... I usually agree with you, Kyle ;-)
Kyle Banerjee wrote:
> Actually, a mailing list might be exactly the right place. ALA has its
> functions, but I really can't see them helping light the way. By the
> time ALA could get anything going, the info would be way too generic
> and stale for any reasonable CE program.
>
But that's not because ALA shouldn't be able to do it, it's because ALA
is a ponderous, incompetent organization.
> We shouldn't treat ourselves like grade school children who have to be
> spoon fed everything. Part of being a professional is figuring out
> what you need to learn/do and then finding a way to acquire and apply
> that knowledge. Expecting committees to determine which readings or
> goals are best sounds like a pretty surefire recipe for keeping us in
> the stone ages.
>
I disagree with your approach here. It's not that committees should
decide, it's that our profession *should* have a sense of direction that
informs its members. It is exactly this kind of leadership that ALA has
failed to provide. Continuing education doesn't have to be done on the
Soviet model where all thought is controlled; it could have a role of
providing inspiration and inspiring enthusiasm. Most importantly, it
needs to overcome the (probably many) instances where an institution's
management does not encourage exploration and learning, thus stifling
the possibilities for its employees. I can't tell you how many of my
vacation days I had to use to attend professional events and training
sessions when I was at the U. And I imagine it's even worse for folks
working for public libraries, many of whom can't get a day off to attend
training, even if they want to do it on their own time. I really see a
lot of mis-guided individualism here, as I see generally in the techie
world. There's nothing wrong with providing learning opportunities, and
not everyone learns best alone. This is a kind of "sink-or-swim"-ism
that I think is overall detrimental to the goal of having a more
up-to-date profession.
kc
--
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Karen Coyle / Digital Library Consultant
kcoyle@kcoyle.net http://www.kcoyle.net
ph.: 510-540-7596 skype: kcoylenet
fx.: 510-848-3913
mo.: 510-435-8234
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Received on Fri Sep 12 2008 - 12:45:58 EDT