Welcome to the Summer issue of Central Issues. It is chock full of re-ports on the recent activities of your CDG WM committee, including some excellent articles on re-invigorating your Chartership portfolio preparation through CDG WM events, the CILIP WM Members‘ Day at which we held our AGM, and a committee profile for Angel Egbuji, who has taken over from Abbi Williams as your Secretary. Before that, you can read about the important work of the clinical li-brarians at the front line of medicine, improving care at the University Hospital of Coventry. And whether or not you are off on holiday yourself, you can dream of city destinations in the UK and further afield by taking part in our CDG WM Summer Quiz — see page 3 for details on how to obtain your quiz sheet. Have a great summer!

Georgina Hardy CDG WM Newsletter Editor

Editorial

New look!

You‘ll notice that the CDG logo at the top of this newsletter has changed. CDG National Council felt the old ―ladder‖ logo was looking a bit dated, so after consultation across the divisions, we have an excit-ing new logo and tagline. There are also a couple of other minor changes in this issue, which the more eagle-eyed of you may spot: some fonts have been changed for clarity, and we no longer have a cut-out-and-keep events guide on the back page.

Summer 2011 Issue 22

Central Issues

The Newsletter of the West Midlands Division of CILIP’s Career Development Group

The Career Development Group is a special interest group of CILIP, The

Chartered Institute of Library &

Information Professionals.

Registered Charity Number 313014.

Inside this issue:

Editorial 1

Librarians at the

heart of Evidence

Based Medicine

2

Win a £25 Ama-

zon voucher

3

CILIP WM

Members’ Day

and CDG WM

AGM

4

Committee

Profile

5

Supporting CILIP’s

Framework of

Qualifications

6

Vacancy Bulletin 8

On the 4

th July 2011, CDG WM visited the CEBIS team at the Clinical Sciences Li-

brary, University Hospitals of Coventry and Warwickshire NHS Trust. Beth Hall introduces us to the services and facilities provided there. Anna Brown, CEBIS specialist, gave us a tour of the clinical sciences library and a presenta-tion about her work at the hospital. CEBIS stands for: Clinical Evidence Based Informa-tion Service, and Anna works as a clinical li-brarian embedded in clinical departmental teams. I enjoyed the tour around the clinical sciences library; it‘s a lovely space with big windows letting in a lot of light, there is a lot of room between shelves and around the computers, and there is a nice silent study area upstairs. Staff from all departments of the hospital use the library along with students on placement at the hospital. We discussed the fic-tion section of the library; yes, this is a clinical library with a fiction section! I was sur-prised by this but a little bit of internet research later I find that is quite common across the UK. The aim of the fiction section is to bring more people into the library and to help with their leisure time along with their research and learning. We discussed the knowledge skills courses that the training librarian runs for all hospi-tal staff covering skills like database searching, critical appraisal, and access to infor-mation. We noticed the display of current issues of print journals displayed and col-leagues told us how this was going out of practice at some other libraries. Anna told us that the clinical sciences library has just completed a journal review where they have consulted all the hospital departments about their journal usage and preferences and are currently analyzing the data in order to inform decisions about journal stock. We also heard about the patient information available at the Health Information Centre lo-

cated in the main entrance of the hos-pital; this collection is manned by the Patient Information Librarian who is on hand to answer questions from pa-tients looking for information. We continued our discussions about online journals and databases that the library offers staff the access to. The library staff produce a range of useful printed information as well as provid-

Librarians at the heart of Evidence Based Medicine

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ing information on their website; we asked whether printed information was still afford-able in today‘s online culture but Anna explained that they saw many staff popping in between ward rounds who do not have an office or a computer base at the hospital and would request printed information. Anna gave us a presentation on the work of the CEBIS team, with an introduction to ―evidence based healthcare‖ and how the CEBIS specialists work as an integral part of the clinical teams. I find this true outreach work impressive. Anna talked us through some examples of the types of literature searches they are asked to carry-out, and she discussed the ―evidence in practice groups‖ that the team help to set-up, where Anna would present the evidence to a group of practitioners from all levels in the department who would discuss and make decisions based on the evidence. This may then go on to the development of new guidelines or patient information or business decisions. The CEBIS specialists attend outpatient clinics, ward rounds and clinical meetings and have been involved in case reviews, audits reviews and management meetings. Anna also discussed the work she does informing staff in the best practice in literature searching and e-journal access, providing current awareness bulletins and in promoting staff de-velopment and the publication records of hospital staff. I really enjoyed Anna‘s interesting introduction to her work and the tour of the library, followed by chat and drinks at the pub later.

This Summer, CDG WM are running a Summer in the City photo quiz, to raise funds for CDG Interna-

tional Projects. Test your knowledge of city-break destinations at home and abroad for an entry fee of only £2. Please email cdgwm.quiz@gmail.com for your quiz sheet and how to enter, or see a CDG West Midlands committee mem-ber. CDG undertakes international projects in support of li-braries and information professionals in the developing world. These projects are funded through donations and fundraising, and current projects include:

Sri Lanka International Co-operation Project Partnerships in Health Information (phi)

See http://tinyurl.com/6k49wpy for more information The closing date for the quiz is 1st September, after which any entries with the highest number of correct answers will go into a draw for the prize of a £25 Amazon voucher.

