Transforming yourself through continuing professional development.

Abstract

Continuing professional development (CPD) is important for individuals because it keeps their thinking fresh, their skills relevant and their motivation high. For organisations CPD maintains the level of contemporary competencies essential for delivering a professional service to colleagues, managers, customers, clients and the community. ALIA Health Libraries Australia (HLA) organises a range of CPD for its members - those who work in health library predominant roles. Though health libraries may seem like a niche sector, they are very much aligned to other library specialties and the skills learnt through CPD activities not only upskill HLA members, but many others in the broader library community as well.

This presentation will look at why CPD is important and how it can be used to transform yourself and your library service. Looking outside your niche library sector (and libraries) is imperative to stay abreast of changes and trends, allowing you to open yourself up to possibilities and to learn & grow from others. Examples will be drawn from HLA sessions to demonstrate relevance to wider audiences and encourage attendees to seek out opportunities beyond the norm.