Task

Register for Open University course W150 "An introduction to law in contemporary Scotland". This has been an internal appraisal objective since 2008. In 2008 it was dropped due to lack of budget for external training for financial year 2008/2009. Same thing happened again in financial years 2009/2010.

In 2010 the objective was revived, and approval was given by HR for me to enrol, but admin issues meant I missed the once-yearly intake in November 2010.

Enrolment for the November 2011 intake opens on 1st April 2011 - I have pre-registered, cleared up issues about mutliple possible records for me, been given an OU identifier...

 

Action

Ensure that registration is completed correctly, in good time, payment documentation is forwarded to HR., and sent from then on to OU.

 

Timescale

1st week of April for receiving and sending off documentation.

Arghh! OU said they'd send docs, haven't, I can't log into the site to register as they claim my details don't match their records (despite me having confirmed my last 8 years of addresses and them confirming they'd updated the record), so I have emailed and asked what is going on. (8 April 2011)

Paper copies received by 11th March. Turns out, if someone else is paying your fees, you can only register by paper copy anyway! Filled out paperwork and sent on to HR in internal mail (12 April 2011)

 

1st week of May to confirm that my documentation has been received by OU.

OU emailed on the 28 April to say documentation for my pre-reserved place had not been received! I emailed HR...who confirmed they would send off the paperwork that day. (28 April 2011)

 

1st week of June to check with OU that HR has sent financial information to them.

Email from OU on 4th May confirmed they had received my documents and payment, and that they were working their way through registering students on the earlier courses first, and would hopefully reach mine in good time before the course began. Letter from OU dated 8th May confirmed my registration and provided log in details.  

 

hurrah! you can chalk this one down on the revalidation form as 'patience and persistence in the face of the bloody-minded'...

 

1st week of October to check if course materials have arrived.

 

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Task

I want to be able to justify to IT why we want some sort of click-through tracking on our Current Awareness records. At the moment, I do all the work of getting the data, formatting it to a readable layout, hyperlinking, categorising it, uploading it to our CA system, monitoring the daily/weekly auto-email report to confirm that the CA emails have been sent out...and that's it. I have no way of assessing what CA records people are opening, and if they're clicking on the external web page links within them. Therefore, I could be wasting my time uploading certain materials, when the people they're aimed at informing are just ignoring them. This contrasts with our journal article request system - here, we're able to see how many copies of the article synopsis' that we create and uploading are generating requests for the article itself, so we have some sort of proof that they're being used. Tough times call for more-ways-to-provide-evidence-that-what-you-do-is-valuable!

 

Action

Write up a report on why we need this, stating the reasons above, but in politer terms! And discuss with Boss the exact format of feedback we'd like: weekly reports? A new column in the CA database, showing the amount of times each record is accessed, and number of click-throughs?

We already have a column in a sub-section of the CA database, which records the requests for each article, attributed to the article uploader (useful for giving feedback/positive info to the trainees who're uploading article and case synopsis - shows their work isn't going into a void), but I think it'd be best as a database-supervisor-viewable-only tool in the main database.  

 

Timescale

This is a non-urgent task (just annoying), so I'm going to aim to get it done by August 2011.

This has become a Library Team action - we want to revamp the whole Electronic Library, so this would be one aspect of this. We anticipate that the project will take at least a year in total to complete, so I'm going to hold off on this task for the moment, until we clarify in meetings over the next few weeks what it is exactly that we'll be doing.

Update/clarification on this task due - 14 June 2011

 

I wrote a document detailing what I (and a few solicitors I asked) would like altered in the Electronic Library, added in why I wanted these changes, and what I would like done to make these changes happen). I've passed it to Isabel, and she can edit it to add/remove whatever she sees fit. It means that we at least have a foundation to work on, although she will be on holiday for a while and then away at the Umbrella conference, so no progress can be expected on this until late July. (15 June 2011)

Update due - 18 July 2011

 

Holidays for both Boss and me, sickness, conference attendance, and the sheer backlog of work this creates for both of us, means I can't see this even being looked at until early August, really. (15 July 2011)

 

Team meeting scheduled for 12 August 2011, this will be one of the topics to be discussed. (11 August 2011)

 

August team meeting included discussions on what issues had arisen since first drafting the want-list. Second draft updated to include these additions. (30 August 2011).

 

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Task

Update my CV. It's been pretty much untouched (apart from some desultory poking) since I started at my employer in 2005, so 6 years on, I really should be doing something about updating it!

 

Action

Do the damn thing! I may need a kind lady to look at the VERY OLD AND CLUNKY version, and say how it should be made better (hint, hint), eg best way/place to put professional stuff - separate page? On main CV? List positions and responsibilities for "real" job, as well as committee stuff? Currently responsibilities are bullet pointed, and it's 2 pages...was told that 1 page is best, but 2's ok? SO CONFUSING!

 

Ok - it's old, it's crap (and I've removed content from some sections that need totally rewritten), it REALLY needs a complete overhaul, but it's here for you to laugh at!  (23 May 2011)

re-uploaded with some comments :) (27 May 11)

 

Timescale

Another non-urgent one, but it's always going to be non-urgent, until it's actually needed, when it'll suddenly be REALLY URGENT. So I'll give myself a LOT of leeway (but with a regular poke-reminder?) and say by December 2011.

