Building your Portfolio

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Building your Portfolio

• Karen Newton ACLIP
• Carol Barker MCLIP
• Martin Kidds MCLIP
• Carol Campbell-Hayes FCLIP

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Learning outcomes

• An understanding of what constitutes a portfolio
  and why Cilip requires this for submission for
  its qualifications
• Ideas about how to construct your portfolio
• Awareness of appropriate types of evidence that
  can be included in your portfolio

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Learning outcomes

• Improved awareness of the Regulations and
  assessment criteria
• Awareness of the support networks and information
  available to help you
• Confidence to progress towards gaining your Cilip
  qualification successfully

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Assumptions

• Eligibility for Cilip Qualifications
• Respect each others confidentiality
• Continuing Professional Development does not just
  mean going on a course

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Introducing portfolios
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Framework of Qualifications

• Context of professions re-evaluating what they do
  and changes in education
• New qualifications and routes to qualifications
• Evidence based qualifications the reflective
  practitioner

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Framework of Qualifications

• New skill sets mentoring, portfolio building
• New methods of assessment
• More proactive CPD everybodys doing it
• The end of them and us?

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What is a portfolio?

• The hard questions first, eh?
• A flat case for carrying maps, drawings or
  photographs
• A list of investments held by a company or
  individual
• Selected examples that show an artists recent
  work

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Selected

• If you follow every dream, you might get lost?

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Selected

• Selection is a key skill of portfolio building
• Selected examples
• Demonstrate the skill of professional judgement
  in selecting material
• Keep your cuttings (but only use your best
  ones)

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Professional development learning

• Think about a development activity you have been
  involved in
• What did you gain from it?
• What did you enjoy about it?
• What did you do differently as a result?

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Professional development learning

• You need to show that training has had an
  outcome
• and that it has some worthwhile benefits to your
  employer and to you
• How has it changed the way you work?
• What contribution have you made, what
  contribution has it made to you?

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Portfolio building for beginners
Karen Newton Affiliate Members Group
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Why a portfolio ?
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Where to start?

• Join CILIP!
• Application form
• Up to date CV In reverse date order
• Personal statement
• Personal development plan
• Supporting letter
• Evidence gathered over the period
• i.e. 2 or 5 years

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Be a little shellfish.
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CILIP - Certification (ACLIP) Personal Statement
Template Category 1 Applicants Name
_______________ Membership
Number _______
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But mines the same as hers !
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Does size matter?
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The evidence Mlud
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Help! I need somebody
www.jiscmail.ac.uk/lists/LIS-CILIP-ACLIP.html
Karen.Newton_at_sunderland.gov.uk
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Ta Dah!
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Structuring a portfolio
Carol Barker Honorary Learning Co-ordinator,
Career Development Group
Debating issues ? developing awareness
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Evaluative statement

• Be strict about the word count/page limit
• Analyse, reflect, evaluate
• Be constructively critical
• Show your awareness of the wider
  profession/community
• Continuing professional development

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Structure

• Check you have included all essential documents
• Create a useful Contents page
• Divide into clearly marked sections
• Be selective each document should show something
  unique
• Use documents as evidence for more than one
  section

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Presentation

• Check you have met all the criteria, e.g.
• Must be word processed in 12pt font
• Must be single sided
• Must include page numbers

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Submission of portfolio

• Get someone to proof-read it
• Must be securely bound
• Clearly identify your work
• Submit the correct number of copies
• Include appropriate forms
• Include the correct fee
• If in doubt, ask!

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Mentoring to help portfolio building
Carol Campbell-Hayes Mentor Support Network
Co-ordinator
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Why mentoring?

• To help and support people to manage their own
  learning in order to maximise their potential,
  develop their skills, improve their performance
  and become the person they want to
  be. Parsloe 1992
• Mentoring includes coaching, counselling and
  networking. It is not necessary to dazzle the
  protégé with knowledge and experience. The
  mentor just has to provide encouragement by
  sharing his enthusiasm for his job.
• Clutterbuck 1991

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Why will it help me build a good portfolio?

