chartered or certified, issues at stake in librarianship

CHARTERED OR CERTIFIED:
THE ISSUES AT STAKE IN
LIBRARIANSHIP
MOSES .C. NWOSU (CLN)
&
VICTORIA .N. OKAFOR (CLN)
Maiden conference of the Nigerian Library Association, Abia
State Chapter @ National Root Crops Research
Institute, Umudike. Dec.11-13, 2012

INTRODUCTION
ONE SAID,
“I AM CHARTERED!”
ANOTHER SAID,
“I AM CERTIFIED!”
AND WE ASK,
“WHAT IS THE
DIFFERENCE?”

THESE ARE SOME OF THE
ISSUES AT STAKE IN
NIGERIAN LIBRARIANSHIP
TODAY.
THESE ISSUES HAVE GOT THE CONCERN
OF MANY LIBRARIANS AND
RESEARCHERS, RAISING CRUCIAL
QUESTIONS SUCH AS:
1. IS CHARTERED STATUS CONFERED ON
LIBRARIANS FOR SAKE OF
REGISTRATION?

2. WHAT LEVELS OR CATEGORISATIONS AS
OBTAINED IN SIMILAR CHARTERED BODIES ARE
AVAILABLE IN THE LIBRARIAN REGISTRATION
COUNCIL OF NIGERIA (LRCN)?
3. ARE CHARTERED OR CERTIFIED STATUSES, AS
CURRENTLY BEING CONFERED, CLEARLY
UNDERSTOOD BY LIBRARIANS AND THE PUBLIC?
4. IS IT AN ALL COMERS THING?
5. DOES IT REQUIRE ADDITIONAL
QUALIFICATIONS SUCH AS ON THE JOB
TRAINING AND EXPERIENCE FOR ONE TO
QUALIFY FOR CHARTERED STATUS?

6. DOES SUCH CONFERMENT PRESENT
PROFESSIONAL VALUE AND EXCELLENCE ON THE
CONFEREES AS STRONGLY AS IT COULD LIKE
THEIR COMPEERS IN OTHER PROFESSIONS?
7. SINCE STUDENTS ALSO BENEFIT FROM
CHARTERSHIP IN THE NIGERIAN
LIBRARIANSHIP, WHY ARE THEY NOT CONFERED
WITH ASSOCIATE MEMBERSHIP?

CONSEQUENT TO THE SEVEN ITEMISED
PROBLEMS, THE RESEARCHERS DIVED INTO
LITERATURE REVIEW. THEY EXAMINED THE
CONCEPT OF CHARTER, DISCUSSED THE LEVELS
OF MEMBERSHIP VIS-À-VIS STANDARDS
APPLIED IN THE UNITED KINGDOM AND THE
CHARTERSHIP STATUS UPHELD IN OTHER
PROFESSIONS WITHIN AND OUTSIDE NIGERIA.
THUS, IT WAS OBSERVED THAT:
1. TRULY, CHARTERED STATUS IS CONFERED ON
NIGERIAN LIBRARIANS FOR SAKE OF
REGISTRATION WITH LRCN – A PRACTICE NOT
ACCEPTABLE AS OBSERVED IN UK AND IN
OTHER PROFESSIONS.

2. THERE ARE NO LEVELS OR
CATEGORISATIONS, AS OBTAINED IN
SIMILAR CHARTERED BODIES, AVAILABLE
IN THE CHARTERSHIP PRACTICE OF LRCN –
THIS IS ALSO NOT ACCEPTABLE AS
OBSERVED IN THE PRACTICE IN UK AND
OTHER PROFESSIONAL BODIES.
3. THE CHARTERED OR CERTIFIED
STATUSES, AS CURRENTLY BEING
CONFERED, IS NOT CLEARLY UNDERSTOOD
BY LIBRARIANS AND THE PUBLIC

4. THE CHARTERSHIP CONFERMENT ON
LIBRARIANS IS AN ALL-COMERS-THING
SINCE A FRESH GRADUATE WITHOUT
EXPERIENCE CAN BE CHARTERED ON THE
SAME LEVEL WITH A PROFESSOR WHO HAS
ACQUIRED YEARS OF EXPERIENCE AND
TRAINING - A PRACTICE NOT ACCEPTABLE
AS OBSERVED IN UK AND IN OTHER
PROFESSIONS.
5. TO GET CHARTERED BY LRCN DOES NOT
NECESSARILY REQUIRE ADDITIONAL
QUALIFICATIONS SUCH AS ON THE JOB
TRAINING AND EXPERIENCE – A PRACTICE
THAT IS VERY WRON G ALSO

6. SUCH CONFERMENT DOES NOT PRESENT
PROFESSIONAL VALUE AND EXCELLENCE ON
THE CONFEREES AS STRONGLY AS IT COULD
LIKE THEIR COMPEERS IN OTHER
PROFESSIONS
7. LRCN SHOULD RE-EXAMINE HER
CHARTERSHIP PRACTICE TO REFLECT LEVELS
AS DONE IN UK – THE CHARTERED
INSTITUTE OF LIBRARY AND INFORMATION
PROFESSIONALS (CILIP).

BASED ON THESE FINDINGS, THE
RESEARCHERS RECOMMEND THAT:
1. LRCN NEEDS TO REFLECT ALL CHANGES
WITHIN THE PROFESSION AND REGULATION
2. LRCN NEED TO HAVE BENCHMARKS
3. LRCN SHOULD REFLECT A REWARD FOR
SOMETHING ADDITION
4. INDIVIDUAL LIBRARIANS HAVE TO
CONTINUE TO LEARN PROFESIONALLY

5. LRCN NEED TO GENERATE A FRAMEWORK
FOR QUALIFICATION
6. LRCN NEED TO RE-EXAMINE CHARTERSHIP
TO ENSURE THAT RECIPIENTS HAVE THE
MAXIMUM BENEFITS FROM THE CHARTER
STATUS
7. LRCN SHOULD INTRODUCE A
CERTIFICATION FOR PARAPROFESIONAL
AND ASSOCIATE FOR LIBRARIAN-IN-
TRAINING OR STUDENTS I.e. [CALN –
CERTIFIED AFFILIATE LIBRARIAN, ALN –
ASSOCIATE LIBRARIAN]

8. LRCN SHOULD BEGIN A REVALIDATION
OF CHARTERED MEMBERSHIP CARRIED OUT
EVERY FIVE YEARS
9. LRCN SHOULD SHOW FULL COMMITMENT
TO THE COURSE OF HIGH STANDARDS OF
PROFESSIONAL PRACTICE
10. LRCN SHOULD EMBARK ON ADVOCACY
AND PUBLIC AWARENESS PROGRAMMES TO
ENLIGHTEN THE PUBLIC

CONCLUSION
THE BEAUTY OF CHARTERED
STATUS SHOULD NOT BE
BASED ON WHAT ONE
MAKES BUT OF THE GOLD
STANDARD OF
PROFESSIONAL PRACTICE…

THANKS A LOT FOR
YOUR TIME
Au Revoir

chartered or certified, issues at stake in librarianship

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