Continuing Professional Development and Workplace Learning Section

The IFLA Continuing Professional Development and Workplace Learning Section (CPDWL) invites proposals for papers, research reports, workshops, personal stories, and poster sessions. Some proposals will be considered for publication in the online proceedings in the IFLA institutional repository. First-time presenters and new professionals are encouraged to apply. Students in the final year of studies are also invited to participate.

The satellite conference will be held immediately prior to the World Library and Information Congress in Cape Town, South Africa.

For the latest information about the satellite meeting, please see the conference webpage.

Date

12-14 August 2015

The satellite conference will start on Wednesday, August 12 with a reception. The sessions will run all day on Thursday, August 13 and will end by 16:00 on Friday, August 14h. Participants are encouraged to reserve hotel rooms in Cape Town and take public transportation to the Milnerton Public Library.

Venue

Milnerton, Cape Town, South Africa

The satellite conference will be held at Milnerton Public Library. Public transportation from Cape Town is available on a daily basis. Milnerton is a suburb of Cape Town situated on the Atlantic Ocean 11 kilometres to the north of Cape Town city's centre. Milnerton is known for its stunning properties, beautiful lagoon, links golf course and proximity to Cape Town's attractions.

Organizer

Continuing Professional Development and Workplace Learning

Conference Theme and Focus

The conference organizing committee wishes to showcase examples of best practices for forging a vibrant library work force. We are interested in exploring how individual librarians have successfully managed their careers by embracing change, professional development, and training or by providing the professional development opportunities for others. We want to examine how enhanced library skills contribute to stronger libraries.

We are interested in these issues as they cut across a variety of organizational structures, library types, different cultures and geographical regions. We encourage a diversity of voices.

The organizers are particularly interested in proposals for presentations on any of the following, or related themes:

Personal Strategies

• Formal or informal paths that you have taken to develop your professional skills
• Social media’s importance to your identity as a professional librarian 
• Staying at the forefront of innovation in libraries
• Actively managing your career   
• Charting your career path
• Sharing skills and experiences with colleagues
• The potential of publishing in a career
• Having a mentor and/or being a mentor

Institutional Programs

• Developing institutional programs that are responsive to demographic changes
• Workplace learning strategies in a school, public, or academic library
• Taking the best from your institution’s workplace learning programs
• What kind of guidance or help can librarians who wish to give a boost to their career find in your country? What is the role of Institutions, professional associations, government in the training of librarians?
• Role of library administration in workplace learning

Strong Libraries

• Skills needed to develop stronger school, public, and academic libraries
• Research documenting the benefits of professional development and workplace learning
• How library associations might support individuals and institutions in capacity development
• The role of pre-professional education

Presentation Formats

The organizing committee would like applicants to indicate the presentation format in their proposal:

1. Papers – Presentation on Satellite themes.  Please indicate if you would like your proposal to be considered for peer-review and inclusion in the online conference proceedings.
2. Research Reports – A more formal report that highlights trends, findings, and research in the field of professional development and workplace learning.  Please indicate if you would like your proposal to be considered for peer-review and inclusion in the online conference proceedings.
3. Interactive Roundtable Discussions – A short presentation followed by discussion with a small group of participants.  The presentation may be repeated several times during a time slot.
4. Workshop – A limited number of two-hour workshop will be accepted.
5. Personal stories – Participants will have the opportunity, in a facilitated session, to tell a story about an event or person in their career that had an impact.  Personal stories will be limited to 10 minutes.

Poster Sessions – IFLA Trend Report

The organizing committee is also accepting poster proposals.  Poster proposals have a slightly different theme. We ask that they be tied to the IFLA Trend Report.  The proposals should address what professional development and training programs libraries might offer to implement the trends in their institution. The proposal could also document how librarians are currently implementing ideas from the Trend Report in their libraries.

Target Audience for the Satellite Meeting

We welcome librarians from public, academic, special and school libraries who are interested in learning more about how to manage their careers, skills and knowledge; and librarians interested in sharing success stories about their careers, great professional development programs that they have created, or the impact that their skills have had  on their institutions. We also encourage the attendance of library and information science students and faculty as well as association staff who are interested in the topic.

