Top 10 tips for prospective Library Association of Ireland (LAI) award applicants

Guest Post by Mairéad Mc Keown, Knowledge and Critical Capability Manager at Bord Bia - The Irish Food Board 

Mairéad McKeown holding her SALAI certificate

This Libfocus blog post will look at why you might apply for an LAI professional award, what type of awards exist and my top 10 tips for prospective LAI award applicants.


Why might you apply for an LAI award? The benefits:

All three awards signify that a member of the Association has developed:

• An increasing level of personal professional practice
• Continuing professional development
• Contribution made to the library and information field at large
• They also carry the right to use the post-nominal letters ALAI, SALAI and FALAI respectively and inclusion as an Associate, Senior Associate or Fellow in the LAI Professional Register

Achieving all three awards also:

• Gives your career prospects a competitive advantage
• Provides proof to current and future employers of peer recognition and of commitment to continuing professional development and practice
• Creates an opportunity to be part of a network of active like-minded information professionals
• Enables Associate awards holders to apply for a Senior Associate award at a later date and in turn enables Senior Associates to apply for a Fellowship award at a later date.

In addition, as the highest career level award, achieving a Fellowship award also signals:

• Recognition of personal achievement at the highest possible level
• Proof to current and future employers of peer recognition and career-long commitment to continuing professional development
• Demonstration of a personal contribution made at a strategic level to the Association, nationally or internationally for at least ten years

What types of LAI awards exist?

There are three professional awards that LAI members can apply for, each will be covered briefly below:

• Associate, ALAI
• Senior Associate, SALAI
• Fellow, FALAI

What is the ALAI?

The Associateship is an entry-level award, intended for early career professional librarians with a minimum two years relevant work experience. The award recognises personal commitment to ongoing professional development, evidence of reflective learning from such activity, and engagement with the Library Association of Ireland (LAI).

Prospective candidates looking to learn more about the ALAI, can click here for information on the application process, e.g. when and how to apply and what happens after your application is submitted (LAI, no date).

What is the SALAI?

The Senior Associateship is a mid-career award, intended for professional librarians with a minimum 10 years relevant work experience. In addition to length of service, the award recognises personal commitment to ongoing professional development, evidence of reflective learning from such activity and engagement with the Library Association of Ireland (LAI).

Prospective candidates looking to learn more about the SALAI, can click here for information on the application process, e.g. when and how to apply and what happens after your application is submitted (LAI, no date).

 

What is the FLAI?

The Fellowship is a senior-level award intended for professional librarians with a minimum of 15 years relevant work experience. In addition to length of service, the award recognises personal commitment to ongoing professional development, evidence of reflective learning from such activity and engagement with the Library Association of Ireland (LAI).

Prospective candidates looking to learn more about the FALAI, can click here for information on the application process, e.g., when and how to apply and what happens after your application is submitted (LAI, no date).

 

With regards to all three awards, ALAI, SALAI and FALAI, if you have particular issues that are not covered through the links above, send your queries to awards@libraryassociation.ie

 

 

Top 10 tips for prospective LAI award applicants:

 

In 2023 I achieved the SALAI and it was one of the most fulfilling and personally awarding highlights of my career to date. It has helped me to reflect upon my strengths, areas for growth and celebrate my professional practice, development and connection with the LAI and other library bodies. Based on my experience, the next section of this blogpost will share my top 10 tips for prospective LAI award applicants.

1. Don’t regret not applying for an LAI award – JUST DO IT!

The fact that you are here reading this blogpost already signals your curiosity and interest in LAI awards. Learn all you can about the awards, then choose the one that’s most suitable for your career level and go for it.

‘If you have regrets, make sure they are for things you did rather than did not do’ National Library Director Dr Audrey Whitty (Reporter, 2023).

2. Know the award guidelines, give yourself plenty of time and get early buy in

Research the guidelines for the awards and become familiar with what’s required. Once you’re committed, start at the beginning of the summer in the year you wish to apply. Do not underestimate the amount of time this will take (six to eight months). But don’t be put off by the time required either as this is a really worthwhile process. By practicing good planning and organisation skills, it’s well achievable. If you are seeking support for the application fee and time to devote to the award whilst at work, ensure you sell the benefits to your employer and get early buy in.

3. Think broadly about quantitative and qualitative activities/proof points

A good portfolio of evidence will provide sufficient information for the assessors to judge if the candidate has satisfied both the quantitative and qualitative requirements of the award. Quite often we fail to realise the broad depth of continuing professional development activities that we undertake. Reading this blogpost is an activity which you could include in your CPD tracker! To help you think broadly about qualitative and quantitative CPD activities and proof points, I’ve included a list of examples to consider below:

• Training courses
• Workshops
• Seminars
• Conferences
• Knowledge cafés, conversation clubs, journal clubs
• Publications
• Academic qualifications
• Internet-based learning such as MOOCs, online tutorials, webinars, newsgroups, email lists, blogs, other social media
• Training received from industry suppliers, such as database providers
• On the job learning
• Shadowing people, job exchanges/rotations/secondments
• Professional reading
• LAI/other Committee membership
• Informal networking opportunities
• Reflective writing

4. Keep your C.V. up to date 

All award applicants are required to submit an up-to-date C.V., so taking the time to continue to refresh your C.V. as you prepare your application will be time very well spent. Place a ruthless focus on demonstrating the breadth of your specific library experience and engagement with the profession.


