“The spirit of New Professionals” – NPSIG celebrates the 20th anniversary of BOBCATSSS!

BOBCATSSS 2012 is approaching! This time it will be a very special edition of the conference made by students for students: We are going to celebrate its 20th anniversary! With this in mind it doesn’t seem surprising that the event is already sold out as the organizers announced earlier this week. Thus, the lucky ones who got a ticket can be looking very forward to three exciting days in beautiful Amsterdam, a conference program packed with interesting sessions and workshops, some very nice social events and meeting lots of friends and new faces!

This said, we are more than happy to offer you another exciting NPSIG workshop this year! On Wednesday, 25 Jan, 11:30-13:00, you are invited to explore the spirit of New Professionals with us and to learn about the benefits of international involvement in libraranship! For more info have a look at our workshop abstract below…

We hope to see lots of you in Amsterdam! It will be great fun!

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“The spirit of New Professionals”
How to boost your early career through international involvement

KEYWORDS:
new professionals; early career development; social media; library associations; organizations 2.0

ABSTRACT:
Especially with the help of social media, New Professionals have been able to make their voice heard in the LIS profession in recent times and to effectively organize themselves from a local level to a global scale (Ruddock, 2011). The latest example of this fruitful mélange is the New Professionals Special Interest Group (NPSIG) of IFLA (International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions). The group was awarded the IFLA Communicator of the Year Award 2011 for its innovative and effective outreach to New Professionals from around the world through the extensive use of social media. The integration of new tools of collaboration and networking not only helps NPSIG to profile itself, but also provides important stimuli to its home association  IFLA in an ever-changing environment of rapid technological development and innovation.

As a starting-point we would like to give a short overview on the practices of NPSIG and introduce the audience to the IFLA network. The participants will get an idea about the benefits of getting involved internationally as a student or recent graduate and how to make the best of the many possibilities such a huge association as IFLA has to offer.

Based on the use of social media as one particular characteristic of New Professionals, we would in the workshop part like to ask the audience to find and discuss further strengths of New Professionals. What is it that helps them to find their way into the LIS market but also supports libraries and other organizations to keep track of new developments and to stay fresh in mind? Let’s find out!

METHODS:
The participants will have the chance to try out some innovative techniques of brainstorming and group work which, at the same time, allows for plenty of networking and socializing!

RESULTS:
The workshop’s intention is to make the participants think about their role and position as New Professionals in the LIS field. It will provide them with practical ideas how to get involved in professional associations and to move things forward. The outcome of the workshop will serve as a basis for further discussion in NPSIG’s social media channels and upcoming workshops at other conferences.

REFERENCES:
Ruddock, B. (2011) The rise of the New Professional.

(further reading about former NPSIG BOBCATSSS workshops in 2011 and 2010)

Successful paths for New Librarians: best practices, models and recommendations

The recording of our session, “Successful paths for New Librarians: best practices, models and recommendations” is now available at the following link: http://www.library20.com/page/general-session-room-links  (Scroll down, look for the title of our presentation and click on “recording.”) 

The session was presented by IFLA Continuing Professional Development and Workplace Learning and IFLA New Professionals SIG. Loida Garcia-Febo moderated the session and introduced the same by summarizing international efforts to meet the needs of new librarians. Prof. Dr. Claudia Lux, IFLA Past President and Director General of the Foundation Central and Regional Library Berlin spoke about librarians yesterday and today, changing skills, volunteering and not sitting in the back of the room (listen to the presentation to know more about this).

Anca Râpeanu, CPC & Innovation Specialist at IREX Romania and Biblionet Program shared information about the Summer School for Young Romanian Librarians.

Thanks to many of you who attended the conference! Below, a map where the attendees indicated their region of the world.

“Library 2.011″ – global, virtual

Today is starting the awesome online conference “Library 2.011“, on the internet of course. This virtual meeting place brings librarians together to learn from another about library 2.0 on a global level.

Starting with the keynote “New Career Pathways for Information Professionals in a Library 2.0 World” from Dr. Sandra Hirsh, Professor and Director School of Library & Information Science, San Jose State University shows the importance of this conference for all New Professionals. And browsing the program many more presentations are of interest. Like “Future Ready” from Cindy Romaine, President SLA or “Hyperlinked Library Services for Everyone Exploring what a connected world of continuous computing means for twenty- first century library service.” another keynote from Michael Stephens, Assistant Professor San Jose State University School of Library and Information Science and of course the keynote from IFLA past president Ellen Tise “New paradigms for higher education libraries”.

But don’t miss our beloved whirlwind Loida with her presentation “Successful paths for new librarians: best practices, models and recommendations” and her great co-presenters Anca Rapeanu, Cristina Vaileanu, Monica Avram from IREX, Biblionet Romania and another IFLA past president Prof. Dr. Claudia Lux, Director General of the Foundation Central and Regional Library Berlin. Thursday November 3. 2011, 18:00-19:00 GMT +1. 

This session presents best practices, models and recommendations to help new librarians develop their careers. It speaks to the concerns experienced by new professionals regarding rapidly changing skills to help them secure jobs. Additionally, strategies for successful education paths and participation in library associations are also included. Attendees will walk away with practical ideas to tailor to their own needs and situations. Often new librarians express their desire to know ‘how others made it.’ Daily, we can read blog posts and messages asking what is needed to find a job, to be part of a committee at a library association, and how to interact within various library environments. This webinar will explore answers to these, and will direct attendees to tested and proved resources. A Q&A section is included to encourage conversation between speakers and attendees. The program is presented by IFLA Continuing Professional Development in the Workplace and Learning (CPDWL) and IFLA New Professionals Special Interest Group (NPSIG).

Join in
have FUN

P.S. I have also a presentation about the Berlin based Gender Library 2.0