Menu:
Keeping Connected As a New Librarian
by Dave Hook
You're a new librarian just starting out in the profession, and there is a lot for you to keep up with. Without the benefit of your classes to help you keep up, though, how can you stay connected and current in the field?
Choose Your Battles
Back in library school, I took a lot of notes. Not just in the classroom, but I would also listen to guest speakers at the university or at local events, and take notes there as well. I also tried my best to keep current by reading the occasional article or news item.
Of course, when you are in library school, you don't necessarily know exactly where you are going to end up working, so everything you hear or read could potentially be useful. Now that I'm working full-time, I don't have as much time, and am much more selective in how I spend my professional development time. One thing that I quickly discovered is that you simply can't follow everything in the field, so you have to choose your battles carefully.
Be an Expert
Pick a few specific subjects in which you are interested - web design, copyright, or whatever - and strive to become a pseudo- expert in those subjects. Choose topics that not only affect your job at present, but also look for emerging issues that will have a future impact. That way, your expertise will not only have value within your own organization, but to the profession as a whole.
Read up on your chosen topics and find out who the experts are, but, more importantly, look for gaps, problems, and opportunities - in other words, what hasn't been researched. This may have to be done on your own time, but it is helpful to regard your time as in investment in your career.
Subscribe
Once you've identified your niche, seek out and subscribe to e-mail discussion lists that address the topic. Discussion lists are an excellent way to keep up and discover who the experts are in a particular field. Depending on your topics, it can also be helpful to seek out discussion lists in fields outside of library science, such as business, records management, IT, or other technology fields.
A great way to keep up with your professional development is to subscribe to RSS feeds. RSS feeds (Rich Site Summary or Really Simple Syndication) keep you current by alerting you to new news items on a particular topic. You can set up an RSS feed aggregator for free at http://www.bloglines.com, although there are many other aggregators available. Through RSS feeds, you can also subscribe to receive updates of blog postings in your subject area. There are many LIS blogs that summarize and point to the best news items and articles, saving you from having to seek them out yourself.
Participate
Subscribing to discussion lists and RSS feeds is important, but the next step is to participate on discussion lists and add your comments to blog postings. When posting to a discussion list, it can be helpful to identify yourself as new to the field - you may find that people can be very helpful and supportive.
Also, consider publishing your own blog. They are easy to set up, and this can be done for free through services such as http://www.blogspot.com or http://www.livejournal.com. Writing a blog forces you to keep up on items in your field, because you always need to post something fresh. Blogs can be a great forum for you to present new ideas and get feedback. They also help you get in contact with others in the field with similar interests.
Another way that you can participate is on a committee or interest group. Check with any of the library associations to which you belong - they may have something related to one of your chosen subjects.
Write for Publication
Writing is not only a great way to get recognized as an expert in your profession, but it can be a way to force yourself to stay connected. If you haven't had much writing experience, start off small - writing for local association newsletters can be an excellent way to break into writing and get your name recognized.
Book reviews are another excellent way to get started. Publications frequently seek new reviewers to add to their pool. Not only is this an easy way to get published, but you get free books out of the deal! You can try contacting a few editors and letting them know about your areas of interest.
Also look for journals that contain articles in your areas of interest, and contact their publishers with your own research ideas. Volunteering to write an article forces you to keep connected and get your research done - particularly if there is a deadline involved.
Early on in my career, I had a need to investigate web metrics, and found that there hadn't been a lot written on the subject - at least not about what I needed to know. So, I contacted a publisher and asked if they would be interested in a review of the different software products available. The way I figured, I was going to the do the research anyway; I might as well get published while I'm at it.
Focusing on a few key areas not only makes it easier to keep up, but can also help you in your career by getting you recognized as an expert in your fields of interest.
Dave Hook is a librarian and engineer. He is currently the Manager, Operations Information and Configuration Management at MDA, manufacturers of the robotic arms on the space shuttle and International Space Station. You can view his blog at http://davehook.blogspot.com.