The benefits of library visits, by Kate Lander

Kate Lander is the Library Manager in BAE Systems Land UK. She previously worked in the Library & Archive of a Professional Body/Registered Charity and in academic libraries. She is a CILIP Mentor and working towards Fellowship.




It has been a common practice among libraries to organise visits for colleagues librarians, who work in the same or different library sector. Considering that the library world is constantly evolving and changing, and librarians are professionals with a wide range of skills and backgrounds, these visits always prove to be quite beneficial for both hosts and visitors.

Although, however, many libraries are willing to open their doors and offer a "backstage" view to colleagues, the number of librarians who take advantage of these visits - especially outside the London area - is constantly decreasing. Could this be due to lack of time, funding or managerial support?

What do such visits offer to librarians, library services, managers and/or organisations?

Image source Unsplash

• Visits can essentially be badged as Continuing Professional Development - they can be used in CPD logs for revalidation, chartering etc. It's a good way to show interest in what is happening in the (wider) library world.

• Some areas on the PKSB (Professional Knowledge Skills Base) do not fall within one's current remit, so it is useful to find out about how these areas are tackled by other professionals (there is a development opportunity here!).

• They account as free training – there is a cost associated with being out of office and subsequent travel & other expenses that may be incurred, but on the whole most visits are free or have minimal cost.

• Everyone takes learning opportunities from these days - one will come back knowing more than when set out without adversely impacting a training budget.

• Visits enable the sharing of best practice – this is what librarians are about: learning from colleagues and sharing (appropriately) in return.

• The process of getting out of our environment can give a fresh view on our own service, a break from routine to come back refreshed with new ideas about what can be done or how something picked up on day can be applied in a different context.

• Visits outside one's “home market” can be particularly useful to compare and contrast with one's own service. 

• There is a wider industry engagement – to find out what others are doing and what we can learn from what they do.

• Networking, networking, networking. Meeting and getting to know other professionals can help us develop our own support networks which may help in the future. Talking to people during an event or visit may help one reflect on their own situation, or identify interesting practices elsewhere. Usually, we discuss what we have learned in visits with our own colleagues and this will help explore our experience and deepen our understanding. Sometimes, it may even enable us to think "out of the box" and of other ways to apply our learning.

• Visits help to develop and expand one's own training styles. We will witness other professionals delivering training, providing introductory talks, or conducting tours. What can we learn from their presentation styles and techniques?

• Reflection and reporting back – it is essential to report back both within one's own organisation and back to the host/contacts one has made. Is there anything we have done that will help them? Any contacts or case studies that can be shared? 

 

It is always useful to keep notes during or after a visit on what one experienced on the day. Our view may help someone else pick up or run with an idea. And if a library takes the time to host a visit/tour, it is particularly rewarding to find out what people got out for it (intended or not) that will help plan/modify a future event. Something we may consider a “routine” could actually turn out to be novel or particularly useful for others. 

Tip: The SLAS 2019 and SLAS 2020 pages offer handy pro forma examples of how to justify an application to attend conferences that can apply to events and visits, too. 


Edited by F Karagianni