Moments before......

..... my mentor meeting is about to begin. Why does this feeling of guilt keep coming up? ....... could it be related to the fact that I have hardly managed to do any work on my CPD for the last oh say 6 months or so? Hmm....

The things on the agenda for today's mentor meeting are:

1. Blog - is it any use? and if so, what to change?
2. PPDP - still in process of being updated (this is the 6 months review meeting! Argh!), will show changes next time......
3. Take out a day (or just an afternoon) of the month for CPD, ask manager
4. Chance to work on Intranet (ask manager)
5. Criteria of assessment - am I still on the right track?
6. Does my portfolio have room for creation of a disability guidelines for the library document?
7. I would like to try and make statistics for how much the library is used, eg. number of emails received in a month, number of book loans, number of enquiries (phone, face to face, email), but I am not sure what the information can be used for? (the monthly update??)
8. What am I doing right and what am I doing wrong? Please enlighten me?

At least things are slightly more clear in my head!

I will come back in half an hour and write down the outcome......... fingers crossed! Arrgh why am I so nervous!!! I doesn't make sense....... :s

Mentor Meeting II

The aim of my second meeting with my mentor (30th January 2008) was to get the mentor form completed and sent off which it has been! I have also informed my mentor (and Manager as well, in case the IT department has any concerns) about this blog, so she can stay updated as well. We concluded it is only worth backdating my portfolio till 6th September 2006 which is the day I started in my current role. Although, there is one thing from before this date, I would like to include : the work I did for IFLA/FAIFE yearbook which was in 2005. I somehow need to make a mental note of this as I will need to justify this. I think the research I did for that publication taught me so much about Internet research that it almost felt like my first proper research job after completing uni. It was even better because my research and text was all in English and from English sources. I felt i got to use the tools I had learnt and the acknowledgement and appreciation was a real reward. I will give some more thought to this and also speak to my mentor about it next time.

My mentor and I agreed to request some successful portfolios to look at. I have requested one to be sent to me and am eagerly waiting for it now. Initially, I wanted to look at portfolios from corporate or specialist libraries, but they were not as widely available so I compromised and chose a portfolio from a NHS librarian.

There is a new book out by CILIP, it is called Building your Portfolio: the CILIP guide by Margareth Watson. That has been ordered for me, so I am looking forward to that - so is my Mentor ;o)

My next aim is to deal with building the portfolio.

The next mentor meeting will be held in the end of February/beginning of March 2008.

Recap and Forms - Which ones and where??

It seems I should have started this blog just as soon as I started the chartership, the day I registered, or any time sooner than now would have been great! Before starting this blog, everything seemed to be a blur, which is probably the reason I did no progress!

Me being late at this, means that I have some catching up to do, in terms of writing!

This is what has happened in the chartership process so far:

1. Mentor
I seem to be luckier than most, as I already have an excellent mentor who even works in the same company and the same department as me. Thank God I did not have to try out any mentors from the CILIP list! That is one task less!

2. Forms

Let's see......... So far ...... these documents have been sent to CILIP:

• Chartership Registration Form along with copies of my LIS qualifications from Denmark.
  
• PPDP (Although I have a feeling I will need to alter this)
  
• I am not sure, but it is possible that a CV has been sent too!
  

That means my mentor and I need to complete the mentor form and get that sent off ASAP. I believe this calls for a mentor meeting!

3. Log book

I have been advised to keep track of all my projects, including a record of meetings with my mentor. I have some notes here and there of workshops I've attended and a couple of emails which demanded in dept search and a couple where I got some nice feedback from customers. But I have no notes from the first mentor meeting, and not much recollection of what was said either I am afraid :s

This is what I recall happening:
My mentor and I looked at the PPDP (it always reminds me of Flanders saying "Pdidilidoo") and brainstorming what could go in which box. My mentor was kind to make a list of the possible developments I could do here at the library. My job was then to put fill in the boxes of the PPDP, and to send it to CILIP (The sending off part did not happen until December!!!). So technically my first mentor meeting was on Wednesday 5th September 2007.


Action Plan

Mentor meeting:

• Go through the draft of the mentoring agreement and send it off.
• Look at the PPDP - it looks a bit boring to me!?
• Inform mentor of my blog and other (if other) progression

General to do list:

• Request an example of a portfolio from the Qualifications and Professional Development (QPD) office at CILIP.
• Make of lists of workshops etc I have attended (e.g. I attended a CPD workshop at CILIP in London (14November 2007))
• Look at Criteria of Assessment in the handbook and get an idea of which direction I want to progress in.
• Keep track of evidence - make a folder!
• Update this blog and use it as a journal for thoughts, ideas, communication, so I don’t waste another 6 months because of blurriness.
• Network, find chartership lists, where are all the chartership people I need to talk to??!!?

Okay, there are a couple of more things before I can get the ball rolling - but if I follow this plan, I should be on my way - properly this time!