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Keeping In Touch To Keep Up
by Janet Clapp
I used to pile up my library publications unread, speedily skim e-mail lists, and hurry in and out of conferences without speaking to a soul. For questions and discussions on library issues, I turned to staff members at my own library. Further professional communication took second place to answering reference questions, calculating statistics, and maintaining collections.
Now that I am a stay-at-home mother living far away from my former colleagues, however, I have a greater appreciation for the importance of professional communication. As a librarian without a library, I keep in touch to keep up with the library world.
There are numerous ways to communicate, which can be divided into informal and formal communication. Informal communication is what we do at work when we chat in the staff room. It includes e-mail discussion lists, personnel meetings, and notes to a former boss or colleague. Essentially, it is reaching out to other members of our profession. Talking and listening to people who share the same interests can inspire, help, and even reveal a previously hidden perspective.
Using formal communication, we learn how things are done, or could be done, from a more objective standpoint. This includes journals, newsletters, workshops, and conference presentations.
Informal Communication: Chit Chat And Things Like That
Electronic communication such as e-mail discussion groups, online forums, or newsgroups has the advantage of widening our circle of colleagues beyond our geographic location. I have always subscribed to a variety of e-mail lists, depending on my job description. When I worked in a library, I'd skip the messages for days because I was busy doing the myriad daily tasks we all face. When my mailbox filled up I'd skim the batch for topics related to my job. But now that I'm a librarian without a library, I look forward to all my messages because they relate to my profession. I hear about new ideas, innovations, and technologies.
Despite the ease of electronic communication, we should not overlook the centuries-old habit of written greetings. Have you ever sent or received a birthday card from a colleague? Personal notes or e-mails to someone you have worked for or worked with are a nice way to keep in touch with someone who has helped you in the past and may help you again in the future. It doesn't require meeting someone new, it just means remembering someone you know.
Speaking of new people, let's talk about networking. I've been to many conferences, classes, meetings, and workshops over the years, and I never spoke to anyone. I admit it; I'm a shy librarian. After a full year at home with my children, I was desperate to talk to adults who shared my passion for libraries. All I wanted for my birthday, Christmas, Mother's Day, any gift-giving holiday, was to go to ALA for the first time.
I expected to learn from the formal presentations, but didn't expect to talk much with the other attendees. (Talk to strangers? You're kidding!) I've learned my lesson. Talking with others who had been to the same presentations reinforced what I learned. Sharing tips with people who attended different workshops expanded my knowledge. Furthermore, the people I met became another route to follow on the job-hunting path. Best of all, I enjoyed meeting other librarians.
State, regional, and national associations are excellent places to start networking. They may offer e-mail discussion lists, enabling librarians in similar situations, whether by geography or by library type, to communicate with each other. Volunteering for a committee connects a smaller group of librarians with a single aim.
Formal Communication: What the Experts Say
The main point of a conference, for me, has always been the presentations. Like newsletters, journals, web sites, and classes, presentations provide a more formal avenue of communication. Useful presentations or classes may include a written handout to carry home and refer to as needed.
My professional journals may pile up until the stack topples, but finding one in my mailbox is also a tangible reminder that I belong to the library world. I usually find at least one article to tear out and file for later reference. Again, professional associations are among the best sources for journals, newsletters, and official web sites that keep you apprised of events and information.
What's newer than web sites? The blog, or weblog, is an individual's journal of web sites and comments. It gives you professional news with a personal touch, neatly combining formal and informal methods of communication.
Reach Out and Touch Someone
A one-sided conversation is a monologue. Listen and read, but also speak and write. Each of us has a unique contribution to make to our field. De-lurk from the e-mail list if you have something to say. Publish a paper. Make a presentation. As my children learned how to tune me out, I yearned to speak to someone whose response would not be "NO!" More importantly, I discovered I have something to say. So do you.
There's nothing like being alone to make you realize how much you value other people. My only tie to the profession -- other than as the annoying patron whose children throw tantrums in the library -- is professional communication. As a result, I value it more highly than I did before. By talking and listening to others, we expand our vision, share our thoughts, and understand ourselves better. By reading the literature, whether in a journal or on a web site, we learn the new or how to better accomplish the old.
Communication inspires, educates, and connects us all. It prevents us from being too caught up in the daily dramas of our own library. For those of us temporarily without a library, communication may be our only way to keep up our knowledge of the library world. Keeping in touch helps us all remember why we do what we do.
Janet Clapp is a stay-at-home mother and librarian who goes to the library almost daily and communicates to remain active in her chosen profession. She has worked as a reference librarian in public libraries.