• Two heads are better than one!
• It is invaluable to discuss your proposed
  structure and what evidence is necessary to
  ensure coverage of criteria
• Discussion can often eliminate duplication and
  unnecessary work
• It helps ensure you keep on target

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Role of the Mentor

• Role of the Mentor is to
• listen
• question, find facts
• guide on career development
• share info knowledge
• offer different perspectives
• offer support, encouragement
• confront difficult issues
• celebrate successes

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Role of the Mentor

• and to encourage the mentee to
• listen
• check their understanding
• share their thoughts
• review reflect on learning
• be open to new perspectives
• take responsibility for own development
• get the most from the relationship
• celebrate successes

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What to expect from a Mentor

• That they are familiar with the CILIP Regulations
• That they offer professional commitment and
  interest in your development
• That they encourage you to keep to your targets
• That they stretch your boundaries and offer new
  perspectives

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What to expect from a Mentor

• That you have regular meetings - this is a two
  way responsibility
• That they encourage you to debate professional
  issues with experienced colleagues
• That they challenge and will provide support,
  counselling and advice

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Checklist - ideal characteristics to seek in a
mentor

• Look for someone who
• already has a good record of developing others
• has a wide range of current skills to pass on
• has a good understanding of the LIS profession
• is patient with good interpersonal skills
• has sufficient time to devote
• you can respect
• has a good network of contacts
• is still keen to learn themselves

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What do you need to do?

• Ask a suitable mentor if they are willing to
  support you
• Agree a frequency of meetings
• Send your Mentoring agreement to CILIP
• Be committed to attending the meetings
• Prepare your development plan
• Ensure you are offering topics and situations for
  discussion and prepare yourself for the
  discussions
• Join appropriate discussion groups

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Attributes of a good mentee

• Desire to work towards a professional goal
• Desire to learn and develop
• Willingness to confront challenges
• Ability to give and receive feedback
• Honesty
• Self-awareness

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Attributes of a good mentee

• Willingness to accept different points of view
• Good communication skills - including listening
• Positive attitude/enthusiasm
• Willingness to think through problems and work on
  new solutions

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A final few tips

• Remember you are responsible for submitting your
  application and you are under no obligation to
  show it to your mentor unless unless you wish to
• Make sure you have read the appropriate
  regulations
• Keep a diary to record and evaluate aspects of
  experience - this will help you in discussions
  and in compiling your portfolio

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A final few tips

• Save appropriate evidence and discuss it with
  your mentor
• If possible participate in CILIP Group/Branch or
  other professional group activities
• Read widely on professional issues
• Set yourself a firm timetable and be committed to
  it

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• Good supervisors and mentors want to support
  and help you to develop and it should be a
  positive and productive but sometimes challenging
  relationship - listen to them and discuss - its
  the only way we learn!

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Sources of support and advice
Martin Kidds Associate Honorary Learning
Co-ordinator, Career Development Group
Debating issues ? developing awareness
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You are not alone!

• Career Development Group Candidate Support
  Officer network ( training and networking
  events)
• Your Mentor
• Discussion Groups (e.g. lis-cilip-reg,
  lis-cilip-aclip, Communities)
• Cilip website
• Each other!

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Key documents

• Handbooks
• Body of Professional Knowledge
• Mentor Guidelines (recently updated)
• Registration forms, Assessment form and
  supporting documents
• All available online
• www.cilip.org.uk/qualificationschartership/Framewo
  rkofQualifications

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Cilip Mentor scheme

• Mandatory for Chartership, strongly recommended
  for ACLIP
• Co-ordinated centrally, delivered regionally
• Mentors are provided with training and support

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Candidate Support Officers

• A voluntary and informal network organised by the
  Career Development Group
• There is at least one CSO in each Division
• Organising training events for candidates
• Offering advice and assistance to individual
  candidates
• Reading and commenting on submissions
• Sending copies of sample reports

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Candidate Support Officers

• Our advice is
• Personal
• Mainly for reassurance and encouragement
• Impartial
• Confidential
• Our main duty is to individual candidates
• Share common issues of concern

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Benefits of portfolios

• A nationally recognised qualification awarded by
  the Professional Body
• Recognition of your skills contribution
• Improved performance career prospects
• Opportunity to participate by helping others
  (Mentor or Assessor)
• Opportunity to progress to Fellowship
• What do you think are the benefits?

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Your time starts now

• Start gathering your evidence
• Get used to being reflective keep a diary?
• Register as a candidate
• Get yourself a mentor
• What contribution has your professional activity
  made to the library and information service you
  work in? (Michael Martin)
• Keep checking the CILIP website or e-mail
  quals_at_cilip.org.uk

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Dont be afraid to seek advice

• Nothing is too obvious
• Were all in this together
• Good luck!

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Todays forecast
ACLIPs and MCLIPS breaking out across all areas
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Any Questions?