LAS PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT SCHEME (PDS)

A GUIDE FOR APPLICANTS [August 2008]

1= . Overview of scheme

1.1 The LAS Professional Development Scheme (PDS) is an award that recognizes the effort and achievements of librarians in their professional training and development effort. The award of “Practicing Professional (PP)”= is given to librarians who attain a prescribed level of training and professio= nal development activities. LAS will confer the award to individuals on the recommendation of the PDS Board and their names will be gazetted and listed in the official LAS website. Employers will be able to use this = as an indicator of a librarian’s ability in keeping up with the rapid changes in our field and his/her likelihood of performing their job competently. Employers are encouraged to use the scheme as part of their performance appraisal process and for recruiting middle and senior level professional staff.

1.2 To qualify for the PP award, a librarian needs to engage in 3 areas of professional development and training activities. Each activity will attrac= t a certain number of points. A librarian will deem to qualify for the award wh= en he/she accumulate the necessary number of points in the 3 areas. Evidence of the achievement will then be submitted by the candidate to the PDS Committee who will then verify and recommend to LAS Council to award the PP status.

2= . Procedure for obtaining award<= /o:p>

2.1 The PDS scheme is designed to be simple for applicants to register and for LAS = to administer. All information regarding the scheme will be available in the L= AS website <www.las.org.sg>. Appli= cants only need to follow the 4 simple steps below:

a) &nbs= p; Be familiar with the types of professional development activities that qualify= for endorsement by PDS [see Section 3]

b) &nbs= p; Engage in these activities [see Section 4]

c) &nbs= p; Keep proper records of these activities [see Section 5] and the number of points accumulated [see Section 3] using the PDS Activities Record Form (PAR Form) [download from LAS website]

d) &nbs= p; When the minimum points required is reached, complete the print out the PAR Form, sign the declaration and send to PDS Board for endorsement. Ensure that you meet all pre-requisites before submission [see Section 6]=

2.2 After verification, the PDS Board will recommend your application to the LAS Coun= cil for the award of Practicing Professional status. Your name will be listed on the LAS Website for a period of 2 years.

3= . Professional development activities=

3.1 Ap= plicants need to engage in 3 types of professional development activities:

	Expertise development (ED)<= /o:p>	Activities that will help to upgrade and improve the skills and knowledge of practitioners
	Industry Knowledge Development (ID)	Activities that keep the practitioner informed of current developments in the information industry=
	Personal Development (PD)	Activities that helps the practitioner improve on his work productivity, personal management skills= and general knowledge

3.2 Each activity entitles the applicant to a number of points. To qualify for the Practicing Professional (PP) Award, the applicant needs to accumulate at le= ast 500 points for ED, 300 points for ID, 100 points for PD and another 100 poi= nts from any of the categories within 2 years.

	ACTIVITIES	POINTS	CAP
A)	Expertise Developme= nt (500 points)	<= /span>	<= /span>
	Training		350
1	Participate in course/workshop on specif= ic LIS area (half day)	27
2	Participate in course/workshop on specif= ic LIS area (1 day)	34
3	Participate in course/workshop on specif= ic LIS area (2-4 day)	48
4	Participate in course/workshop on specif= ic LIS area (5-10 day)	70
5	Participate in course/workshop on specif= ic LIS area (>10 day)	160
6	Participate in Conference/seminar (half = day)	17
7	Participate in Conference/seminar (1-day)<= o:p>	24
8	Participate in Conference/seminar (2-day)<= o:p>	38
9	Participate in Conference/seminar (> 3-= day)	52
10	Participation in e-learning course or online conferenc= e	27
11	Participate in library internship (3-5 day= s)	62
12	Participate in library internship (> 5 days)	124
	Professional activities		350
13	Chair conference session and seminar	29
14	Speaker at professional forum or seminar=	70
15	Participate as ad-hoc committee member (= at least 3 months)	54
16	Participate as committee member of profe= ssional body (per year)	125
17	Participate as committee chair or council member of LAS (per year)	146
18	Participate as office holder of LAS Coun= cil (per year)	176
19	Participate in LAS mentorship scheme	88
	Authorship		350
20	Write and/or present paper at a conferen= ce as main author	184
21	Write and/or present paper at a conferen= ce as joint author	174
22	Present paper only at conference	50
23	Edit conference proceeding or book<= /o:p>	162
24	Prepare and present poster at conference=	92
25	Publish scholarly article in refereed journal or publication as main author	220
26	Publish scholarly article in refereed journal or publication as joint author	200
27	Write short article in published magazin= e or news bulletin (> 1,000 words)	44
28	Write feature article in published magaz= ine, news bulletin (>2,000 words)	68
29	Write course materials for professional development activities	44
30	Conduct professional course or workshop (half-day)	117
31	Conduct professional course or workshop (> 1 day)	180
	Professional reading and Self study=		200
32	Professional reading as evidenced by certified reading= log or contributed annotated bibliography or reviews in LAS website (per year)	100
33	Participation in study group or reading circle (regist= ered with LAS) (per year)	100
34	Maintain news or reading blog (per year)	100
35	Independent learning project with documentation (per y= ear)	100

