ABTAPL offers its members an opportunity to learn through both the sharing of experience and formal continuing professional development events.
ABTAPL usually meets twice a year. A day conference including a visit to a library in the specialisation is held in the autumn, and there is a residential weekend held in the spring. In recent years visits have been made to West Malvern, Durham, Birmingham, Rome and Cambridge. These occasions are valuable not only for seeing the wide variety of modern library practice in many different institutions, but also for the opportunities of meeting other librarians in the same specializations. Such opportunities are highly regarded by our members, many of whom work in “one-person libraries” and are not otherwise able to widen their professional education.
With a tradition of peer and external trainer led sessions – online and face-to-face – development is further supported by access to an ebook library and articles in the Bulletin.
Check our ‘Future learning and development‘ page for opportunities for members’ CPD.
No organization can meet all the training needs of those interesting in theological / philosophical libraries and a small grants scheme is in place to support individuals taking up other development opportunities as well as our own.
