Comments on: Professional Is As… http://www.lisjobs.com/blog/?p=21 Fri, 02 Sep 2011 20:31:48 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.2 hourly 1 By: rory http://www.lisjobs.com/blog/?p=21&cpage=1#comment-94 rory Thu, 01 Jun 2006 12:19:00 +0000 http://www.lisjobs.com/blog/?p=21#comment-94 I agree with Walt that there is a difference between contributing to the profession outside of your immediate job and self-promotion. I would add that I think it is a very big difference. I agree with Walt that there is a difference between contributing to the profession outside of your immediate job and self-promotion. I would add that I think it is a very big difference.

]]> By: Harrlynn http://www.lisjobs.com/blog/?p=21&cpage=1#comment-93 Harrlynn Wed, 17 May 2006 18:38:00 +0000 http://www.lisjobs.com/blog/?p=21#comment-93 leaky heuristics? yea, a good plumber is hard to find. leaky heuristics? yea, a good plumber is hard to find.

]]> By: Dorothea http://www.lisjobs.com/blog/?p=21&cpage=1#comment-92 Dorothea Tue, 16 May 2006 20:19:00 +0000 http://www.lisjobs.com/blog/?p=21#comment-92 I've been thinking about this some more, and what's shaken out of my scattered brain is that we're trying to get at the difference between people who work in libraries as a job and people who work in libraries as a career.<br/><br/>(Isn't that what deprofessionalization is, really? Turning a career into a job?)<br/><br/>Some of the qualities we're trying to measure are commitment and engagement. These are viciously hard to find good heuristics for. The ones we've got -- well, like all heuristics, they leak. People can play the game without having much real engagement with the field. And the leakage causes resentment.<br/><br/>I don't have any solutions. I do feel a little better about my understanding of the problem, though. I’ve been thinking about this some more, and what’s shaken out of my scattered brain is that we’re trying to get at the difference between people who work in libraries as a job and people who work in libraries as a career.

(Isn’t that what deprofessionalization is, really? Turning a career into a job?)

Some of the qualities we’re trying to measure are commitment and engagement. These are viciously hard to find good heuristics for. The ones we’ve got — well, like all heuristics, they leak. People can play the game without having much real engagement with the field. And the leakage causes resentment.

I don’t have any solutions. I do feel a little better about my understanding of the problem, though.

]]> By: Walt http://www.lisjobs.com/blog/?p=21&cpage=1#comment-91 Walt Tue, 16 May 2006 15:42:00 +0000 http://www.lisjobs.com/blog/?p=21#comment-91 I am obviously a different WALT I am obviously a different WALT

]]> By: Walt http://www.lisjobs.com/blog/?p=21&cpage=1#comment-90 Walt Tue, 16 May 2006 15:40:00 +0000 http://www.lisjobs.com/blog/?p=21#comment-90 The nice thing about Librarianship: we are very close to the clerical profession. Luckily, we only have to take vows of poverty and obedience... The nice thing about Librarianship: we are very close to the clerical profession. Luckily, we only have to take vows of poverty and obedience…

]]> By: Bob Watson http://www.lisjobs.com/blog/?p=21&cpage=1#comment-89 Bob Watson Mon, 15 May 2006 17:37:00 +0000 http://www.lisjobs.com/blog/?p=21#comment-89 I'm inclined to think that "professional participation" is another way to say "learning and teaching" -- the conjunction is necessary. <br/><br/>Those who tend too much to their own gardens are practicing librarianship with yesterday's tools. They have, in a professional sense, "died" ... and their corpses get in the way of those who are still living. :-) I’m inclined to think that “professional participation” is another way to say “learning and teaching” — the conjunction is necessary.

Those who tend too much to their own gardens are practicing librarianship with yesterday’s tools. They have, in a professional sense, “died” … and their corpses get in the way of those who are still living. :-)

]]> By: Harrlynn http://www.lisjobs.com/blog/?p=21&cpage=1#comment-88 Harrlynn Mon, 15 May 2006 02:43:00 +0000 http://www.lisjobs.com/blog/?p=21#comment-88 no, rachel, that's not entirely correct. i pretty much get paid to read and comment on blogs--and not just library ones. and trust me, my participation is not helping me to "keep up" with anything. if anything, reading and commenting on blogs probably keeps me down and out, my two favorite places. <br/> <br/>in fact, the most useful thing i've seen on anybody's blog of late was the address to this fabulous music site: www.pandora.com<br/><br/>you're welcome. no, rachel, that’s not entirely correct. i pretty much get paid to read and comment on blogs–and not just library ones. and trust me, my participation is not helping me to “keep up” with anything. if anything, reading and commenting on blogs probably keeps me down and out, my two favorite places.

in fact, the most useful thing i’ve seen on anybody’s blog of late was the address to this fabulous music site: http://www.pandora.com

you’re welcome.