5. Create an excel CPD tracker in the flow of your activities 

Complete your excel tracker in the flow of your CPD activities, doing this in real time will save major headaches down the road. It’s also a really good habit which encourages you to reflect and recognise small and larger CPD wins. Create tracker headings which will enable you to easily reflect on your practice when writing your reflective statement.

The headings I used in my excel tracker can be found below (these may be useful when setting up yours):

• My name
• CPD Activity Date
• PKSB area (if using the CILIP PKSB Professional Knowledge Skills Base wheel)
• CPD Activity Title
• Who the CPD Activity was delivered by
• Amount of time for the CPD activity
• Reason for the CPD activity
• What I learned from the CPD activity
• How I will put what I learnt from the CPD activity into practice – further action as a result of it
• Any further thoughts on the CPD activity
• References to the CPD activity (where possible) E.g. a URL from a webinar, article etc. 

6. Stand on the shoulders of giants 

You’ll need to create a reflective statement that’s unique and distinct to you, but at the same time the LAI advise taking inspiration from these reflective writing/practice sources:

• Tips in Writing a Reflective Statement
• Reflective practice

Also, as previously recommended by Helen Fallon and Jane Burns, leverage the register of LAI award holders to identify award holders and make connections for peer to peer support - this was a great tip which was invaluable to me (Fallon & Burns, 2022).

 

7. Craft a reflective statement which embodies these three elements:

• Concise yet comprehensive
• Demonstrates that you have engaged in reflective practice as a means to continuous learning and professional development over time
• Demonstrates that experience alone does not necessarily lead to learning but that learning follows from deliberate reflection on such experience.

8. Seek letters of support: 

Reach out to those who can aid your application and seek letters of support. I got letters from my CEO, my current director, former director and a vendor I worked closely with on a large project of strategic importance. When compiling your CPD tracker you will naturally identify prospective supporters that you can approach to aid your application.

9. Display proof of your award

As the professional landscape continues to evolve rapidly, the need for adaptability and learning has become crucial for individuals to thrive in the workplace. It’s no surprise that, adaptability was recognised as the “skill of the moment” in LinkedIn’s2024 Most In-Demand Skills list (Bessalel, 2024). 

LAI awards demonstrate continuing adaptability and commitment to learning. Therefore, once you have achieved your award, I strongly advise displaying social proof of your achievement, e.g. create a celebratory post on your social channels. You can view my celebratory post on LinkedIn for ideas on how to display social proof of your award (Mc Keown, 2023). It’s also a good idea to add your award to the awards and honours section of your LinkedIn profile, include it on your CV and think about writing about your experience and sharing it.

10. If at first you don’t succeed, don’t give up and try again

If the Assessors do not recommend your application for an award, do not give up! Use the outcome and constructive feedback provided as a CPD learning experience. Then reflect and re-apply at a later date.

“If one has courage, nothing can dim the light that shines from within” Maya Angelou.

 

Now that you are armed with information on why you might apply for an LAI award, the three different types of awards and 10 top tips for prospective award applicants, I would encourage all LAI members who have not applied for an award to consider doing so. And for those who have already achieved an award, I would encourage you to set goals to apply for the next possible award. There is an award for every LAI member, no matter what stage you are at in your career. Why not begin your LAI award journey today to ensure you can never regret not doing it!

Contact details:

Mairéad Mc Keown Mairead.mckeown@bordbia.ie https://www.linkedin.com/in/maireadmckeown/

References:

Bessalel, S. (2024) ‘LinkedIn 2024 Most In-Demand Skills: Learn the Skills Companies Need Most’, www.linkedin.com. LinkedIn, 8 February. Available at: https://www.linkedin.com/business/learning/blog/top-skills-and-courses/most-in-demand-skills  (Accessed: 13 May 2024).

Fallon, H. and Burns, J. (2022) ‘Applying for an Award of the Library Association of Ireland (LAI)’, Libfocus. Libfocus, 26 April. Available at: https://www.libfocus.com/2022/04/applying-for-award-of-library.html (Accessed: 14 May 2024).

LAI (no date) Award of associateship candidate guidelines (no date) Library Association Of Ireland. Available at: https://www.libraryassociation.ie/award-of-associateship-candidate-guidelines/  (Accessed: 13 May 2024).

LAI (no date) Award of senior associateship candidate guidelines (no date a) Library Association Of Ireland. Available at: https://www.libraryassociation.ie/award-of-senior-associateship-candidate-guidelines/  (Accessed: 13 May 2024).

LAI (no date) Award of fellowship candidate guidelines (no date) Library Association Of Ireland. Available at: https://www.libraryassociation.ie/award-of-fellowship-candidate-guidelines/  (Accessed: 13 May 2024).

McKeown, M. (2023). 🎉Awarded Senior Associateship of the Library Association of Ireland!📚: I am thrilled to share the news that I have achieved the Award of Senior Associateship of the Library Association of Ireland (LAI), 1 November, [LinkedIn]. Available at: https://www.linkedin.com/posts/maireadmckeown_laiawards-libraryassociationofireland-professionaldevelopment-activity-7112346437937455104-Cq6Y/ (Accessed: 14 May 2024).

Reporter, P. (2023) National Library director dr Audrey Whitty: ‘if you have regrets, make sure they are for things you did rather than did not do’, National Library director Dr Audrey Whitty: ’If you have regrets, make sure they are for things you | Business Post. Available at: https://www.businesspost.ie/article/national-library-director-dr-audrey-whitty-if-you-have-regrets-make-sure-they-are-for-things-you/  (Accessed: 13 May 2024).