and wanted to move on. It seemed the logical step to me but felt very much like hoop jumping, despite the support of an excellent Mentor.

My next job was actually gained before I completed, and the concept of Chartership  was unheard of there. As with my current position, I would have had to taken personal leave to attend any CILIP events for chartership....  so to be honest, It felt a bit unnecessary and even unwanted. 

In terms of demand, I believe that it IS required for some senior public library positions, but as a result the library service pays the CILIP fees, which in turn gets passed on directly to the taxpayer. I personally find this somewhat unfair, and means that CILIP is always skewed towards public libraries and that it can rely on a certain amount of taxpayer funds to keep on rolling. Seems very Catch 22 to me. 

 

Michael Martin, I liked your bullet points, they provide an excellent summary of what I would like from a professional organisation (I currently have none to support me). If I may comment with regards to how I currently view CILIP ....

• they have authority to back up your professional decisions; 

Is this the case with CILIP, will I get legal support if sued by an individual for providing their child with something they would rather I did not? If so, CILIP needs to promote this. Do they really have sufficient weight in the UK to make a difference in matters that affect us? Currently RLUK  (Research Libraries UK)  is attempting to reverse the shocking 5% annual price rise in academic journal provision. Where is CILIP in this debate?

• that they have a credible framework of qualifications that will accredit academic programmes to enhance employability and to embed employer needs into courses

This is certainly true with MA's, and CILIP is vital in supporting this. The creditability of chartership in academic research libraries has been well discussed here. If RLUK required all academic related posts holders to have or bee undergoing Chartered Librarian Status, I would not have quit. 

• that they offer you a chance to maintain and reflect on your continuing professional development so that you can continue to broaden your career opportunities
• that the professional body has national and international networks so you're a part of an influential community that can draw upon the knowledge and good will of experts, mentors and enthusiasts.

These are both great points, but as i stated above, CILIP does not have a monopoly on providing these valued opportunities. Now days, all you technically need is a few spare weekends to blog personally about your professional experience and a twitter account, witness the 23 things folk ... There is less structure of course, but it can be done

• there are leaders and activists in that professional body who will campaign for your interests and the interests of your community.

There are indeed, but they seem to be acting as valiant individuals and groups (Voices of the Library and P. Bradley) rather than speaking through the official channels of the organisation.  These happen in spite of CILIP, not because of it, and would hopefully occur anyway ...

The BMA acts and speaks politically in the interests of its members. The Natural History Museum takes a strong line in support of Evolution vs creationism? Why can CILIP not publicly and officially denounce library cuts and campaign against library closures which surely represents the interests of its community?

 

 

 

Michael, I was at the time in a senior assistants' post and wanted to move on. It seemed the logical step to me but felt very much like hoop jumping, despite the support of an excellent Mentor.

My next job was actually gained before I completed, and the concept of Chartership  was unheard of there. As with my current position, I would have had to taken personal leave to attend any CILIP events for chartership....  so to be honest, It felt a bit unnecessary and even unwanted. 

In terms of demand, I believe that it IS required for some senior public library positions, but as a result the library service pays the CILIP fees, which in turn gets passed on directly to the taxpayer. I personally find this somewhat unfair, and means that CILIP is always skewed towards public libraries and that it can rely on a certain amount of taxpayer funds to keep on rolling. Seems very Catch 22 to me. 

 

Michael Martin, I liked your bullet points, they provide an excellent summary of what I would like from a professional organisation (I currently have none to support me). If I may comment with regards to how I currently view CILIP ....

• they have authority to back up your professional decisions; 

Is this the case with CILIP, will I get legal support if sued by an individual for providing their child with something they would rather I did not? If so, CILIP needs to promote this. Do they really have sufficient weight in the UK to make a difference in matters that affect us? Currently RLUK  (Research Libraries UK)  is attempting to reverse the shocking 5% annual price rise in academic journal provision. Where is CILIP in this debate?

• that they have a credible framework of qualifications that will accredit academic programmes to enhance employability and to embed employer needs into courses

This is certainly true with MA's, and CILIP is vital in supporting this. The creditability of chartership in academic research libraries has been well discussed here. If RLUK required all academic related posts holders to have or bee undergoing Chartered Librarian Status, I would not have quit. 

• that they offer you a chance to maintain and reflect on your continuing professional development so that you can continue to broaden your career opportunities
• that the professional body has national and international networks so you're a part of an influential community that can draw upon the knowledge and good will of experts, mentors and enthusiasts.

These are both great points, but as i stated above, CILIP does not have a monopoly on providing these valued opportunities. Now days, all you technically need is a few spare weekends to blog personally about your professional experience and a twitter account, witness the 23 things folk ... There is less structure of course, but it can be done

• there are leaders and activists in that professional body who will campaign for your interests and the interests of your community.

