Organizational policies to advance librarians' learning: Implications from the survey of professional development of reference librarians in public libraries in Ontario

This paper focuses on some of the organizational-level factors affecting the participation of librarians in professional development activities. Reference librarians working in large urban public libraries in Ontario were surveyed in Spring 2001. Data on their participation in formal and informal learning activities, together with information about their perceptions of their libraries' environment with respect to updating and learning, were obtained from 297 respondents. The analysis shows that having a supportive manager who provides feedback about job performance, assigns opportunities to develop and strengthen new skills and supports attempts to acquire additional training is a key predictor of participation in professional development, particularly in formal activities such as courses and workshops. However, these managers seem to be operating in a policy vacuum. First and foremost, a written policy on training and development needs to be put in place. In addition, an environment that encourages learning is also important. The analysis also showed that a climate conducive to participating in professional development is an important factor in participation in informal learning activities, such as discussions with collegoues, reading and conference participation. In fact, the information sharing dimension of the organizational climate was found to reduce participation levels in informal activities. However, other dimensions had no effect. The support given to librarians for their attempts at professional development and the rewards for such efforts are not strong enough. Policies which advance librarians' learning are policies which encourage professional development, create expectations of high performance and facilitate the transfer of training.