Well, I assume this has to go into the Revalidation Portfolio, so it's being bumped up to November 2011. Any chance of a review/pointers on content/format in the next couple of months?*flutters eyelashes* (26 May 2011)

 

June 2011

Ok, this month will be my first redraft of the CV (feel I have some direction from your comments on the draft above, thank you!), so I'm aiming to have first redraft completed by the end of the month.

No progress here yet - been too swamped with other stuff! - 17 June 2011

Still nothing happening, Boss is on holiday so I'm covering both offices so a bit busy! - 23 June 2011

 

I actually got in The Zone today, so here's a first redrafting. Pc is driving me mad and hanging lots, so throwing it on here now while I can. Still need to do more about job duties info (every law firm is different, so no matter who the CV is aimed at, I'll need to outline what my core tasks are quite clearly), and the professional activities. All comments very welcome - think I've done everything you suggested on previous version :) - 24 June 2011  

 

27/6/11 - looks good - but now you have a bit of spare space, and I'm sure those aren't all your professional achievements! Have uploaded a version with a few more comments ;)  

 

Ta! Will re-edit and get upload of next version in next week or so. thanks for the work on it!

 

July 2011

Finalise the CV, incorporating any comments from Beth/others on first redraft.

 

Bad Jaf! This has slipped! Will get onto it soon, setting myself a deadline of end of August, as it's not needed until November 2011 so I still have a fair amount of leeway. (11 August 2011)

 

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Task

Revalidate *sigh*. Yes, it's now become an official appraisal objective, so all the work I've put in on here is for good reason at least!

 

Action

Haul all the material from on here together, create a portfolio, and throw it at CILIP!

 

Timescale

Apparently, since I chartered in March 2008, I really should have been doing this earlier, so technically, I'm late. But there just didn't seem to be a major need or reason for me to do it...however, I now have this as an appraisal objective, so I've to get moving.

Therefore, it's to be ready to submit by...December 2011!

OK, I have no clue about the technicalities of this process, so I've gotta get moving!

 

June 2011

Discover if I need a mentor like for Chartership, and if I do, have located one and be signed up with them!

Right - found the Revalidation registration form - will get that filled in and submitted tomorrow. Also, can't remember my CILIP website login, so will dig that out from work email and take a look at the example portfolios. (25 May 2011)

 

Printed out the Reval form, to take to meeting with boss tomorrow for discussion and confirmation to submit it. Also looked at other portfolios, and printed out. Quite encouraged as it seems like MUCH less work than the Charter, and a lot of it is the material I've already collated on here. Ohh, this might not be as much of a pain as I thought! Woohoo! (26 May 2011) 

 

Registration form sent off 1st/2nd June, so I'm officially started! 

 

Hmmmm - heard not a peep from CILIP on whether they received my form, and whether I'm registered for revalidation....I will contact them in July to check what's going on. - 17 June 2011

 

Ok, re-reading the Handbook, it seem I send the registration form off when I send my portfolio....but I also have to register beforehand. Or something. For an information profession, their Chartership/Revalidation guidebooks are not very easy to use! So, I don't know whether to chase or not, or if I need to be registered or not. Acht, never mind:, I've done my bit as best I can tell, the next thing they'll get from me is the Portfolio! - 27 June 2011

 

Drat them! I will count this as a CILIP failing, and not hold it against you if you submit and they've never heard of you ;)

 

July - August

Identify relevant materials, collate, and draft first version of portfolio.

First draft of Personal Statement done - 27 June 2011   run out of time for tonight - will have a look soon!

oh noes! did I really make you wait a month for this? I suck :(  here you go.

Have partially redrafted this, just need to complete it. Aiming for end of August for final draft. (11 August 2011)

 

November

Review portolio, and ask for others to review it/give feedback.

 

December

Submit portfolio.

 

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Task

Make sure I don't become too insular or focussed only on my sector. I feel somewhat overwhelmed by the amount of people/activity going on in regards to public libraries, and know that I am often just blanking it out when I see it mentioned. I also ignore the Echo Chamber chat (sorry Beth!), as it's not something I have any passion about. I don't feel I really have the spare time to be any use to anyone in the New Professionals Network either. I really need to stop ignoring things that don't affect me, and become a little bit more engaged with activity outside my own sphere.  No reason at all for you to pay attention to everything! If something doesn't interest you that's fine.  Doing 23 things seems like a great way to get involved with people outside your sector (as is what you do on twitter!) without committing yourself to other people's causes ;)

 

Action 

Take part in the 23 Things for Professional Development blog. I'll hopefully develop a bit more contact with people who have very different interests to me! I may find it difficult to participate fully as certain topics will be ones I can't blog about (my work, our resources), or I don't want to publicly say certain negative things about my employer, which if I've to be reflective and evaluative, is likely to have to be one of the things I'd want to discuss!

 

Timescale

Handily, this runs from June 2011 until October 2011, at which point my OU course will be starting.

Plan is - this, plus start of OU work can be fed into my Revalidation portfolio submission. Not as daft as I look, eh? ;)

 

I asked Joeyanne when registration would open, and soon after the registration page became available on the blog. I have registered my blog (week of 31st May), and will post about joining it soon. (8 June 2011)

 

Registered, and blogging like a good girl - done 1st weeks Things 1 and 2 - 24 June 2011 

Thing 3 done - 27 June 2011

 

Done Things 4 and 5 - 15 July 2011

 

Thing 6 - done 18 July 2011

 

Things 7,8,9,10 and 11 - done 11 August 2011