Win a £25 Amazon voucher

Do you know where this is?

Central Issues Page 4

The CILIP West Midlands Branch Members’ Day, including the CDG WM AGM, took place in the Thompson Library Conference Room at Staffordshire University

Stoke Campus on the 30th

March 2011. Chris Ash tells us about the event.

The CILIP WM Members‘ Day was a good opportunity to see some of the latest library developments within the area and to look more widely at future developments at CILIP. We also conducted the AGMs of CILIP WM, the WM division of the Career Develop-ment Group, and the Colleges of Further and Higher Education WM. We opened by looking at how Staffordshire University Library was developing and how it saw the challenges of library development in the years ahead. We also got to watch a video showing the construction of the Library of Birmingham, demonstrating how it was completely redefining Centenary Square as the massive foundations were being laid. Newman University College did a presentation on their £20 million new library and campus development. The library itself is set to be three times the size of the old one, with the latest ICT to help support student life in the 21

st century. The project also in-

cludes the development of a Children, Young People and Family Resource Centre as well as a new café. The theme of library development continued when we looked at the Hive in Worcester. This particular project was really innovative, combining both university, public libraries, records office and archaeological services. Not only that, but it is also pulling together the ‗hub‘ allowing customers to access information and resources on council services covering the whole of Worcestershire. Already a winner of the Bentley Be Inspired In-novation in Generative Design - it should be really exciting to visit when completed. In the afternoon CILIP Vice President Phil Bradley did a presentation on the fu-ture of libraries and librarianship and left the audience with a range of inspiring and thought provoking messages to help steer us through the range of challenges that libraries are currently facing. Chris Ash is a Community Library Man-ager for Sandwell Library Service. Photo credit: Jo Alcock

CILIP WM Members’ Day and CDG WM AGM

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Want to join Angel on the CDG WM Committee? Come along to our next committee meeting to find out what it‘s all about! Contact cdgwm@hotmail.com or just turn up:

Date: Wednesday 2nd

November 2011 Time: 6 — 8pm Venue: Aston University Library, Birmingham (15 mins walk from New Street Station) — for directions see http://www1.aston.ac.uk/about/directions/

Angel Egbuji Secretary

Although I have always worked in the information environment, my career as a librarian started by chance. I had my first degree in Mass Communication from the Uni-versity of Nigeria and worked first as a journalist, then as an information officer with the Federal Ministry of Informa-tion, Nigeria. When I came into Britain, I took a career break to bring up my children and after four years of baby talk, it was time to give my brain some exercise. I enrolled at the University of Northumbria to do a masters course in Information and Record Management, aiming to work as a records management professional – no more journalism for me. We had classes together with library management stu-dents and I became interested. My first job was as a library assistant in Gateshead College and nearly two years after that, I got my first professional post. I have worked in academic libraries (Further Educa-tion) mostly and it has been a lovely experience working as a librarian. The mix of the students is what I find mostly interesting; one day is different from the next. Most come in from the schools with little or no information skills and seeing them leave college with improved information skills is quite rewarding. I joined CDG West Midlands when I started my Chartership and the support was great. It helped me analyse and reflect on my work and my journey so far. Through it I have be-come involved in the wider profession and have made many useful contacts. I have ob-tained my chartership – a big trophy I tell you as it is not easy doing that, working and maintaining a family! When Abbi Williams decided to step down as Secretary, I knew it was time to give some-

thing back. Whether I can fill her shoes remains to be seen.

Committee Profile

Providing events to support members working towards one of CILIP’s Frame-work of Qualifications awards is a core function of CDG WM. We provide a range

of formal and informal events to help you work towards your ACLIP or MCLIP.

Gill Colbourne tells us more about the Chartership and Certification event

held at Birmingham Central Library on 26th May this year... I had started my Chartership a year ago and seemed to have come to a full stop. When I arrived to join the course it seemed like there were a lot of other people in the same boat. The room was full of library staff either considering starting Certification or Chartership or needing inspiration to complete or move on with their chosen pathway. This day certainly addressed those needs and Sabelo Mapasure, West Midlands‘ brand new CSO, certainly delivered a really excellent day to guide us through our con-tinuous personal development. The date seemed timely for a well attended course and although the majority of the attendees came from the Birmingham area, colleagues also travelled from Derby, Leicester, Chester, Manchester and Bedford. Also I think that library staff are considering Certification and Chartership especially important as a way of showing their commitment to personal development in these precarious employ-ment times. Sabelo introduced the day by explaining his role of Candidate Support Officer and en-couraged everyone in the room to consider joining their local Career Development Group. Sabelo had also brought copies of portfolios that candidates can browse through on the day or even have posted to them. A break for tea, coffee and biscuits followed with a chance to network with colleagues in different library sectors. Then Michael Martin, Senior Advisor from CILIP's Qualifications and Professional De-velopment Department, spoke to us about the Framework of Qualifications. This pres-entation was really informative and reminded us that the portfolio would help in job seeking, interviews or appraisals as it would reflect on skills, training and visits. Mi-chael advised us on the presentation of the portfolio and gave us ideas as how to structure them too. He advised us to hone our skills of evaluation and critical reflection on our own performance and the service, also not to describe but measure effective-ness and how we could use new practices we had learnt/seen in our own jobs. After lunch we practised portfolio building exercises and group exercises. During these exercises we learnt more about each other‘s library sectors — this is really useful and widened our knowledge of how other services worked and ideas for portfolio visits. The exercises helped us learn to evaluate and maybe even which experiences to in-clude in our portfolios. Sabelo and Michael moved around each group offering advice. Michael included his experiences that day on his blog.

