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Item One-Person Librarians and Continuing Professional Development: How the LAI Can Make a Difference(Library Association of Ireland, 2012) Hornung, EvaContinuing Professional Development (CPD) is increasingly regarded as a crucial component in a person’s working life. No true professional can rely on their initial education alone – be that an apprenticeship or a university degree. Current economic uncertainties further exacerbate the need for keeping up with new developments and the acquisition of new skills. In Library and Information Science (LIS) this reality has been well-recognised and many associations, including the Library Association of Ireland (LAI), offer formal CPD opportunities. One-person librarians (OPLs), usually report to a non-librarian line manager, and, therefore, face many barriers with regard to attendance at events or professional development opportunities, particularly those which happen outside their immediate organisations. They frequently do not have someone to provide cover in the library, do not have a budget for training, do not have another librarian in the vicinity to ask questions, and are often not seen as professionals. Yet as frontline staff they need to be all-rounders who are able to deal with a vast variety of requests in a constantly changing information and research environment. Despite the prevalence2 of such library workers they are very rarely the focus of research in LIS.