November 1, 2016

The Libraries is committed to supporting staff personal growth. To encourage staff to participate in professional development opportunities, the Libraries contributes funding for travel and expenses and allows staff the time away from work to attend professional training events. There are many benefits to professional development and many forms that it takes: engaging with colleagues, observing operations elsewhere, obtaining training through attending meetings or workshops, serving on professional association committees and presenting academic papers, to name a few. Professional staff are expected to apply their skills and knowledge of current trends to successfully perform their jobs and to take ownership of planning their individual professional development and growth.

The following is just one example of a staff member using professional development to the advantage of both her and the Libraries. This testimonial is by Anita Lai, the Libraries' archives technician:

'I applied to be a volunteer member of the Pennsylvania Cultural Response Team, which is part of the Pennsylvania Cultural Resilience Network (PaCRN). This builds on a previous CCAHA workshop I attended, a two-day workshop called 'Protecting Collections: Disaster Prevention, Planning, & Response.' From March to September 2016, I received training on emergency response and recovery resources, health and safety and best practices for responding to an emergency for a cultural institution.

'After attending all four webinars and one in-person training session, I am now able to assist regional institutions in Pennsylvania with emergency response and sharing recovery resources in the event of a disaster. Being a member of the PA Cultural Response Team provides a great opportunity to learn about, connect and collaborate with other local cultural institutions as well as build relationships with staff from various cultural institutions across Pennsylvania.'