Team 3

Charting Personal Growth: Innovating Professional Development in Library Science

A Vision for a Tailored Learning Journey Within the LIS Sector

Team Three addressed the need for continuous professional development within the Library and Information Science (LIS) sector, focusing on cultivating professional satisfaction and supporting organizational health. They tackled the critical question: How might library workers at all career stages define, develop, and iterate their own learning journeys to enhance professional fulfillment and contribute to the vitality of their organizations?

How might we help library workers at all levels of career growth define, develop and iterate their own learning journey to cultivate professional satisfaction and support organizational health.

Their innovative approach emphasized the diversity of development needs across different career levels within the LIS field. By conceptualizing professional growth as an interconnected series of gears—each representing different stages of a library worker’s career—they highlighted the dynamic nature of skill development and organizational influence.

At the heart of their solution is the notion that professional development should be adaptive and reflective of an individual’s career stage. For early-career professionals, development opportunities should be broad, introducing a wide range of skills and knowledge areas. As professionals advance to mid-career stages, the focus narrows, targeting specialized skills that deepen their expertise. Senior-level professionals, meanwhile, concentrate on highly specific areas of development that not only further their own growth but also significantly impact their organizations.

The team identified an existing platform, Skilltype, as a tool that aligns with their vision. This platform helps individuals and administrators identify skill gaps and construct personalized learning journeys, addressing the exact challenge Team Three aimed to solve. Though the team did not develop a new prototype, their exploration of Skill Type and the conceptual framework they presented offer valuable insights into creating more personalized, effective professional development paths in the LIS sector.

The approach acknowledges the evolving nature of the LIS field and the external factors that influence it. By advocating for a system that supports personal agency in professional development, they propose a method that not only fills existing skill gaps but also anticipates and adapts to the industry’s future needs.

This proposal is a call to action for LIS professionals and organizations to embrace a more customized, strategic approach to professional development. By doing so, the LIS field can ensure its workforce remains agile, satisfied, and well-equipped to navigate the challenges and opportunities of the information age.

Team 3 Members

Thanks to these project team members for their collaboration with DATALIS and their contributions towards innovating professional development.

• Scott McClellan
• Amy Pham
• Kiley Jolicoeur

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