Professional Education
Scott Walter, M.L.S., Ph.D.
Associate University Librarian for Services, and
Associate Dean of Libraries
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
June 13, 2010
What is a Profession?
“A profession is a disciplined group of individuals
who adhere to ethical standards and hold
themselves out as, and are accepted by the public
as possessing special knowledge and skills in a
widely recognised body of learning derived from
research, education and training at a high level,
and who are prepared to apply this knowledge
and exercise these skills in the interest of others.”
Source: Professions Australia. (1997). Definitions of a
profession. Retrieved from
http://www.professions.com.au/definitionprofession.html
What is Professional Education?
“The distinguishing features
of modern professional
education in medicine
have been, first, its
assimilation of the spirit
of university research
and, second, its powerful
linkages with teaching
hospitals.”
Source: Neave, G. R., & Clark, B. R.
(Eds.). (1992). The encyclopedia of higher
education. Oxford: Pergamon Press.
Image Credit: Graduate School of
Library and Information Science.
University of Illinois at UrbanaChampaign. (n.d.). Apprentice spotlight:
Alison Greenlee. Retrieved from
http://www.lis.illinois.edu/academics/pro
grams/mbms/apprenticespotlight
Linkages in LIS Education: Accreditation

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ALA accredits 62 programs
at 57 institutions in the U.S.,
Canada, and Puerto Rico
Accreditation is based on
program review of the
Standards for Accreditation
of Master’s Programs in
Library & Information
Science
Source: American Library Association.
(2010). Office for Accreditation.
Retrieved from
http://www.ala.org/ala/aboutala/offices/a
ccreditation/index.cfm
Linkages in LIS Education: Accreditation
“Accreditation is a voluntary system
of evaluation of higher education
institutions and programs. It is a
collegial process based on selfevaluation and peer-assessment
for improvement of academic
quality and public accountability.
Accreditation assures that higher
education institutions and their
units, schools, or programs meet
appropriate standards of quality
and integrity.”
Source: American Library Association.
(2010). Office for Accreditation.
Retrieved from
http://www.ala.org/ala/aboutala/offices/a
ccreditation/index.cfm
The Professional Education Pyramid

Professional education
programs must
recognize different
needs at different
stages of one’s career:
Novice
 Advanced Beginner
 Competent Practitioner
 Proficient Practitioner
 Expert

Source: Queeney, D. S. (2000).
Continuing professional education.
In A. L. Wilson & E. R. Hayes (Eds.),
Handbook of adult and continuing
education (pp. 375-391). San
Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
Core Competencies of the Profession
“The Core Competences of
Librarianship define the
knowledge to be possessed
by all persons graduating
from ALA-accredited
master’s programs in
library and information
studies.”
Source: American Library
Association. (2010). Core
competences. Retrieved from
http://www.ala.org/ala/educationcaree
rs/careers/corecomp/corecompetenc
es/index.cfm
Image Credit: DEFT UK.
(2006). Training and
development. Retrieved from
http://deftuk.com/Services/Train
develop.html
Core Competencies of the Profession

Foundations of the Profession

Information Resources


Organization of Recorded
Knowledge and Information
Technological Knowledge and
Skills

Reference and User Services

Research


http://www.ala.org/
Continuing Education and Lifelong
Learning
Administration and Management
http://www.alise.org/
Core Competencies of the Profession


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
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articulate the ethics, values and
foundational principles of LIS professionals
design, query and evaluate information
retrieval systems
demonstrate proficiency in the use of
current information and communication
technologies
use service concepts, principles and
techniques that facilitate information access
describe the fundamental concepts of
information-seeking behaviors
design training programs
understand the nature of research
evaluate programs and services
Source: School of Library and
Information Science. San Jose
State University. (n.d.).
Statement of core
competencies. Retrieved from
http://slisweb.sjsu.edu/slis/comp
etencies.htm
Linkages in LIS Education:
Core Competencies