]]> By: Rachel http://www.lisjobs.com/blog/?p=21&cpage=1#comment-87 Rachel Sun, 14 May 2006 17:31:00 +0000 http://www.lisjobs.com/blog/?p=21#comment-87 I'm starting to wish Blogger allowed threaded comments here... but anyway:<br/><br/>Dorothea: Thanks -- I've been online a long time, though, and seen (and been called :)) a heck of a lot worse than a few anonymous comments.<br/><br/>Harrlynn: If you are taking the time to read -- let alone comment on -- library blogs, then you are doing something to "keep up" beyond your day-to-day job.<br/><br/>Walt: It wasn't just your comment that inspired the earlier post, although that was part of it. Self-promotion and giving back are issues that I've been thinking about for quite a while, and part of what inspired the 2002 book I wrote with Sarah Johnson (and some of the "marketing yourself" presentations that followed). And I think we're on the same page with the difference between "LOOK AT ME" and substantive contributions, which I tried to say in that post. I’m starting to wish Blogger allowed threaded comments here… but anyway:

Dorothea: Thanks — I’ve been online a long time, though, and seen (and been called :) ) a heck of a lot worse than a few anonymous comments.

Harrlynn: If you are taking the time to read — let alone comment on — library blogs, then you are doing something to “keep up” beyond your day-to-day job.

Walt: It wasn’t just your comment that inspired the earlier post, although that was part of it. Self-promotion and giving back are issues that I’ve been thinking about for quite a while, and part of what inspired the 2002 book I wrote with Sarah Johnson (and some of the “marketing yourself” presentations that followed). And I think we’re on the same page with the difference between “LOOK AT ME” and substantive contributions, which I tried to say in that post.

]]> By: Harrlynn http://www.lisjobs.com/blog/?p=21&cpage=1#comment-86 Harrlynn Sat, 13 May 2006 00:30:00 +0000 http://www.lisjobs.com/blog/?p=21#comment-86 brian, let me say i agree with your first response, but that your second response, beginning with your lack of imagination and ending in your quotation of sales, leaves me with way too many points of language to refute. i think i'll just have a drink instead. mabuhay! brian, let me say i agree with your first response, but that your second response, beginning with your lack of imagination and ending in your quotation of sales, leaves me with way too many points of language to refute. i think i’ll just have a drink instead. mabuhay!

]]> By: Brian Gray http://www.lisjobs.com/blog/?p=21&cpage=1#comment-85 Brian Gray Fri, 12 May 2006 18:41:00 +0000 http://www.lisjobs.com/blog/?p=21#comment-85 I cannot imagine including monetary reward in the definition of "professional", no matter if you relate "professional" to librarianship as a whole or your specific organization. Money is a reward of being employed, while professionalism is a trait describing various aspects that many comments here have described (making your patrons happy, participating in discussions, continuing education, etc.).<br/><br/>If you just report to work and do the job to the best of your ability, are you not concerned with improving? Even if your patrons are getting the information they want, can we not improve to give them even better service?<br/><br/>You have never used a "connection" to help with an answer that you could not attain for a patron? You have never used a "connection" to access a resource that you could not use otherwise?<br/><br/>Librarianship is very much about "sales". We must promote resources and the best information all the time. We must persuade our patrons to do a search in a certain way. We advertise our activities. If we do not "sell" and we just assume that libraries are safe from being replaced, we are doing our patrons a great disservice. Patrons are already going elsewhere for poor information. Budgets are decreasing all the time, just demonstrating that others do not have the blind faith in libraries that you do. Competition is all around us, and cannot just be ignored. I cannot imagine including monetary reward in the definition of “professional”, no matter if you relate “professional” to librarianship as a whole or your specific organization. Money is a reward of being employed, while professionalism is a trait describing various aspects that many comments here have described (making your patrons happy, participating in discussions, continuing education, etc.).

If you just report to work and do the job to the best of your ability, are you not concerned with improving? Even if your patrons are getting the information they want, can we not improve to give them even better service?

You have never used a “connection” to help with an answer that you could not attain for a patron? You have never used a “connection” to access a resource that you could not use otherwise?

Librarianship is very much about “sales”. We must promote resources and the best information all the time. We must persuade our patrons to do a search in a certain way. We advertise our activities. If we do not “sell” and we just assume that libraries are safe from being replaced, we are doing our patrons a great disservice. Patrons are already going elsewhere for poor information. Budgets are decreasing all the time, just demonstrating that others do not have the blind faith in libraries that you do. Competition is all around us, and cannot just be ignored.

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