B)	Industry Knowledge Development (300 points)	<= /span>	No caps
1	Participate in library related talks, forums, discussion sessions and business meetings (e.g. AGM, Council & Committee meetings) organized by LAS or other libraries (provided they are open to LAS members or other librarians)	46
2	Participate in product/services briefing & demonstrations by vendor organized or approved by LAS	36
3	Attend library related exhibitions<= /o:p>	24
4	Study visit to other libraries (local and overseas)	46
5	Study tour to other libraries (local and overseas) > 3 days	70

C)	Personal Development (100 points)	<= /span>	No caps
1	Participate in any self-development or productivity course not directly related to library and information work (half day)	26
2	Participate in any self-development or productivity course not directly related to library and information work (> half day)	32

4. Acceptable professional development activities =

The PDS Board does not certify individual training courses and other professional development activities. Applicants who attend or eng= age in any activities need to ensure that they adhere to the following guidelin= es.

4.1. Traini= ng courses and workshops - Apply to points A1-A12 in Chart

a)  &nbs= p; LIS courses should be conducted by qualified professionals with library and information science qualifications or by library science educators. Courses= on closely related areas to LIS including information technology, intellectual property, educational and learning development and management must be condu= cted by practitioners or educators qualified in their respective fields.

b)  &nbs= p; Courses should be organized or jointly organized by recognized institutions and org= anizations in Singapore or overseas. These include the Library Association of Singapor= e, other recognized library and information associations, recognized libraries= , reputable educational institutions, recognized training companies and library and information services vendors.
c)  &nbs= p; In-house training courses to develop and upgrade professional skills and knowledge in library and information work organized by the applicant’s library are acceptable activities.

d)  &nbs= p; Product briefings and demonstrations by vendors are not considered as appropriate training courses and do not earn points in this category. However they can attract points in the Industry knowledge development Group if they fulfilled the necessary conditions stated in Section B of the Chart.

e)  &nbs= p; Courses and workshops held outside of Singapore should be organized by recognized institutions such as national or state library and information associations= and educational institutions.

f)  &nbs= p; E-learning courses or online conference must be related to LIS or allied disciplines. = They should have a cumulated duration of at least 2 hours to complete.

g)  &nbs= p; Applicants whose work involved responsibilities for subject librarianship or specific = industry information work may also add points from attending conferences and seminar= s on the subject area or industry sector.

h)  &nbs= p; Internship programmes should be offered by recognized libr= aries here and abroad. There must be a formal written progra= mme.

4.2   Professional activities – Apply to A13-A19

a)  &nbs= p; Professional activities refer to those organized by LAS and its various committees and sub-committees

b)  &nbs= p; To earn points from participation in committees, applicants must fulfill the attendance requirement of their committees or at least 4 meetings per year.=

c)  &nbs= p; Points are also awarded (no.15) for participation in ad-hoc committees lasting less then 1 year, e.g. in conference organizing committees, project committees, = etc.=

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4.4   Authorship – Apply to A20 to A31

a)  &nbs= p; For conference papers and journal articles jointly written by more than 2 autho= rs, the total points allocated to main author and joint author in that category shall be shared equally among the total number of authors (regardless of position of authorship).

b)  &nbs= p; For other publications and activities listed in the section “Authorship”, joint authors or presenters shall share the points equally.

c)  &nbs= p; To qualify for A27 and A28, an article must be published in journals, magazine= s, newsletter or any serial publications in print or in an official website of= a recognized library or organization.

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4.5   Professional reading and self-study

a)  &nbs= p; To earn points for engagement in self study, applicants must show one or more = of the following forms of evidence:

(i)    Submission of a log of professional reading do= ne during the qualifying period and certified by applicant’s supervisor.= The log should contain at least 24 items per year

(ii)   <= /span>Submission of bibliographic essays or reviews (should be at least 24 items) for publication in the bulletins and journals of LAS. Work must be accepted for publication

(iii) Posting in personal weblog showing substantial number of entries (should be at leas= t 24 per year) relating to reading of professional literature =

(iv)   Participation in reading circles or study gr= oup registered with LAS (attendance at least 4 times a year)<= /p>
(v)  &nb= sp; Other evidence acceptable to the PDS Board. The Board shall post their decision on other acceptable evidence in the LAS website.

b)  &nbs= p; All self-study activities shall attract the fix number of points at 100 per yea= r

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4.6   Industry knowledge development activities

a)  &nbs= p; Generally, any activities that enable a participant to keep updated on developments in= the profession and the industry (as opposed to skills and expertise development= ) are considered as industry knowledge development activities.<= /p>
b)  &nbs= p; Examples of activities in item (B.1) are talks by local or visiting professionals, discussion forums and special groups’ meetings organized by LAS or established institutions and libraries. All such activities should be opene= d to all LAS members.

c)  &nbs= p; Applicants may also earn the allocated points in B.1 for participation in business meetings at invitation of LAS council and committees and attendance at AGM.=

d)  &nbs= p; To earn points in item B.2, the activity must be approved, organized or jointly organized by LAS.