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American Association of
Law Libraries
American Library
Association
Art Libraries Society of
North America
Medical Library Association
Music Library Association
Special Libraries
Association
Image Credit: Medical Library
Association. (2007). Competencies for
lifelong learning and professional
success: The educational policy state of
the Medical Library Association.
Retrieved from
http://www.mlanet.org/education/policy/
Core Competencies in Action:
The University of Nebraska Libraries
“Core competencies are the
skills, knowledge and
personal attributes that
contribute to an individual’s
success in a particular
position . . . . They are the
knowledge and skills that
make the organization a
success and help the
organization change to
meet a changing
environment.”
Source: Giesecke, J., & McNeil, B.
(1999). Core competencies and the
learning organization. Library
Administration & Management, 13 (3).
Retrieved from
http://digitalcommons.unl.edu/librarys
cience/60
What is Continuing Professional
Education?
“Continuing professional education refers to the
education of professional practitioners, regardless
of their practice setting, that follows their
preparatory curriculum and extends their learning,
or assimilation of information and ideas that can
contribute to the quality of their day-to-day
performance, throughout their careers.”
Source: Queeney, D. S. (1996). Continuing professional
education. In R. L. Craig (Ed.), The ASTD training and
development handbook: A guide to human resource
development (4th ed.) (pp. 698-724). New York: McGraw-Hill.
Continuing Professional Education and
LIS Education
“GSLIS is committed to
expanding our focus of
continuous learning and
development by creating
and providing the library
and information professional
community with a variety of
continuing professional
development opportunities in
many areas of library and
information science, services,
and operations.”
Source: Graduate School of Library &
Information Science. University of Illinois
at Urbana-Champaign. (n.d.). Continuing
professional development. Retrieved from
http://www.lis.illinois.edu/academics/progr
ams/cpd
Continuing Professional Education and
Professional Associations
“Continuous learning efforts focus
both on the library profession in
keeping with ALA's mission to
deliver the highest quality library
and information services to all
people. ALA has a unique role to
play in assessing the continuing
education needs of its members
and of those in the profession;
coordinating programs to meet
those needs; communicating their
availability; and delivering
training where appropriate.”
Source: American Library Association. (2007). What
ALA does: Offers the best in CE. Retrieved from
http://www.ala.org/ala/membership/whataladoes/offers
ce/index.cfm
http://alalearning.org/
http://www.arl.org/sc/instit
ute/index.shtml
Continuing Professional Education and
Libraries
“Instructor College is a
specially focused staff
development initiative of
the University Library. Its
goal is to strengthen the
instructional skills of Library
staff. By giving excellent
instruction, the Library
seeks to help users realize
the full value of the
resources it provides.”
Source: MLibrary. University of Michigan.
(2010). Instructor College. Retrieved from
http://www.lib.umich.edu/instructor-college
Linkages in Continuing Professional
Education
“GSLIS, in partnership with the
Rare Book and Manuscript
Library and the Soybean
Press of the University of
Illinois at UrbanaChampaign, has developed
the Midwest Book and
Manuscript Studies (MBMS)
program to offer a series of
courses and workshops
focused on special
collections and the book
arts.”
Source: Graduate School of
Library & Information Science.
University of Illinois at UrbanaChampaign. (n.d.). Midwest Book
and Manuscript Studies.
Retrieved from
http://www.lis.illinois.edu/academi
cs/programs/mbms
Linkages and Lifelong Learning
“No educational institution teaches
just through its courses,
workshops, and institutes; no
corporation teaches just through
its in-service education
programs; and no voluntary
organization teaches just through
its meetings and study groups.
They all teach by everything
they do . . .”
Source: Knowles, M. S., Holton, E. F.,
III, & Swanson, R. A. (2005). The adult
learner: The definitive classic in adult
education and human resource
development (6th ed.). Boston: Elsevier.
Image Credit: Quality Assurance
Agency for Higher Education. (2007).
Scottish benchmark statements: The
standard for childhood practice 2007.
Retrieved from
http://www.qaa.ac.uk/academicinfrastruct
ure/benchmark/scottish/earlyYears.asp
Questions
Contact
Scott Walter
Associate University Librarian for Services, and
Associate Dean of Libraries
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
swalter@illinois.edu
https://netfiles.uiuc.edu/swalter/www/index.html