Portfolio Building

Viki Lagus

Karen Newton

Carol Brooks

Learning outcomes

• An understanding of what a portfolio is in this context and why CILIP requires one as submission for its qualifications

• Ideas about how to construct your portfolio• Awareness of the types of evidence you can include

in your portfolio• Improved awareness of the regulations and

assessment criteria• Awareness of support networks available to help you• Confidence to progress towards gaining your CILIP

qualification successfully

Why portfolios?

• Gather and present evidence• Focus mind on past experience• Beneficial to you and employer – recognising skill and

contribution• Aid reflection for appraisal, career change, new job –

improved performance and career prospects• Demonstrating your professional judgement in

material selected

Chartership criteria

• An ability to reflect critically on personal performance and to evaluate service performance

• Active commitment to continuing professional development

• An ability to analyse personal and professional development and progression with reference to experiential and developmental activities

• Breadth of professional knowledge and understanding of the wider professional context

• Contents table• Curriculum Vitae (CV), including title and descriptions

of the posts you have held• Personal Professional Development Plan (PPDP)• Personal Evaluative Statement (max 1000 words)

which (i) explains why you chose the material included in your portfolio (ii) includes outcomes of developmental activities in which you have participated and an evaluation of how they have contributed to your professional development (iii) is cross referenced to other items in your portfolio

Content of Chartership portfolio

Content of Chartership portfolio

• Materials selected to show that you understand the objectives of the organisation and information service/products and are able to analyse how effectively these objectives are met

• Organisational structure charts, where appropriate

• Job Description

• Evidence of participation in a mentor scheme

Getting started

• Start now and keep a record of everything

• Use a box, folder, online tool – whatever suits you

• Keep everything - then use your professional judgement to select what is important to include in your portfolio, what shows you in the best professional light

• Review your learning/experience regularly – evaluate what happened and how it helped your development

Being evaluative

• Where you’ve had training you need to show what outcome there has been, any worthwhile benefits, if it has changed the way you work…

• Follow a statement about a developmental activity with what you liked / disliked about it. What would you do differently?

• When you make a point say why observation is important, say what problems are (if any), say what you think / feel / believe should happen instead.

Evaluative statement

• Be strict about the word limit

• Analyse, reflect, evaluate

• Be constructively critical

• Show awareness of the wider profession and professional community

• Show commitment to Continuing Professional Development

Evidence..be selective..

• In selecting the best pieces of evidence you demonstrate professional judgement

• Evidence your portfolio can include:

– Certificates

– Contribution to professional press (book review?)

– Training undertaken & evaluation

– Reports on events, visits or meetings

• Evidence your portfolio can include:

– Bibliography

– Evidence of work based learning (publicity created, emails, enquiries from colleagues or users)

– Web pages

– Membership of professional networks

– Examples of commitment to CPD

– Even relevant non-library experience

Evidence..be selective..

Structure

• Check you have included all essential documents

• Create a useful contents page

• Divide into clearly marked sections

• Be selective: each document should show something unique

• Use documents as evidence for more than one area

Presentation

• Check in the handbook that you have met all the criteria.

• Check other regulations and ensure portfolio meets all requirements, for example

– It is word processed in 12pt font

– It is single sided

– It includes page numbers

Submission of portfolio

• Get someone to proof-read your work

• Make sure it is securely bound (ring/comb binding is preferred)

• Clearly identify your work

• Submit correct number of copies

• Include appropriate forms

• Include correct fee

• If in doubt, ask!

Support available

• Your mentor

• Career Development Group and Candidate Support Officers

• CILIP website

• Email discussion lists (lis-cilip-reg, lis-cilip-aclip, lis-cilip-reval, and CILIP Communities)

• Informal Chartership groups (colleagues, other candidates in your area)

• Don’t be afraid to seek advice

CILIP mentors

• Mentors are mandatory for Chartership candidates, it is strongly recommended that Certification (ACLIP) and Fellowship candidates have one too

• Mentors have both training (initial and ongoing) and support (Mentor Support Network)

Candidate Support Officers• Voluntary and informal network organised by Career

Development Group.

• At least one CSO in each Division

• Role includes:

– organising qualifications courses

– loaning out successful submissions

– reading and commenting on portfolios

– offering advice and assistance to individual candidates

• Advice is personal, impartial and confidential

• an ability to evaluate personal performance and service performance

• an understanding of the ways in which their personal, technical and professional skills have developed through training and development activities and/or through practice

• an appreciation of the role of library and information services in the wider community

• Curriculum Vitae (CV) • Personal Statement• Personal Development Plan (PDP)• Supporting letter• Relevant items of evidence to support your

application All forms, templates and associated

guidance notes can be found at http://www.cilip.org.uk/qualificationschartership/FrameworkiofQualifications/certification/certificationforms.htm

• Criterion 1: (Candidates must demonstrate) an ability to evaluate personal performance and service performance

• Criterion 2: (Candidates must demonstrate) an understanding of the ways in which their personal technical and professional skills have developed through training and developmental activities and/or through practice

• Criterion 3: (Candidates must demonstrate) an appreciation of the role of library and information services in the wider community

• Please provide an overall assessment of your development and how it has benefited you and/or the service in which you work

Fellowship Portfolios – the difference

The Criteria:• Substantial achievement in professional practice • Significant contribution to profession • Active commitment to CPDHow do I go back over all those years…?• Review career• Identify highlights• Consider evidence availability• What will make the most impact?• Who might do letters of support?The Evaluative Statement:• 500 words!

What evidence?

• Conferences/workshops

• Committee/group activity

• Special projects

• Publications

• Training & development

• Community work

• Outside work activities?

What if you can’t find it all?

• Find the easiest first• Select the best

(greatest impact)• Review – how much

digging down needed

Making the evidence work

• Break into manageable chunks/groups

• Identify outcomes & impact (for personal statement)

• Don’t assume it’s obvious

A look at the criteria: substantial achievement in professional practice

• Career highlights• Significant

achievements in roles Originality

Innovation,

Complexity,

Large scale

• Identify impact

A look at the criteria: significant contribution to profession

• Committee/group activity (regional, national etc.)

• Presentations

• Reports

• Publications (not essential)

• Any activities with impact beyond job role

A look at the criteria: active commitment to CPD

Holistic approach

• Qualifications

• Attendance at conferences, courses, networking

• Professional activities

• Support for others e.g. mentoring

• Training & development- self and others

Tips to succeed

• Check with the CILIP quals office if any queries• Have an up to date CV• Ask your manager/colleagues for feedback• Look at other personal statements• Develop a support group • Get your family/friends on side• Start a file of evidence• Set a target date for collecting your award• Get someone else to read it through

Making it manageable

The way to deal with an impossible taskis to chop it down into a number of merely

very difficult tasks,and break each of them into a group of

horribly hard tasks and each one of them into tricky jobs

Terry Pratchett

On your marks…

• Think about the contribution your professional activity has made to the library and information service you work in?

• Start gathering evidence

• Register as a candidate

• Get yourself a mentor

• Start being reflective

Selling yourself

Any Questions