Thing 23: Reflection -- What Next?

Photo by Thomas Quine (quinet).  Used under a Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY 2.0) License.

Skills and deeper learning will continue.  

It is hard to believe the program is already over!  The program has been worthwhile.  Some weeks, I had little time to explore, think, and post, but I am glad to have been a part of this project!  Even if I did not personally find each tool or topic interesting, I know someone I meet will.  I have gained confidence and met new people through the program.  I plan to continue the adventure, either on my own or, if I can find one, through another program like this.

I know I am lacking skills in certain areas, such as experience in cataloging or knowledge of young adult development. I have written goals to address these areas.  Although each goal is feasible on its own, I am still considering whether I need to prioritize my goals and delay some of them.

Thank you 23 Things for Professional Development and all participants!

Thing 22: Volunteering to Get Experience

Unpaid work has a place in my life.  Through my various volunteering experiences, I have gained skills, met new people, and positively affected my community.  Through volunteering, I have made deeper connections with people I have already known.  Even when I have not particularly enjoy a task, I have learned about myself.  I know, for example, that archives can be interesting places to visit, but that I do not want to work in one.  Volunteering leads to unexpected places and leads me to challenge myself.  I find volunteering rewarding.

I have volunteered in a number of ways in the past, in both long term and short-term capacities.  Some of my service has been grunt work -- such as sorting and moving donations to a non-profit's rummage sale or helping new students move into dormitories -- and some of it has been more intellectual.  As the secretary for a club/organization, I have recorded minutes to distribute to group members.  I have contacted outside organizations to ask for donations, potential speakers, and other assistance.  While serving in one position, I tutored elementary school students and also helped lead a training session for other members of the organization.  I have sold merchandise, manned food stands, and staffed a registration table.  I have directed event attendees to various activity locations and answered attendees questions.  Each experience has been valuable in one way or another.

Most of my direct library-related volunteering has been through one-time sessions.  Because my schedule is a bit unpredictable, these types of events work better than something requiring a long-term commitment.  I have helped label, repair, and organize items in local school libraries, helped inventory a special library's collection, and assisted with a book festival.  I have become active on the listserv for one of the professional organizations I have joined.  Although my service on this listserv is nothing formal, I count it as volunteering.  I have been considering trying to begin more long-term service, particularly something in a public library's children's department, but have been wary of making a long-term, location-based commitment when I am uncertain how long I will be in the area.  Fortunately, a virtual opportunity presented itself last week; I agreed to help compile a list of position advertisements for a job-seeking group I joined. 

Most of the direct library volunteering I have done has been opportunistic.  Someone else has organized a volunteer event or asked for volunteers and I have jumped on the chance.  In response to the recent spurt of conversations regarding volunteering, I plan to take more control of my unpaid work.  I will formalize my volunteering through targeted opportunities.

Thing 21: Promoting Yourself

As I listed the things I like in life and at work, I noticed themes.  I like movement and productivity, especially if it is measurable. I enjoy being creative and having variety, but prefer some level of guidance.  I am curious and take pleasure in learning.  I enjoy trying new things and teaching others.  I find satisfaction in helping others and in reducing others' levels of stress.  Story, whether in books, in movies, or in conversations with others, fascinate me.  I prefer to listen, but also like to be able to speak.  I enjoy being part of something larger than myself, both in the sense of belonging and in the sense of seeing others build on my contribution to accomplish far more than I could on my own.  I enjoy refining and perfecting things. I have a competitive streak.  I much prefer saying "Yes" to saying "No," but I will say no when necessary.  These things motivate me.

My strengths emerged from those themes.  I listen actively.  I observe.  I set goals well and persist in accomplishing them.  I explore.  I act (mostly) independently, but I also strive to support others.  I explain things in ways that others can understand. I creatively address problems and respond to observations.  I ask questions, seek to understand, and attempt to improve upon what I find. 

Primary Colors in the Abstract by Bill Gracey.  Used under a Creative Commons Attribution - NonCommercial-No Derivs (CC BY-NC-ND 2.0) license.

Thing 20: The Library Routes Project

Although I wrote a post for Thing 10 about my path to librarianship, I did not post the link on the Library Roots/Routes page until today.

I then lost a few hours reading others' posts!  I had to tear myself away in order to actually write my reflection for this Thing.  I might go back tomorrow; people and their experiences are fascinating!

Some of my experience overlaps with others'.  I did not know that I wanted to go into librarianship early on, but I also did not fall into it as others have.  As with most people, some of my path has been due to sheer luck.  For example, I was offered one of my current positions because I happened to stop at the right table at the right time at a library-themed job fair.  I lived near the library and had visited recently enough that the librarian recognized me.  One of her employees had just been offered a position elsewhere.  I am grateful for the opportunity to work with all wonderful people I have met in this position and in others.  Like Iris, I have had the support of friends and contacts; networking has been helpful in finding out about librarianship as well as open positions.  Many of my supervisors and colleagues have been wonderful mentors.  Like Paul Tovell, I misunderstood one detail for one of my jobs, although my misunderstanding was with the timeframe, rather than the location.  (It turns out the "until [this date]" applied to the library's Saturday hours, not the entire position.  It worked out fine for me!). I wholeheartedly agree with everything Iris said about why she continues to be a librarian.  In spite of differences in interests, geographic locations, and backgrounds, I have had similar experiences as other librarians.

Some of the differences I found were also encouraging.  Ned Potter, Sarah Ison, and James Mullen all mentioned applying for one position and being offered a different position.  If something similar happened to me, I am sure I would be briefly disappointed about not being offered the position I wanted.  The pleasure of being offered something else, something I had not even applied for, would quickly cheer me up.  Along those same lines, I find hope in Ned Potter and Sarah Ison's stories about applying for a position and not being hired, but then later being offered that position.  The entire process can be worth it!