continuing professional development in australian health libraries

Continuing professional development in Australian healthlibraries

GABBY FENNESSY School of Information Management and Systems, MonashUniversity, 26 Sir John Monash Drive, Caulfield East, Victoria 3145, Australia

This article provides an outline to current issues in continuing professional development within the

Australian health library sector. The role of the Australian Library and Information Association is

explored, and other providers of CPD activities and their relevance to health librarians are discussed.

Introduction

The workplace has undergone rapid change in recent years, and the library professional in

Australia, as elsewhere, has faced the need for transformation in their role.1 Within a

health environment consisting of uncertainty, organizational change and increasing

pressures on financial resources, demands on library services and the skills of library

workers continue to grow.

This article provides some background to the climate of continuing professional

development for health librarians in an Australian context, and describes some of the

initiatives set up to help facilitate their change and development.

Background

Library and information education and development has been in a state of change and

revision, reflecting wider changes in society and the workforce. There has been a move

from the traditional understanding of librarians as custodians of information to that of

sophisticated information workers in a post-industrial society, as reflected by Barry Jones

in Sleepers Wake!2 Librarians, information workers and those who train and develop them

have had to adapt to new methods of gathering, organizing and disseminating information

using an increasingly complex range of information and communication technologies.

This has ultimately led to a small revolution in working practices and a requirement for

new knowledge and skills.

In Australia the term continuing professional development, or education, encompasses

post-professional qualifications, continuing education, career planning and staff

development as part of a continuous process.3 As in the United Kingdom, there is no

specific qualification required for Australian librarians who wish to work in health

libraries. Work experience and an interest in health issues are just as likely to lead

librarians to work in this field as previous formal study in this area.

Health libraries in Australia can be found in a wide range of organizations. Although

there are currently no official statistics that can tell us exactly how many health libraries or

Health Libraries Review 1999, 16, 249±255

# 1999 Blackwell Science Ltd 249

Correspondence: e-mail: [email protected]

health librarians there are currently in Australia, health libraries can be found in hospitals

and other health care provider organizations, in federal and state departments of health, in

research institutions, pharmaceutical and pathology companies, and in universities and

professional organizations.

Keeping up with changes in health care

Globally the nature of health care is changing, and the dynamic nature of this change is

equally prevalent in the Australian health care system. Changes in health care policy, and

in the information needs of health care professionals, require health information providers

to develop a tranche of skills to reflect this environment. The move towards evidence-

based health care has been heralded by a range of national bodies in Australia,4, 5 and

consequently a changing role for the librarian has become apparent. Changes in health

care delivery through managed care, care pathways and a greater focus on health outcomes

have shaped the information needs of health practitioners and the types of information

that they need to access in order to operate effectively in this changing climate. The need

for critical appraisal skills, the development of new information sources, the impact of the

World Wide Web, and new systems for managing health knowledge have created an

impetus for health librarians to reassess their role, increase their profile and take a more

active part in this new environment as interpreters of evidence rather than merely as

collectors and custodians of the literature.

Australian Library and Information Association (ALIA)

ALIA began in 1937 as the Australian Institution of Librarians, later assuming the name of

the Library Association of Australia in 1949. In 1989 the title The Australian Library and

Information Association was adopted to recognize the broadening scope of the profession.

The Association is a national organization with the national office in Canberra and office

bearers throughout Australia, with both geographical and interest groupings (divisions).

ALIA's objectives are to:

. promote and improve the services of libraries and other information agencies;

. improve the standard of library and information personnel and foster their professional

interests and aspirations;

. represent the interests of members to governments, other organizations and the

community;

. encourage people to contribute to the improvement of library and information services

by supporting the Association.

Input into decision-making and representation is made from members in all areas of

interest; policy is determined by General Council, an elected body which has input from

the Association's divisions and members. The executive director and staff of the National

Office then implement these policies.

The work of the Association is largely carried out through the voluntary efforts of its

250 Gabby Fennessy

# 1999 Blackwell Science Ltd, Health Libraries Review 16, 249±255

members, achieved via representation at local, regional and national level. There is a

branch of the Association in each state and territory as well as regional groups, sections

and special interest groups to represent and foster a broad range of interests and

specialties.

Activity within the Association is focused upon education, training, continuing

professional development, advocacy, industrial support and advice. This work is

communicated through seminars, conferences, publications and events such as Australian

Library Week. Any individual or institution can take up membership if they are interested

in promoting the objectives of the Association. In December 1998, the Association had

6117 personal and 1477 institutional members, both groups comprised a variety of

categories of membership.

