The following information is to inform candidates for the Fellowship award (FLAI) about the application process, e.g., when and how to apply and what happens after your application is submitted. If you have particular issues that are not covered here, please send queries to awards@libraryassociation.ie
What is the FLAI?
The Fellowship is a senior-level award intended for professional librarians with a minimum of 15 years relevant work experience. In addition to length of service, the award recognises personal commitment to ongoing professional development, evidence of reflective learning from such activity and engagement with the Library Association of Ireland (LAI).
Who May Apply?
Application is open to any personal member of the Library Association of Ireland who:
How to apply?
You must submit a completed application form, the registration fee and a portfolio which includes the following:
A good portfolio will provide sufficient evidence for the assessors to judge if the candidate has satisfied both the quantitative and qualitative requirements of the award.
Examples of professional development activities include, but are not limited to:
See https://www.examples.com/business/tips-in-writing-reflective-statement.html for more on reflective statements, including some examples of how to write them. But your own reflective statement will be unique to you, of course.
A good reflective statement will be concise yet comprehensive. It will demonstrate that you have engaged in reflective practice as a means to continuous learning and professional development over time. A key aspect of reflective practice is that experience alone does not necessarily lead to learning but that learning follows from deliberate reflection on such experience. See https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reflective_practice for more on reflective practice generally.
What happens after you apply?
Each application is receipted by the Applications Administrator and forwarded to at least two assessors for consideration by them separately. The assessors report their findings to the Administrator who forwards them to the Professional Standards Committee. That Committee either recommends approval of the award to the LAI Council or contacts the candidate to seek further information. The final decision lies with the Council.
Every effort is made to assess applications as quickly as possible but the thorough process outlined above takes time and you may have to wait 6-8 months before you learn the outcome of your application.
How is your application assessed?
The criteria for assessment are personal commitment to ongoing professional development, evidence of reflective learning from such activity and engagement with the Library Association of Ireland. Specifically, the Association requires that candidates demonstrate that they have developed an appropriate range of competencies significantly beyond that required for admission to Senior Associateship. See Outline of the Assessment Process for Candidates for more details on the assessment process.
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