Certificate of Module Completion

Workshop 7: Moving Out as a LIS Professional

This final workshop focused on tips from established LIS professionals on what we’ll need to make it out in the industry. It was a fine way to finish the semester with wine and cheese.

The first speaker centred around using LinkedIn and networking. This benefitted me greatly as I am still getting to grips with LinkedIn and while tips on networking were largely known from having studied a tough creative industry profession where networking is crucial, the information was still nice to have as a refresh.

The second speaker covered ethics and codes of practice that should be done within the LIS profession.

Prior to this course I never thought much of librarian ethics. I saw nothing more than them being the waypoint between borrowing out books or asking for assistance. I never knew there was an entire discussion behind this over what information to show, or who should be given which information, or the processes involved. This was an enriching talk that gave me plenty of insight.

The final speaker spoke of experiences in the first job. The stresses and constant feeling of unease in what direction one’s career is heading would be something I am definitely feeling at the moment. As a requirement of this course I must do 100 hours in a library position of some sort, and I still have no idea where or in what capacity would be suitable for my style of work. As well, the fact that this speaker was the sole librarian to service hundreds of medical staff with librarian and information as a medical manager sounded quite scary. While Fiona Doyle didn’t say it was all that stressful, I don’t see that as a viable option for my own working.

Workshop 6: Being GLAM

This workshop’s topic was the convergence of the cultural hubs of society. Libraries, archives, museums and galleries are in my mind preservative of social conscience, culture, and a time in society. To that end, they are similar. These institutions hold a mirror up to our society where other places (such as the media, or the government) might not. They encourage discussion and debate.

In recent years with increasing technology, a shift away from analogue archiving into digital collections, these institutions are changing, but their ideals are staying the same. Fifty years from now there will still exist these cultural hubs in some form. They will not be going away. What will be changing is simply people’s access and the types of cultural and arts-related activities we will be seeing from these institutions.

GoMA has already started this by having more interactive and involving art than the Queensland Art Gallery. The State Library has more use of their online sections than their book collections, but that doesn’t mean the latter is void. The online version of the collection is undoubtedly being used because of its accessibility. That’s fundamentally what people will use in seeing these cultural institutions. Convenience is the future.

There is a combining of collections and galleries across the cultural spectrum because we as a people are being drawn together by them. These cultural institutions bind us and show us ways of thinking that we wouldn’t normally see or hear. The visibility of them in the digital age is becoming more prominent too. An interesting book, artwork or artefact can spread across the internet far faster than the media ever could fifty years ago. Within an hour everyone sees if there is something controversial at GoMA or a book that causes debate, as opposed to the week-long process it used to take through the typical routes.

In essence, I see technological determinism as being the driving factor behind the convergence of these cultural hubs.

Workshop 5: Research Led Libraries and Teacher Librarians

This workshop was on evidence-based practice and how teacher librarians are important to the LIS profession. Having worked at the State Library of Queensland setting up exhibitions and outings, I know first-hand how important it is to educate users in the use of the library and to teach the contents of the library for the future, to enhance use of the collections and for general knowledge.

This stems back to the issues with library perception and as a result, school students are hesitant to use a library. Why go look in a library when you can simply google the answer? The discussion of authoritative sources must take place and be led by both teacher librarian’s instruction. This is but one example.

People need to be educated in library functions and the collections contained within a library. The only way for this to happen is for librarians to put themselves out in the community as teachers of research and good use of a library.  To do this, I believe the industry first has to transition more fundamentally into the digital age and get rid of this notion that libraries are ‘old’ and not needed anymore. With the advent of the internet, guidance is paramount if people are to find the right information that they need.

Workshop 4: A Learning Profession

Lyndelle Gunton’s discussion of learning networks resonated most with me. In this semester, I’ve already made a learning network that will benefit me for the rest of my studies. Two group assignments down the track and I feel that the network I’ve gained is much more supportive and willing to learn with me. My team’s grades have definitely reflected this. Unlike past years, my peers are both fun and outgoing, as well as professional in their conduct and working to collaborate on projects.

