Tools for Enquiry: Domain 3

Introduction

Domain 3: Professional Communication and Dialogue in Librarianship – Prompts and Tools

Tool 1

• How do I rate my ability and interest in creating clear communications with colleagues, students and my profession?
• How do I feel about my capacity to listen to others, including students, and to then change my communication plans to meet what I sense they need?
• How will I determine the impact of my Teaching Philosophy on my Practice?
• Reflection on the Impact of a Teaching Philosophy on my Practice. Include regular updates in your reflective diary.
• Do I feel that I belong to a Community of Practice in any sense? If so what is it? What do I gain from it? What are the elements that enable this Community to work? What communication skills are needed?
• What is my practice of writing for students, for colleagues, for my profession?
• Do I ever write: rules and regulations; guides to the Library and Literature; E-mail communications; pieces for organisational publications; pieces/press releases for local and national channels; policies and procedures; posters; proposals; a reference; training guides; tweets; reports; Facebook updates; web pages; other?
• Have I ever written: assessment rubrics; an essay title; required exercise; feedback; module descriptors; exam questions?

 

Tool 2

• What am I learning about what writing styles are required in the communications mentioned above?
• Are you actively writing about practice?
• Are you writing reflectively on practice?
• Are you using an e-portfolio tool?

 

Tool 3

• If not writing, are you engaging with practice in other ways such as images, sounds, music etc?
• How do I listen to peers, colleagues, students, others?
• How am I participating in peer group teams? What am I learning about being in one? What works? What doesn’t work?
• Am I involved in any academic/library teams? What communication skills and styles do I use in these contexts?
• Where am I participating in conversations about constructive feedback, constructive dialogue?
• Am I interested in developing learning communities/Triads/ peer groups with colleagues? What works (or does not work) in terms of communication in these contexts?
• Where do I talk to international colleagues? Where am I participating in international forums, learning communities, Communities of Practice etc? What works (and does not work) for me in these contexts?

 

Tool 4

This section explores my relationship with Scholarship and the literature of my practice.

• What are the challenges and opportunities of engaging with scholarship?
• What do I read to support my practice?
• What have I written about my experience?
• How do my Values sit with my approach to Scholarship?
• Where would I like to be in relation to contributing to scholarship and/or learning from Scholarship in 2/5/10 years?
• Am I expected to contribute to Scholarship in my role?
• How are my practices as a Library Staff member and as a teacher influenced by Scholarship?
• Write a personal reflection on your contribution to and attitude to scholarship.

Publishing a Journal Article: The Why and the How.

This presentation looks at why library staff would want to write an article on their practice or research for publication in a professional or academic journal, and how to go about doing it. There are tips on choosing an appropriate journal, how to lay out your article, search engine optimisation and the peer review process.

• Dr. Fintan Bracken presented this talk at the L2L Seminar “Best Practice for Communicating Library Initiatives and Research: How to get Noticed” held in the Institute of Technology Carlow on 8th November 2018.

Building your profile one word at a time

Michelle Breen is the Head of Information Services at the Glucksman Library at the University of Limerick. Michelle has a well-developed digital profile and she gives workshops to researchers and library professionals about how to develop their online portfolios. Michelle’s practical tips and her professional insights and experience position Michelle ideally to advise libraries and their staff about how to get noticed online.

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