Looking for a mentor
Now that I am ready to begin the process of getting CILIP certification, I need a mentor.
CILIP certification shows one's employers and future employers that you are serious about this whole librarian thing. It also puts you on the road to continue your professional development throughout your career.
The first step is CILIP membership. This could cost money unless you are a student or trainee. The next step is paying for certification. It's only about 20 pounds--far less than a degree. Then you work on filling in your "professional knowledge and skills base". This will show what you are good at and what needs work. I have done all of these things so it's on to the next step; I need a mentor.
This is probably the most difficult step of the process. If you are like me, and don't know any CILIP mentors, you have to look at the list and start emailing people. So far, they have each taken weeks to get back to me. I do wonder whether at this rate, I will find anyone.
It seems that there has got to be an easier way to do this. If I were in charge at CILIP, I would set up a kind of recruiter system where you contact CILIP, saying that you need a mentor, and someone there does the work of finding you one that fits your needs. This is a service, after all, and I demand satisfaction! Oops--excuse me. That was my inner-American voice. I try to keep her quiet, but she does occasionally find a way to the surface.
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