1. R & D in Continuing Education ALISE Conference, 2005 Fiona Black and Judy Dunn

2. Overview Research and Development in CE: Benefits Relationship with COA accreditation standards Relationship with ALISE Context New model at Dalhousie: crossing traditional educational boundaries Implications for LIS professional education

3. Benefits of R & D in CE CE planning and decision-making based on reliable research Visibility of R & D activities emphasizes to LIS stakeholders our commitment to CE Process of R & D builds more bridges between professional and paraprofessional communities Rich potential for collaboration among Schools of LIS in both R and D (WISE initiative is one example)

4. CE and Accreditation Accredited programmes must address COA Standard 1.2.10: “Program objectives are states in terms of educational results to be achieved and reflect the needs of the constituencies that a program seeks to serve.”

5. Constituencies Who are these constituencies from a CE perspective? Service users (clients, patrons) in terms of more appropriate, reflexive services by engaged staff Professional staff in terms of job/career satisfaction and commitment (support staff also?) Institutions in terms of personnel development and staff recruitment and retention

6. Relationship with ALISE Initial education and CE are inextricably intertwined for a healthy profession. This affects: 1.LIS educators’ recruitment policies and practices 2.LIS educators’ requirement for close links with practitioners 3.LIS educators’ needs for visible CE component at ALISE conferences (SIG + juried research papers on CE topics)

7. Context OCLC Environmental Scan (2004) Ingles et al., 8Rs succession planning in Canadian heritage industries (2004)

8. Key points OCLC 3 patterns for future frameworks of information use: 1.Decrease in guided access to content 2.Disaggregation 3.Collaboration All these affect initial LIS education and what practitioners require in CE

9. Key points 8Rs Important and difficult to fulfill competencies in recruitment: Leadership potential Managerial skills Can flexibly respond to change Innovative Can handle high volume workload All these affect initial LIS education and what practitioners require in CE

10. Effect of ‘new’ context on CE planning OCLC scan and 8Rs report indicate that closer educational links between practitioners and LIS students might be beneficial

11. New Dalhousie model tested MLIS credit course with integrated modules for CE First offering, summer 2004, online ‘Beta test’ of various elements –Course syllabus –Course technology –CE module promotion

12. Course details Users and Services: CE modules Module 2 Community analysis, data collection and user surveys Module 4 Programming Module 6 Services for distant and online users

13. Evaluation of new model Participants: MLIS students Professionals and support staff –13 CE module participants, diverse geographically and educationally –One, two or three modules taken –Interaction between practitioners and students enriching for all

14. Evaluations and issues arising Formal evaluation forms and anecdotal feedback Issues include: Pedagogy and mode of delivery Participation on individual level –All viewed virtual seminars and completed written assignments, but not all contributed to online discussion Costs and benefits to participants and to SLIS

15. Lessons for development More activity to engage support staff New experience for them to be a part of a Masters level course, especially if they had no prior university experience Making participation in online discussions a partial requirement for receiving their Certificate of Completion More targeted course promotion Invite ‘teams’ of professionals and support staff from same institution Show ‘fit’ of such CE modules as part of continuum of LIS education

16. LIS education continuum Accredited Masters programme Committee on Accreditation (ALA) Possible future accreditation for Technicians programmes No formal requirement for CE By ALA, or CLA, or employers

17. Broad challenges & opportunities Institutions and organizations that may not be ‘fit for purpose’ for 2004 onwards Two crucial, interrelated needs in our field To maintain currency and adaptability in faculty and in practitioners To build stronger interconnections between initial education and practice/practitioners

18. Effect on LIS schools Curriculum planning must cross boundary of initial professional degree and continuing professional development MLIS programme and CE offerings are part of a larger, professional, whole Indicated (at Dalhousie) by Curriculum and Continuing Education Committee

19. Potential new model for LIS education? Professional status only after 2 years’ work, and regular CE, following degree Designation such as PL (Professional Librarian) or IP (Information Professional), based on type of professional work Might this raise the profile of LIS professionals, while also supporting the entire CE continuum

20. Next steps Collaborative research with other LIS schools and with library associations To investigate employer and union policies and practices that would affect the PL/IP suggested model