Policy on continuing professional development and ALIA

The Australian Library and Information Association (ALIA) as the main professional body

in Australia has had a policy on continuing professional development (CPD) since 1995,6

adopted from an earlier training and development policy created in the early 1990s.7 This

policy recognizes the changing environment of library and information work and

emphasizes the responsibilities of the individual and the employer in ensuring that the

appropriate knowledge, competencies and skills are acquired to meet the needs of

employers. Professional development aims to increase knowledge, develop skills/attributes

and broaden vocational experiences, and can be provided in many different forms. Formal

and informal learning activities are provided, but the need for workplace learning activities

is also recognized.

Part of ALIA's commitment is to help members to plan and undertake their continuing

professional development using a strategic approach, and to facilitate this by providing

forms and templates where knowledge can be captured, shared and disseminated.

Career Planning Kit

In 1998 the General Council of ALIA endorsed the development of a system for the

recognition of continuing professional development by members, and for a range of

member services to support these activities. One of these developments is the Career

Development Kit.8 This kit encourages individual librarians to analyse their needs and

objectives, and to create a comprehensive record of their knowledge, skills and experience.

The Kit includes a workbook and record sheets to assist in planning and recording

development, ALIA policy statements, and guidelines for accessing professional

development. The kit is also being piloted as an institutional career planning tool.

Compliance membership

A framework has also been developed for introducing a CPD compliance membership,9

offered as a membership benefit. This is intended to enhance professional standing, both

Continuing professional development 251


inside and outside the profession, and it is hoped it will make librarians congruent with

other professions in their work environment, who are obliged to carry out continuing

professional development with their own professional and regulatory bodies, such as in

Continuing Medical Education. This category of membership will be voluntary, but in its

own right will require compliance to remain a member. It will be interesting to see how

many librarians choose this type of membership and whether they are the same librarians

who are already committed to personal professional development activities and are already

participating in a range of activities.

It is envisaged that this category of membership will provide further evidence that

librarians have progressed beyond their original qualification and basic work experience,

and will be a way of adding more kudos for librarians competing for jobs. Part of the

challenge will be to alert employers and those recruiting that this is a widely accepted and

recognized category that adds value to existing qualifications.

A total of 80 hours of continuing professional development over 3 years, which

includes an annual minimum of 20 hours, will be required to fulfil this category of

membership. While this may appear to be a considerable commitment for one librarian to

undertake, it covers a range of activities, from reading to attending events. Busy

practitioners will be encouraged to plan their work year and perhaps even some of their

spare time more carefully so that the requirements of this membership can be met.

Providers of continuing professional development

Professional organizations such as ALIA provide the widest coverage of continuing

professional development activities, offering events at a state and regional level through

branches and state CPD officers. A mentoring scheme to assist at an individual level offers

advice and support for those at an early stage of their career and for those moving to new

areas, such as moving into management posts.

At a specific health level, the work of sub groups, such as the Health Libraries Section has

been strong. This group provides a programme of events both at national and state levels,

reflecting current topics of interest and innovations affecting health information providers.

This activity has ranged from half-day workshops to longer events, while also contributing to

wider professional development through conferences such as the combined Specials, Law

and Health Libraries biennial conference, which brings together these three sectors to

explore common ground and to learn about both generic and specialized topics.

In-house training has also become more formally recognized as a vital part of

continuing development and training, especially with respect to generic skills such as

supervision, management and use of information technology.10 It is unclear, however,

how many organizations make these types of opportunities available to all staff, including

those in libraries. This is especially true in health care organizations, many of which have

training and continuing medical education policies that do not specifically cater for non-

clinical staff.

Universities and other further education institutions also play an important role in

contributing to the development of librarians throughout Australia. However, it is

252 Gabby Fennessy


important to note that most tertiary institutions are not funded or staffed to provide

continuing education, because funding is generated by student enrolments. Single subjects

and distance learning courses must also raise enough income for the institution to make it

worth their while. In the main, educational opportunities offered through these

institutions have been in the form of postgraduate qualifications, master's degrees and

doctoral programmes. Courses in information management are offered by departments

other than those that specialize in library and information studies. All of these differ in

length, mix of coursework versus research and the level of professional experience needed

to enter each course. The growth of interest in, and demand for, distance learning courses

has in some ways been met by many of these academic institutions giving a wider

audience access to development through this route.

Individuals have a responsibility to direct their continuing development by assessing

their own gaps in knowledge, interests and making the most of opportunities for learning.

For example, by using the ALIA Career Development Kit, the individual should be able to

build up a picture of future directions for development.

