The continuing education requirement for public librarians and library associates in the state of Maryland is part of the Code of Maryland Regulations (COMAR) under Title 13A.05.04.02, and is the process is the responsibility of the Maryland State Department of Education (MSDE). Certification is required not only for employment as a librarian/library associate in Maryland, but also for participation in the retirement system.
So this tells us the technical “why,” but not the actual “why” of library professional development. Often, staff are so focused on the numbers (hours, due dates) that they forget why the requirement is there in the first place. Professional development and continuing education are crucial to improving library related skills and to the development of the staff member as a professional:
Education for the contemporary professional no longer ends with diploma, if it ever did. It has been recognized that continuing education strengthens not only knowledge and skills necessary for competent performance but also values and attitudes necessary for the service orientation of a profession.[1]
The ever-changing role of the library requires that the staff also be ever-changing, and ever-improving. Some estimates show that human knowledge is doubling every 13 months[2], and between 600,000 and 1,000,000 books published every year in the US[3]. The need to learn new technologies, stay relevant, and restructure services based on the needs of our customers requires ongoing professional development.
Instead of fixating on the number of hours needed, librarians and library associates should focus on gaining knowledge, updating skills, remaining “abreast of trends and developments in the field”[4], and improving both technical and inter-personal skills. By recognizing that training and development is a “crucial element in ensuring positive user experiences within libraries,”[5] staff can explore learning as a means of becoming better professionals. We don’t take classes to get hours; we get hours to remind us that we need to take classes!
Of course, we have the yearly Full Record reports and SD&T staff to help ensure that you stay on track with your hours, but if our librarians and library associates are constantly improving skills and pursuing educational opportunities, then the 90 hour requirement should take care of itself.
[2] Schilling, David Russell http://www.industrytap.com/knowledge-doubling-every-12-months-soon-to-be-every-12-hours/
[3] Morgan, Nick. http://www.forbes.com/sites/nickmorgan/2013/01/08/thinking-of-self-publishing-your-book-in-2013-heres-what-you-need-to-know/
[4] Cooke, Nicole A. http://conference.ifla.org/past-wlic/2011/200-cooke-en.pdf
[5] Lockhart, Janine and Sulaiman Majal http://docs.lib.purdue.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1134&context=iatul
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