There are indeed, but they seem to be acting as valiant individuals and groups (Voices of the Library and P. Bradley) rather than speaking through the official channels of the organisation.  These happen in spite of CILIP, not because of it, and would hopefully occur anyway ...

The BMA acts and speaks politically in the interests of its members. The Natural History Museum takes a strong line in support of Evolution vs creationism? Why can CILIP not publicly and officially denounce library cuts and campaign against library closures which surely represents the interests of its community?

 

 

 

Hi Roger,

 

I agree with you in that the times and the profession have moved on. Ed mentioned public libraries - I never have and never intend to work in that part of the sector. If CILIP represents that in reality, why not change its name etc to reflect it?

but I would disagree in your analysis of what to do - I think that CILIP has pretty much lost its focus on what librarians & libraries per se actually do. Bibliography (i.e. resource description), research, access and information literacy are core business. The rest is not really core. Hence I feel Chartership is not really preparing me for anything specific.

Taking some IT, finance, or project management quals would provide specific knowledge and credentials. My library masters, I may as well say, while it was CILIP accredited and so helped me get various posts, didn't provide more than 5% of the knowledge or skills a professional masters in information organisation should.

I think the values and knowledge are given more lip service than rigourous treatment (hence no more exams). I don't derive personal satisfaction from gaining an insubstantial qualification - I think the profession deserves more but it's not what CILIP presents as the profession.

Cheers, M

 

NB. This post has been partially moderated after a request from another community member (Forum Moderator)

The courses are accredited in order to allow people to work towards Chartership. Chartership is a continuing professional development qualification, and CPD is one of the main purposes of a professional body. If you decide to measure professional development then you need criteria and these should not be restrictive when a profession is as broad as the library and information one.

Michael, I respect your decision that CILIP and its qualifications are not for you, but do not call them insubstantial. Members work hard to gain Certification, Chartership and Fellowship. Assessors give up their free time and apply their evaluative skills to ensure that the application meets strict criteria. We have external examiners who also assure our validating body, the Open University, that Chartership deserves to earn up to 30 credit points at postgraduate level and Fellowship up to 75 credits. Certification is also credit rated by the Scottish Qualifications Authority. Whatever you may think of these bodies and the concept of professional development, our qualifications are substantial achievements. You can see more information on these credits here.

CILIP and its members have been actively engaged in fighting library cuts. Bob McKee, our late Chief Executive, personally intervened at Wirral and Annie Mauger, our current CEO, has been tireless in campaigning for public libraries, responding to the Comprehensive Spending Review, going directly to the heart of the issue of the Big Society and speaking directly to politicians. It's not easy getting CILIP's point of view in front of the public, but CILIP has been making its voice heard in the media, and keeping a close watch on politics.

Members phone CILIP's information service to get authoritive advice on copyright and other issues, we respond to consulations using the expertise of our diverse and informed community. If members act within their ethical code then they deserve and will receive the support of their community. Several years ago I was a witness at an employment tribunal where a member, Diana Glanville, was fighting effective dismissal because of a stand she took over her professional qualification. I explained the framework of qualifications. She won her case. This was reported locally and featured in Update (Vol.5, number 4). It was my duty to explain qualifications, but it was Diana who had the courage to stand up for the professional status of all Chartered members and the quality of service all our users deserve.

Why don't we promote all this activity? We email regular bulletins, we send out press releases (which are increasingly being used) but not everything is remembered or comes out at the time the individual is actually worrying about the issues.

 

Exams would work in some contexts, but our 'profession'  is so wide it may be restrictive.

The 23 things blogging has mention professional competencies (i'm afraid I forget who, sorry). Interestingly enough, the SLA mentioned earlier in this thread has proposed a set:

http://www.sla.org/content/learn/members/competencies/index.cfm

Ultimately, the qualification and the work required to do it are only really valued by the assistance you get in securing a role or greatly improving performance / pay through possession of said qualification. Accountants, Lawyers and Doctors do not sit exams 'for the experience', they do it to get a better job or retain their current one.

Chartership helps you step up in public libraries, not so for other sectors, I do feel that needs to be acknowledged and resolved. Speaking to RLUK would be a great start.

Meanwhile, as we continue to pontificate ad-nauseum about what defines our role and profession and how to validate it, Amazon readies an ebook lending service.

Michael Martin, I appreciate your facts and  Annie Maugers' hard work on our behalf. I had no idea about the OU credits, again, communication seems to be an issue.  The defense of Diana Glanville is also impressive stuff.

In addition to the value of qualifications, I still however feel my arguments outlined last year about CILIP's' lack of advocacy still largely stand.  We have gained media recognition but its down to a few hard working individuals such as Annie and Phil and Lauren.  You say it is the voice of CILIP being heard, but are they actually acting as individuals, or speaking on behalf of the whole organization, please correct me if I am mistaken

To put it bluntly, where is the Save the Libraries campaign page on the CILIP site?

If CILIP were to swing in this direction and become a campaigning body, I might well sign up again