Gunton’s discussion of Twitter and social media platforms as aggregators for learning is something else that I can identify with. I find a lot of my news and many of my both professional and personal relationships have been enhanced with the daily use of Twitter and Facebook. There is an immediacy about these social networks that allows for timely access to a wealth of information, far more than if you didn’t use the services.

I’ve learnt a lot about both my strengths and where to improve through the use of social media and the constant interaction with others. During school I can’t say I had the opportunity to better myself, having never met such a diverse range of people as I see online. As such, I’ve learnt many lessons both as a professional and as a person on how to make the most of the strengths I have. The LIS profession is most active on Twitter and there is always plenty of information regarding upcoming talks and exhibitions, or opportunities for people like myself hoping to make it in the industry.

My learning and most transformative years as an LIS professional and a person have funnily enough coincided with my signing up to Twitter way back in first year of university. I got in with the right crowd, and the learning network has been changing me for the better ever since.

Workshop 3: What is the LIS profession?

This workshop saw four LIS professionals discuss their current positions, roles, values, and skills pertaining to their work. Of special note I found the discussion of values a valid one at this point in my journey.

I agree with Julanne and Katrina’s discussion that after doing one Masters and during this current LIS Masters, my biggest ambitions stem from a feeling to change the world. The only problem with these lofty ideas of self-worth is the punishing realisation that the industry is in a difficult spot right now. Finding a job in the publishing industry is hardest, but work as an information professional at a library isn’t much better.

As indicated in the talks, I believe what I really need to do is get work in as many places as possible related to libraries. And as one of the speakers said, a goal of an LIS professional should be to make information accessible to users. In this, I hope to be employed in places beyond my previous job titles in libraries (working largely as a shelver and not behind the scenes on the collection management itself), and help this information become easier to find.

Like Julanne, I see a potential opening in working at heritage libraries and societies. Earlier this year I was offered such a chance, but being that I had a full semester of university and was still settling into this year, I passed on this opportunity. I now regret making this decision because the internship could have benefitted me and my LIS practice. Still, the offer is out there in the form of the contact giving it, and I may be able to grasp at that glimmer of light that shone briefly earlier this year for my career.

Workshop 2: MBTI workshop

This workshop was centred around the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator and analysing the personality types and how that impacts upon you as an LIS professional.

For my personality test I scored an ‘ENFP’, a person who usually watches in teams and takes inspiration from intuition. Apparently, ENFP also have above average social skills. In some situations I can see this happening. I get along well with people in a social context, although at times I also disagree with ENFP’s overall statement that ENFP people are extraverted as a matter of course. Typically I withdraw within myself in many social situations, despite being able to put on a face that seems social. At some social events I am asked why I’m being so quiet by people who are used to me being very social at other events, and that’s because being introverted is actually how I normally am.

Are these personality types worth looking into? This was brought up in the workshop and the idea that they’re fluid and subject to change as life changes. None of these personality types should be given as something you’ll have on your tombstone. What’s mildly depressing about ENFP is the potential for projects to be dropped because an ENFP becomes excited by something else. This definitely applies to me. I’ve found many points in life where I will drop something because I lose interest in it quickly. Any time I’ve tried to make the transition from short stories to novels, even up to 40,000 words in, I lose interest in the project and fall out of love with my work.

How does this impact on me as an LIS professional? In social situations I see myself being able to do well, however adapting to routine may be difficult. Already I’ve had experiences where a 9-5 job has been difficult for me to maintain focus and energy for an entire working day. As such, I’ll need to discipline myself to stick to job choices and not fall behind on my LIS path.

Workshop 1: The Reflective Practitioner

In the first week of workshops, the topic was reflection as an information professional, or indeed any professional. Examining past achievements, past failures, the path of a career is crucial to the development of a successful practitioner.  This workshop saw guest speakers discuss the importance of starting an ePortfolio.

While I try to avoid using QUT Blackboard tools at all costs, I am creating an ePortfolio of my own using Blogger. Blogger is easy to set up and useful as a basic blogging service to record my journey as a librarian professional.  As well, it is linked to my Google account so there is one place to keep track of everything related to my work.

On reflection, my past experience has been largely in creative writing. This in itself is tied to libraries as I approach the profession from a writing background. I already have a deep knowledge of the publishing business and about the wave of change occurring with eBooks from both my undergraduate and first Masters studies. This is invaluable to my information professional role as I can mediate between the publishing and library modes.

