PROF REG

Colleen Shipley began her career in a university library doing mostly circulation work and gained her library studies certificate at that time. She then became an assistant librarian at the New Zealand Wool Board. Prior to moving to Marlborough to become the librarian at Marlborough Girls College, she worked at the New Zealand Council for Educational Research Library.

Q WHY DID YOU DECIDE TO BECOME PROFESSIONALLY REGISTERED?

A I was working in my current job as a school librarian when professional registration came into being. My qualification is the New Zealand Library Studies Certificate, and I joined the scheme at the eleventh hour. For those of us with this qualification professional registration is a way to acknowledge the experience we have gained ‘on the job.’

WHAT IS THE VALUE OF REGISTRATION TO YOU IN YOUR WORK?

The professional registration process for me is a mixed bag. I start with good intentions but often must backtrack through my appraisal documents to collate my journal and write my reflections. I think this process would be easier if I was in a location where I could regularly meet with others doing this. Registration is valuable to me because the compilation of the diary and sharing this with senior management helps them understand how a school library works and how we add value to the student’s education and well-being.

CAN YOU COMMENT ON YOUR EXPERIENCE OF BECOMING REGISTERED?

Being registered is like a threeyearly opportunity to take time to reflect on my job and my career progression. It gives me a chance to focus on the parts of the role that I love - there is nothing more rewarding than seeing a teenager develop or rekindle a love of reading for pleasure. I often feel school librarians don’t get the recognition they deserve. Seeing the examples in the journal makes me realise we do a lot of management tasks albeit on a much smaller scale, such as budget preparation and management, reports to senior management and the Board, and event management as well as sometimes teaching.