Conference Format & Structure

The conference will be structured to maximize opportunities for interaction and learning with a focus on expanding knowledge and understanding and enhancing capabilities in this key area of professional practice. Active sharing of ideas and knowledge will be encouraged and presenters are urged to think about the most effective ways of delivering their presentations.  The conference will be arranged to include a mix of plenary sessions (with time allowed for discussion and comment on each paper), smaller scale interactive presentations (where presenters make their presentation to a small group and then engage in participatory/interactive work with that group), breakout sessions/workshops and poster presentations. To enable information exchange and networking the smaller scale interactive presentation sessions may be repeated multiple times and the poster sessions may be staffed at several times throughout the conference.

Published Proceedings

All keynote presentations and a selection of other significant presentations at the conference will be peer reviewed and deposited in the IFLA institutional repository. Presenters who prefer not to have their paper considered for publication should indicate their preference on the proposal submission form.

Conference Language

The conference will be conducted in English. All papers and presentations will be required to be in English (it is hoped to translate papers into the official IFLA languages post-conference for addition to the conference website.)

Submission of Proposals for Conference Presentations

To submit a proposal for presentation at the conference please complete the Proposal Submission form (MS Word file).

Proposals must be submitted in electronic format.

Proposals should be sent, no later than 1 December 2014 7 January 2015, to Ewa Stenberg at ewa.stenberg@mah.se; please use "Proposal" in the subject line.

Deadlines/Timelines for Published Papers

• Proposals for papers must be submitted by 1 December 2014 deadline extended to 7 Januray 2015.
• Successful applicants will be advised of the acceptance of their proposal for possible inclusion in the proceedings in January.
• Then the full paper must be submitted for review by 15 February 2015
• Invited contributors/presenters will be advised of final confirmation/acceptance of their paper (following peer review) by 1 April 2015.

Deadline/Timelines for Non-Published Papers/Presentations/Posters

• Proposals must be submitted by 1 December 2014 deadline extended to 7 Januray 2015.
• Successful proposals will be notified of acceptance in January.
• Final presentations/papers/posters must be submitted for review by 1 July 2015.

Review and Selection of Presentations

Proposals for papers for presentation and publication will be assessed by the Conference program committee and will be subject to a peer review process. The program committee will decide which proposers should be invited to develop and submit full presentations and/or papers. Confirmation of invitations to present at the conference will be subject to the receipt and approval, following second round peer review, of the full paper (if for publication in the Conference Proceedings) or presentation outline/poster as applicable.

Revisions may be required before final confirmation and acceptance.

Guidelines for Published Papers

Presenters whose papers are selected for publication in the Proceedings will be provided with detailed guidelines on the required format for manuscripts.

Registration Costs

Details of the cost of the conference (registration fees, accommodation options and costs etc.) will be available in early 2015. Invited speakers and presenters will be required to pay the registration fee and their own travel, accommodation and associated costs. The registration fee will cover a set of electronic conference papers, lunch, mid-morning and mid-afternoon refreshments, and the conference dinner. Milnerton Public Library is located in a Cape Town suburb. Participants should plan to stay at conference hotels in Cape Town.

Registration Awards

CPDWL will have a limited number of awards to pay the registration fee of first time presenters who have been in the profession less than five years since the receipt of a library degree. Please indicate on the proposal submission form if you wish to be considered for one of the awards.  The awards will be given on a competitive basis. Criteria for the award will include acceptance of the proposal, the appropriateness of the topic, and geographical distribution.

Mentoring Opportunity

CPDWL is happy to offer a mentoring opportunity to interested participants. Mentors will be available to work with presenters on their papers and presentations. If you would like to take advantage of this opportunity, please check the mentoring box on the Proposal submission form.

Questions/Comments?

The Program Convener will be happy to respond to questions or comments about this conference. Please direct questions to Ewa Stenberg ewa.stenberg@mah.se

Please note

All expenses, including registration for the conference, travel, accommodation etc., are the responsibility of the authors/presenters. No financial support can be provided by IFLA, but a special invitation can be issued to authors.