Lost this morning’s post when Blogger went down for maintenance. A bit ironic, given its title. Let me see if I can remember what I was trying to say.
This morning post is a bit of a mish-mash because I am thinking about a lot of issues and ideas. It feels like I have lots of blog posts in my mind just waiting to get out, but there just hasn’t been the time to write everything I’d like to lately. I’ve been doing a lot of fiddling, tweaking and admin-type stuff for the new blogs. It’s been interesting and exciting to learn a lot of new skills (e.g. this is the first time I’ve bought webspace and a domain!) and at times it feels a bit like I’m riding a rather large learning curve. A toboggan… roller coaster… Indian scout motorcycle….
Michael Stephens at Tame the Web pointed me to a couple of nice posts on making connections with others and going outside your comfort zone. Christopher Carfi says: “The most interesting things happen where the edges meet.”
Michael has written a list of tips for new librarians. I think some of them would apply equally to less-than-new librarians as well:
Read far and wide and immerse yourself in culture, pop and otherwise. It will help you know what your users are doing and into!
….
Work and Play nice with each other at your jobs, at conferences and in those places where information professional gather.This isn’t a competition or a contest. It’s not all about you, new grad (sorry, but it’s not). It’s about the user. And creating services. And being the best librarian you can be.
Manage yourself in a professional way but don’t forsake fun, wonder, curiosity or play. Use productivity tools of your choosing but be organized and follow thorough on the things you say you follow through on. Do not be that person in the meeting that says “I didn’t have time.”
Avoid technolust. Technology worship is a trap. Never let technology be a god in itself.
Listen to the seasoned librarians you encounter. They know things. Good things. Listen and they may inform your future decisions and planning. Learn from every conversation, meeting or water cooler chat. (And seasoned folk, listen to your new hires! You do the same: listen, learn and share… break down the generational divide present in some organizations…you’ll be happy you did!)
Remember the Big Picture. Don’t start 5 new HOT technology-based services without the foresight to plan how they will continue (and then flit on to the next thing). Understand budgeting, staffing and governing forces. Be mindful of hidden costs, marketing and how tech fits in to everything. Build services, collections and libraries that are sustainable, relevant to users and useful. [The Big Picture is important not just when considering technology, I’d argue.]
Most professionals can use these tips, I think. How do you do your job day after day and stay interested and passionate and creative? Making connections with people outside your professional area, outside your comfort zone, is important. Talking to real people is essential when you’re in a service profession like librarianship – they can bring you back down to earth and make you stop and think about what it is you’re trying to do. (Too often we can get snagged in our budgets, structures, the way we’ve always done things – and forget that the services we are trying to deliver will actually have an impact on real people. Is this what people want? Is it easy to use? Is it relevant?)
Pre-blogging it would have been very difficult for me to make these connections, given my introvertish inclinations. With this blog I have been able to meet so many great people, face-to-face and online. Here’s to all of you 🙂
Categories: blogging, librarianship, connecting, belonging
2 Comments
Yea, I was kind of bummed out by the Blogger down time, but at least, this time they announced it. Anyhow, I am not sure how the seasoned librarians or otherwise do it when it comes to the play part. I am probably the exception to the rule. I can be very extroverted when I teach, but I hate social functions with a passion (I would rather chew my arm off like an animal caught in a trap then be caught in some soiree sipping wine and making small talk. And by the way, I do like wine). I have been following your posts lately, seems you have been learning a few things. Hope it works well. And it’s been nice reading your blog on this end as well. Best, and keep on blogging.
Thanks for the kind words Angel. It gets hard to remember about play, doesn’t it? Sometimes I think some of us take ourselves far too seriously… Like you I can get very animated when I teach but find most social gatherings excruciating. I think this is why I like blogging so much – it is social but at my own pace, and in my own space and time.