Research with special librarians identified a lack of suitable continuing education courses

as a constraint to development.11 There is reason to suppose that this may be true for those

working in health libraries. While there are a range of courses on offer, these change on a

annual basis and often rely on those working within health libraries themselves to organize

and conduct events that are of direct relevance to themselves. Durrance12 observed that

`librarians are not willing to pay the entire cost of attending even a superior programme

designed to focus on issues rather than skill development'. Factors such as relevance and its

immediate use in the workplace are therefore overriding features which are considered

when specialist librarians are choosing development opportunities.

Support for continuing professional development

The question of who pays for both time and money for the information professional's

development has been the subject of much debate over the years.11 Responsibility for

meeting the individual's development needs has been recognized as one that should be

shared between individual and employer,6 because organizational and personal

requirements for development may overlap. Who ultimately makes funds available for

such activity is a matter of contention. Continuing professional development activity is

often paid for by participants, partly by employers, with professional associations and

sometimes the government making a contribution.

Role of employers

Trask13 sees development as the employer's responsibility where `staff development in this

context aims primarily at institutional goals and priorities and secondarily at personal

goals'. Opportunities need to be provided by the employer to help each member of staff

reach their current and future goals if the objectives of the organization are to be

achieved.



Although many libraries spend a large amount of their budgets on staff costs,

appropriate funds for continuing professional development are often not available. Costs

of education can be claimed as a tax deduction by participants, but as professional

development is currently a voluntary exercise, the cost of activities needs to be kept as low

as possible. The real cost of continuing professional development may be even greater to

those living in remote areas, where actually getting to events may be part of the challenge.

Part of the solution may be to offer increased opportunities for distance learning, a

challenge that has already been taken up by Edith Cowan University in Western Australia,

which through partnership with ALIA, offers courses in project management, strategic

planning, search strategy skills, information technology and electronic resources.

Concluding comments

The Australian Library and Information Association is to be congratulated on their

commitment to developing active policies to support continuing professional

development. The development of the Career Development Kit has provided a useful aid

towards helping individual library professionals take responsibility for their own career

development. The Compliance Membership category is also a brave step towards more

effective CPD, and will move information workers closer to the standards expected by

other professionals. There continues to be a prolific amount of continuing professional

development activity in Australia, yet evaluation of such programmes has not been

forthcoming. It will be interesting to see what impact the development of a national policy

has on whether health librarians keep up-to-date or whether other factors, such as local

policies, the ability to pay, or the relevance of available learning opportunities will instead

prove to be more influential.

In the light of these changes Australian health librarians have much to look forward to,

and an opportunity to develop and move towards new roles within their health

organizations. The increasing emphasis will be on preparing and developing information

professionals whose career options will be more diverse than just traditional medical

libraries. This in turn creates a challenge for both employers, ALIA and other education

providers to develop relevant and timely continuing professional development activities

that can cater for health librarians and help them to develop the skills and competencies

they need in a health care environment that is in a continuous state of change and

progression.

References

1 Roberts, N. & Konn, T. Librarians and Professional Status. London: Library Association, 1991.

2 Jones, B. Sleepers Wake! Technology and the Future of Work. Melbourne: Oxford University Press, 1982.

3 Trask, M. In: Horne E (ed). Interconnection in the Library and Information Science Career Development Process.

Munich: KG Saur, 1985.

4 National Health and Medical Research Council. A Guide to the Development, Implementation and Evaluation of

Clinical Practice Guidelines. Sydney: NHMRC, 1998.

5 Wooldridge, T. Launch of the Medicare Services Advisory Committee by the Minister for Health and Family

Services Monday, 6 April 1998.

254 Gabby Fennessy


6 Australian Library and Information Association. Continuing professional development. Education policy statement

2. 1995.

7 Australian Library and Information Association. Statement on training and development for library and information

services personnel. 1991.

8 Australian Library and Information Association. Career Development Kit. Deakin, ACT: ALIA, 1999.

9 Australian Library and Information Association. CPD compliance in report to the chair of the ALIA Board of

Education. Deakin, ACT: ALIA, 1998.

10 Broadbent, M. Information specialists: their professional development. In: The Future Now: Changing

Information Sources. Proceedings of the First Asian Pacific Special and Law Librarians Conference, Melbourne

1±6 September 1985: 51±65. Melbourne: Organising Committees for the Conference, 1985.

11 Broadbent, M. & Grosser, K. Special library and information centre managers: their continuing professional development.

Report of research study undertaken in 1985. Occasional paper no. 2. Melbourne: Royal Melbourne Institute

of Technology, 1985.

12 Durrance, J. C. Continuing education. Journal of Education for Librarianship 1982, 23, 64.

13 Trask, M. Relevance for reality: whose responsibility? Education for Librarianship Australia 1991, 8(2), 50±9.



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