What’s next on the IL Horizon? iTHINK iCAN WeLEARN

This BOAF will gather colleagues to examine the impact of professional development across AMICAL’s information literacy librarians. Participants will present their professional development experiences to highlight the opportunities and challenges of staying current in our field. Recommendations to enhance networking, communication, and collaboration among AMICAL librarians will conclude the discussion.

Information literacy and instruction librarians continually strive to remain connected and current in their career. However, demands of hectic teaching schedules, numerous reference desk shifts, and standing committee work can create a situation where staying ‘up-to-date’ is daunting and overwhelming. As the ILC looks to colleagues for constructive input, the BOAF guided discussion is an opportunity to discuss professional development prospects that potentially support and improve the nuances of our careers.

Initially, this guided discussion will gather colleagues to collect and examine various professional development training in which participants have attended. Participants will present their experiences to highlight the opportunities and challenges, especially with regard to staying current in our field. Further on, it will be interesting to brainstorm two questions: 1. how do we, individually as practitioners, stay current in the field with regard to new developments? 2. how do we share our various professional training experiences with other AMICAL librarians and faculty members in order to benefit from each other? Finally, the discussion will conclude with recommendations that incorporate constructive feedback which will guide the ILC to enhance and improve current ILC professional development initiatives.