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One businessman's maxim is "never have lunch alone," so he actively cultivates many business acquaintances. We can take a page out of his book and adopt a similar philosophy. Invite the people in your organization to have lunch with you. People act differently in an informal setting, and you can learn about the opportunities available to you. If you are outgoing and friendly, you already have a network of friends and colleagues. If you are shy, however, it would benefit you to make friends with others on your staff or in your consortium.

Volunteer

When I worked for the Palm Beach County Library System, the reference staff attended monthly workshops on a variety of topics. After attending a particularly stimulating Southeast Florida Library Information Network session on diversity in another county, I thought the other reference librarians would benefit from the information the presenter had compiled on her web site. I offered to lead a workshop. Coincidentally, the slot for February was open, so this topic fit in well with Black History Month. Three of us arranged to present the workshop, with the permission of the instructor, to my Palm Beach County system. I added a print component to the presentation, since we had several resources that might be of interest to other branches. The workshop was very well received and we were invited to present another one anytime.

It's sometimes easy to think, "Why should I volunteer to do this? I'm not getting paid any more, and we're short-staffed again." If you do overcome that pessimistic voice, however, people will notice your extra effort. As you probably know, those that do the minimum amount of work are not generally the ones that will be singled out for promotion.

Part of my former job as reference librarian was to give tours of the Lawrence E. Will Museum. A group of businesspeople were scheduled to take the Leadership Glades tour, and stopped by as part of this local look at community organizations. One of the men seemed particularly interested in Florida history and asked me several questions, and I used my knowledge of the local area to give a more in-depth tour to this group because of his interest. He turned out to be the City Manager, who later hired me for my present position as Library Director for the Clewiston Library.

Ask for What You Want

This may seem very obvious, but surprisingly, some people think their boss is a mind reader. I told a colleague that if she left, I'd like her job. She had the same job title I did, but her library branch was both closer to my home and smaller. I was attending library school then, and this job would offer me a less strenuous workload while I took my courses online. She ended up transferring to another branch a few months after I mentioned this to her, and remembered that I had asked for her job. My Branch Manager learned about it, and it was offered to me.

Learn New Skills

Our library purchased vouchers at CompUSA for employees who wanted to take classes. As one of the staff who signed up for this free program, I had the chance to take three PowerPoint classes.

Dr. Phil says, "If you ask for it, you usually get it." Make your wishes known to your colleagues, your friends, and others in your network. I have always been a great believer in goal-setting. When you express your goals, you subconsciously act towards fulfilling them. When you reach them, you feel satisfied with your accomplishment. Then, you're ready to move on to the next challenge.

Network With Other Librarians

Take the initiative to host a workshop at your library. Not only is this a good way to meet colleagues, but you can also introduce new members of your staff or faculty to more seasoned employees. This can be a luncheon or mixer where you can present a topic of your choice. Most librarians enjoy visiting nearby facilities and meeting new faces.

ALA is a great place to meet other professionals who may hold very different jobs than yours. In New Orleans, I attended a HarperCollins breakfast and sat at a table with some of the academic librarians who selected the Caldecott book award winners. ALA has roundtables on almost every aspect of librarianship, and is a wonderful place to network. PLA is another national association that holds meetings around the country.

There are many ways to get involved with librarians from other parts of your state. Join your state's library organization. The Florida Library Association has a scholarship auction and I volunteered to make a basket to raffle off to raise money to send three students to library school. I'm also going to be on a panel to discuss our "One Book, One Community" program this year, which I titled "Big, Medium or Small? One Book, One Community Programs for all Florida Libraries."

The Florida State Library sponsors a Public Library Director's Meeting every year, so that directors can meet and discuss issues important to Florida libraries. Here, you can interact with the State Library consultants and program directors, dine informally, and get information on new grants and initiatives relevant to your library. At our 2006 meeting in Jacksonville, we attended a tour and reception at their new $100 million downtown facility. Building a network takes time, but the contacts you develop can make a big difference to your success.

Be a Mentor

Encourage others to attend library school. Remember how, not too long ago, you were deciding whether this was the career path you wanted to follow? There is certainly someone in your organization who is wondering about this as well. Your organization may provide tuition reimbursement, and you can inform your staff about the professional development benefits your organization provides. Recommend this career track to someone else. Encouragement will certainly be welcome, and who knows? That person may someday be your colleague - or your boss!

Barbara Oeffner is a graduate of Northwestern University, BSJ, and Florida State University, MLIS. She was a reference librarian for Palm Beach County Library System until 2005 when she became Library Director and Hendry County Library Cooperative Coordinator for the Clewiston Public Library in Clewiston, Florida.