4.7   Personal development activities

a)  &nbs= p; Applicants may engage in activities in the Industry knowledge development activities to earn points for the Personal development activities group.

5. Keeping proper records & verification

5.1   Applicants can download the PDS Activities Record (PAR) from the LAS website. This is = an Excel spreadsheet that is preformatted to calculate points for each type of activity. Enter the appropriate training information as you progress in your professional development activity.

5.2   Instructions on filling in the form are given in the PARF.

5.3   Applications can choose one of two options in verifying the activities that they engaged= in

(a)  &nb= sp; Public display

Upon acceptance of application by the PDS Board, the activities form for each application will be made available for public view= ing at the LAS website. Applicants need not submit any supporting documentation= to prove the undertaking of the activities stated. If no queries and objections are raised by the community on the accuracy of the information submitted are received within one month, the award will be confirmed.
(b)   No display

If applicant does not wish to make their activities form public, they must provide proof of attendance for all activities. Documenta= tion for verification can include certification by Head of Library, evidence of attendance from event provider, payment receipts, etc. Applicants need to p= ay an administrative fee of $50 to exercise this option.

6. Submission of application

6.1   To qualify for the award, applicants must accumulate 1,000 points within a 2-y= ear period. The 2 year period can start from any time within a year. For exampl= e, a person who accumulated 1,000 points from activities engaged from 1 Feb 2008= to 31 Jan 2010 will qualify for the award on 1 Feb 2010.

6.2   Applicants can submit their application for the award at the start of each quarter wit= hin the year and 2 weeks before the PDS Board meets on the first of Jan, Apr, J= ul, or Oct.

6.3   Applicants must be fully paid-up professional member of LAS at the point of applicatio= n to have their applications considered.

7. One-off kick-start for the PDS Scheme

7.1   To kick start the scheme for its first run, the duration for accumulating PDS = points will be reduced to one year instead of 2 years. Similarly, applicants need = only to gain 500 points, which is half the required points to qualify for the aw= ard for this first run.

7.2   For the first run, applicants can submit their application for the award by end= Dec 2008 onwards. Professional development activities starting from 1 Jan 2008 = to 31 Dec 2008 can be used to earn PDS points, i.e. points can be assigned retrospectively. The award will be valid for a period of 2 years. Thereafte= r, the scheme will operate on a 2-year period.

8. Appeals

8.1   Applicants may appeal to the LAS Council in case of any disputes on the award of the Practicing Professional status. The decision of the LAS Council after the appeal will be final.

9. Benefits of the PP status

9.1   For individuals, gaining PP status will enable them to show their employers or potential employers that they have engaged in a systematic programme of continuous professional development and training expected of any modern professional. For some major organizations, the attainment of PP status may= be tied to promotion considerations, career advancement and successful job applications.

9.2 For libraries, the PDS scheme provi= des a useful framework to encourage all librarians to engage in continuing traini= ng and professional development in a systematic and consistent manner. The sch= eme can dovetail in and work with any existing staff development scheme easily.= The attainment of PP status by staff member can be used as a pre-requisite for recruitment, promotion and incentive scheme for achieving higher professionalism and productivity. One useful feature of the PDS is that it takes into account non-training activities such as publishing, self-study, professional reading, participation in community projects, etc., which are important component of professional development and which are not normally considered as training activities in an organization’s staff training= programme.

9.3   Fo= r parent bodies of libraries, the PDS scheme provides an industry standard in terms = of what it takes to be recognized as sufficient effort in continuing professio= nal development for librarians. Employers of librarians now have a common yards= tick to determine the professional development effort undertaken by existing as = well as potential employees. Also, unlike staff training schemes in an organizat= ion, whereby a person’s training record is kept in-house and is specific to the organization, the PP certification is portable and can be used wherever= the person works.

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10. Some further information

10.1   &nb= sp; How are the PDS points calculated?

a)  &nbs= p; For clarity of presentation, only the points assigned to each activity is indic= ated in the chart. The method in calculating the points are briefly described be= low.

b)  &nbs= p; The number of points assigned to each activity in the chart is calculated based= on consideration of 2 factors – the value of the activity and the estima= ted time invested in it. The value assigned to an activity is a judgment by the= PDS Committee on its importance in relation to all the activities considered in= the chart. All activities are roughly ranked in order of their perceived value = and a relative number assigned. Though time invested in the activity is a facto= r, it is not as important as the value one gets out of it and therefore it is weighted lower than the perceived value. The final point is therefore a combination of the weighted factor for estimated duration of an activity and its value.

10.2   &nb= sp; What are the training courses available?

a)    = ; A projection of training courses and professional development activities will= be posted in the LAS website to assist members in planning their annual traini= ng plan.

b)    = ; Applicants can source for and attend other types of activities not stated in the LAS website as long as they meet the guidelines for appropriate PDS activity as explained in this guide.

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