This is especially apparent when I worked in a publishing house for three months as a marketing manager. I learned valuable skills such as how to edit books, collated and edited a history magazine as well as organised orders and mailing of books. This means I know the mediation process between libraries and publishing industries.

I’ve also worked at the Supreme Court Library and the State Library of Queensland, both of which gave me insight into the goings-on in a library workplace and the kinds of work involved. Four years as a casual at the Supreme Court Library meant I had a handle on how law libraries worked, and the internship at the State Library of Queensland was an instruction in how a modern library catalogues and retains records, puts on exhibitions and runs PR. I see these two key experiences in being formative for a successful information professional.

Twitter Reflection

Twitter has been a major part of defining me since I first used it in the beginning of university in 2009. In a way, the people on the service have taught me far more in terms of growth as a human being, knowledge in a wide range of issues and opportunities in the professional realm.

I regarded these Twitter activities as not being stressful, and I have especially enjoyed them. Live tweeting a TV show on libraries, despite disliking the style of the show, is the type of activity I do regularly on Twitter. I especially liked seeing peers try Twitter out for the first time and I’m amazed that more haven’t caught on to the platform. I’ve been trying to get my peers into regularly using it and has been fun to see them gradually get the hang of it.

Twitter to me is a daily micro-blog where I can update with whatever I feel like saying at the time. Of course, I do censor myself somewhat for reasons of interest to people and so I don’t make a complete fool. But in terms of having word spread about you and building a personal ‘brand’ online that you can use to help you professionally. The thing that fundamentally differs Twitter from Facebook is that it’s public and the platform is made of strangers. You can update as much as you like, on what subjects you like, and chances are you’ll get an audience.

In terms of being an LIS professional, I’ve found there is a very active community for the library industry on Twitter. I’ve got a constant stream for all my subjects, as well as a tailored stream just for LIS-related information going on Tweetdeck.

Twitter is something that is a must in this day and age. While a must for work purposes if you are at all connected to a discussion in a fluid industry, Twitter is also needed to hear many different voices, most much different to the ones your friends and colleagues would typically be. For this reason alone, Twitter is worth the hassle.

LinkedIn Reflection

LinkedIn has been difficult to get a handle on. I see it as an online CV of sorts with added extras that appear to be either pointless social media gimmicks or underutilised. The endorsed topics, for example. Most people (people who you sometimes don’t even know) endorse you for topics that LinkedIn has preset in a notification for them. There seems to be no process of rectifying whether these are genuine skills you have.

It is great for having potential employers view your profile, see your past work and have direct access to referees for you. In this way, I believe LinkedIn should be used judiciously. So many treat the site as a professional Facebook but forget the ‘professional’ side of networking. They accept everyone to be a connection on the profile, whether they are beneficial to you or not.

Will LinkedIn be useful to me in the librarian profession? Undoubtedly. I believe it is a great tool for getting to know whom you’ve worked with and networked to, and in this way keep contact with them. I’ve been on LinkedIn for a few years now and while it’s not a social media site I utilise to full potential (see Twitter), I do appreciate its merits. Having all my Masters colleagues as well as lecturers available on hand in a web page is imminently valuable if I were to collaborate with them later in my career. My Masters colleagues have already stated that they would be happy to endorse me on skills that I have shown this semester.

As my journey as a library professional opens and I gain more experience in a range of different work environments the CV will grow. The perplexing thing about LinkedIn is the question of how much of your CV should go on the site. Including a full size CV will seem too large for a web site. A friend of mine had this issue with her LinkedIn. I recommended to only show your top priority job experience and groups. The latter is perhaps the biggest problem with LinkedIn. Due to so many only having a passing glance at their LinkedIn, many of the groups send notifications for events that aren’t utilised. For example, I am a part of a QUT Alumni LinkedIn group, and they send my inbox lots of invites to events that they presume I would have as much interest as a Facebook group user. The main problem with LinkedIn is that it doesn’t look attractive and isn’t user friendly, and while it may try to ape other social networks, the place is too drab.

On the networking side of things, I see LinkedIn as being a solid foundation.