Supporting CILIP’s Framework of Qualifications

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I found the day really encouraging and it re-ignited my enthusiasm to complete my portfo-lio. The day was balanced with presentations, exercises, a chance to ask questions and see successful portfolios. This was Sabelo‘s first event as CSO for West Midlands CDG and I think it was a resounding success.

...and Elaine Williams talks about how our less formal Love your Chartership

events have inspired her to re-start work on her portfolio. CDG WM have been running Love your Chartership events as informal get-togethers since Feb 2009. They offer the opportunity for fellow Chartership candidates to talk through challenges, offer support and air any frustration in a safe and friendly environ-ment. On most occasions the Chartership Support Officer will be available to answer any of those burning questions or read parts of progressing portfolios. These events are suit-able for those who are just making enquiries, starting out or about to submit their portfo-lios. They also help to jump start and motivate candidates who may have for many rea-sons lost their momentum, of which I was one. My journey towards Chartership has been long with many fits and starts and in need of an injection of motivation. Yes, I had read the Chartership handbook, had a mentor, ac-cess to past Chartership portfolios, a pile of evidence and years of involvement in the CDG WM. Somehow, I had lost momentum and the drive needed to go through this process and successfully submit my portfolio. Though I could bore you with the reasons and excuses for not progressing quicker, I feel this piece would be better served to ex-plain how I got back on track. As part of my end of year reflections the thoughts of Chartership were very prominent. At that point I added it to my to-do list for the forthcoming year, but knew obviously this was not enough. On attendance at a previous CDG WM committee meeting where dates were being set for the next Love your Chartership sessions, I listened and knew I needed to attend. I was sold on going when I heard about the informality of the events and the op-portunity for peers to support peers. I attended my first session on 12

th Jan 2011, which

involved the sharing of Chartership journeys, which instantly reassured me that I was not alone. In a discussion about choosing mentors I was even able to offer some advice, which felt good knowing I had some experiences that could be of help to someone. The rest of the evening‘s conversation covered such subjects as recommendations of articles, the Body of Professional Knowledge, as well as the importance of personal goal setting. Most in attendance agreed to set personal goals. We gave each other a week in order to consider the specific goals and timescales. This is what has helped me to reassess what I needed to do, how and when. Although I'm not totally there, I know attending these ses-sions has been key to my recent progress. I recommend anyone wanting motivation or support to come along to the next sessions either in Birmingham or Coventry, and be in-spired. If you would like to come along please look out for details on LIS-CILIP-REG. Elaine Williams is an Information Librarian/Manager for Sandwell Library and Information Services, and Treasurer for CDG WM.

Getting involved in your professional organisation is a very rewarding way to con-tribute to your profession and can provide you with plenty of opportunities to ad-dress skills gaps in your CV. CDG WM currently has three vacancies on the com-mittee — if you would like to find out more, e-mail cdgwm@hotmail.com or come along to our next committee meeting (see p. 5). CDG WM committee roles are flexible and can be fitted around your work and home com-mitments. Committee meetings are usually held four times a year on a Wednesday eve-ning (6-8pm) but if you would find these difficult to attend, we would still like to hear from you! We believe that committee involvement is about more than attending committee meetings, and are always happy to receive a written report from those unable to attend in person.

Events Officer While all CDG WM committee members get involved in organising events, the Events Of-ficer ensures that this is as straight-forward and consistent as possible. This might in-volve maintaining lists of venues, speakers and ways to effectively publicise events, as well as ensuring quality by correct use and application of the CILIP Seal of Recognition.

New Professionals’ Support Officer (NPSO) This role involves assisting and acting as a contact point for newly qualified or qualifying information professionals. As there are no universities offering library and information qualifications in the West Midlands region, our new professionals can be quite difficult to track down, so if you feel like a challenge and are full of ideas, this is the role for you.

Candidate Support Officer (CSO) Support You will be assisting the CSO in offering advice to registered Chartership, Revalidation and Certification candidates by telephone, email, letter, or in person, and in arranging and publicising events (such as those reported on pp. 6-7) relevant to the Framework of Qualifications. For further information on this role, please contact our CSO, Sabelo Ma-pasure: sabelo.mapasure@telfordpct.nhs.uk.

Vacancy Bulletin

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