Librarians, and many other Information professionals such as curators and archivists for that matter, are often so busy helping others that they forget about helping one another. Although the internet has made near instantaneous communication a reality, it seems that librarians are more spread apart than ever before. It certainly doesn't help that there's is not much standardization: different libraries may specialize in different fields, such as medicine or law, and use different managing software, from Destiny to Mandarin. While many librarians may feel that their own patron-base is the most important, and decide to focus on their own immediate concerns rather than holding meaningful discussions with other librarians and supporting them through email, phone, or text, these isolationists are only making things more difficult for themselves. Many librarians develop new methods and learn new skills on their own, and would be happy to share them if they had an outlet to use, or knew fellow librarians who would listen. That is why librarians are greatly in need of outlets that enables them to connect with and support one another. By using these outlets, librarians can share with one another what they've learned and, in a cooperative environment, discuss similar problems they may be facing and what's the best way to go about solving them. Librarians have the potential of becoming a very close-knit community, and by connecting with and supporting each other in an intuitive and friendly environment, can better refine their efforts and operations, becoming a more powerful public influence.
To meaningfully connect with other Information specialists, I highly recommend that all librarians look into becoming members of the American Library Association (ALA). Founded in 1876, the ALA's mission is to "provide leadership for the development, promotion and improvement of library and information services and the profession of librarianship in order to enhance learning and ensure access to information for all.” The ALA provides many services which would take a separate, dedicated blog post to explain, but relevant to our subject is the conferences and events the ALA organizes. The events provide excellent opportunities for librarians to meet face-to-face and form lasting relationships that can be maintained over long distances through modern communication technologies - email, text, and phone. The ALA also provides resources to help librarian's in their advocacy for free access to information and widespread literacy. If a librarian is hoping to connect to other librarians in order to form an advocacy group, attending an ALA conference is a great start.
Their are many more outlets, both physical and online, but these are more specialized and may prove alienating for certain librarians. For instance, the Classic Librarians Forum, which brings together librarians and researchers interested in classical studies, may not prove a helpful resource for librarians who focus on medicine or law. That's why I have chosen to share information about outlets I feel would apply to all librarians, no matter their subject matter or the nature of the institution they serve, whether it is a hospital, school, or law library. In my next blog post, I will be focusing on PreK-12th grade schools and how librarians can encourage or revitalize summer reading. In the meantime, I encourage everyone to follow the links I have provided and learn more about these fascinating and useful outlets!
Links:
American Library Association: http://www.ala.org/
Informed Librarian Online: https://www.informedlibrarian.com/
LibraryThing: https://www.librarything.com/groups/librarianswholibrar
To meaningfully connect with other Information specialists, I highly recommend that all librarians look into becoming members of the American Library Association (ALA). Founded in 1876, the ALA's mission is to "provide leadership for the development, promotion and improvement of library and information services and the profession of librarianship in order to enhance learning and ensure access to information for all.” The ALA provides many services which would take a separate, dedicated blog post to explain, but relevant to our subject is the conferences and events the ALA organizes. The events provide excellent opportunities for librarians to meet face-to-face and form lasting relationships that can be maintained over long distances through modern communication technologies - email, text, and phone. The ALA also provides resources to help librarian's in their advocacy for free access to information and widespread literacy. If a librarian is hoping to connect to other librarians in order to form an advocacy group, attending an ALA conference is a great start.
But not all librarians can afford to leave their respective institutions for long, or, for their own private reasons, may not feel like joining the ALA. And that's no obstacle to networking with fellow librarians! Meaningful interactions can still be held, through a wide variety of websites. One such website is the Informed Librarian Online (ILO). The ILO keeps its members up-to-date about their librarian profession by providing them with the most current contents from over 290 valuable domestic and foreign library and information-related journals, and keeping them up-to-date with current library trends. However, when it comes to real-time messaging and a more casual environment, I recommend LibraryThing. This website is an online forum where members can enter different 'discussions' and hold conversations with librarians from around the world. As long as you have an internet connection, LibraryThing is open to you! Here you can discuss such varied subjects as metadata, tagging, FRBR, library 2.0, social software, cataloging, and many more! Their are currently 9,932 members on LibraryThing, and each one has something unique to share.
Their are many more outlets, both physical and online, but these are more specialized and may prove alienating for certain librarians. For instance, the Classic Librarians Forum, which brings together librarians and researchers interested in classical studies, may not prove a helpful resource for librarians who focus on medicine or law. That's why I have chosen to share information about outlets I feel would apply to all librarians, no matter their subject matter or the nature of the institution they serve, whether it is a hospital, school, or law library. In my next blog post, I will be focusing on PreK-12th grade schools and how librarians can encourage or revitalize summer reading. In the meantime, I encourage everyone to follow the links I have provided and learn more about these fascinating and useful outlets!
Links:
American Library Association: http://www.ala.org/
Informed Librarian Online: https://www.informedlibrarian.com/
LibraryThing: https://www.librarything.com/groups/librarianswholibrar
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