by Tim Ferguson, Editor, Forbes Asia

Sue Radlauer, the new Director of Research Services at Forbes, and subject of this post, has been an Information Specialist at Forbes since 2006, the year she received her MLIS from Drexel University. Prior to starting at Forbes, Sue was an Information Specialist at People magazine. Sue is a member of the New York Chapter, and the Divisions Business & Finance, News, and Solo Librarians.

Read the post here: http://blogs.forbes.com/timferguson/2011/07/27/in-praise-of-the-news-librarian/

Tim Ferguson edits Forbes Asia magazine, which circulates from Pakistan to Japan to Australia. We draw on the work of correspondents from throughout the region. I’m also interested in business developments from the rest of the world.

Reposted with Permission from SLA Europe

by Sara Batts, Europe Chapter, Business & Finance, Legal, Leadership & Management Divisions

For the second year, SLA Conference brought its new Fellows and Rising Stars together for a round table session. This year’s theme was the four ‘pillars’ of Future Ready: community, collaboration, alignment and adaptable skills. Each pair of Star & Fellow took one topic, and presented their thoughts and perspectives. Webb Shaw from JJ Keller, sponsors of the Rising Star award ably chaired the session.

Kate and Sara from SLA Europe talked about Community. A few of the questions we answered about the value of community were:

• Do you have an “expert community?”
• What method did you use to build it?
• What about social media?
• What are the goals of your most important professional community?
• Have you taken part in a mentoring program, either as a mentor or “mentee”? How has that helped you build community?

It was a fun meeting to take part in. The preparation calls were also interesting, to see the group come together and get a sense of the way the session would pan out. It was particularly nice to get a laugh for one of Sara’s points, and to see a comment being retweeted across the conference, albeit slightly tongue in cheek from some. Other pairings addressed these questions below: what answers would you give, and how would they help you become Future Ready?

Adaptable skills
What are examples of non-tech skills that need to be adaptable?
How do you position yourself and your organization for adaptability?
What do you think is the next adaptation you’ll need to make?

Alignment
How have you gotten to know your users?
What’s an example of how you deliver information in a way you know to be user-friendly?
Have you identified your organization’s short- and long-term goals? How did you go about it?

Collaboration
How do you coordinate with other dept’s to meet goals of your organization?
What is an example of how you use communication and networking with outside groups to build your knowledge base and/or keep it current?

Photos (c) The Photo Group 2011 – All rights reserved

Sara Batts is currently SLA Europe President. She has recently taken on the role Library Services Co-ordinator in the London office of an international law firm. An SLA member since 2009, Sara was one of this year’s Rising Stars.

by Jan Chindlund, Illinois Chapter, Academic, Museums, Arts & Humanities, B&F, LM Divisions

“Yes, I was invited.”

Think back to times in your career (in both your employment and your volunteer work) when you were personally invited to join the team, join the organization, write an article or post, render an opinion, edit a document, brainstorm, manage a project, research a complex issue, or lead.

✓How did the invitation make you feel?
✓What did you think when you were invited?
✓How did you respond to the invitation?

We’ve all heard Victor Hugo’s “There is nothing more powerful than an idea whose time has come.” True. And perhaps, there is no connection more persuasive than the personal invitation.

Recognizing a spark, talent or skill in another person and then inviting them to be involved honors the invitee and inspires them to get involved.

To be “Future Ready” has so many facets: strategic, critical and systems thinking; embracing technology; acquiring and applying knowledge; being politically astute; being nimble, flexible and adaptable; recognizing opportunities; and the list goes on. All important and essential.

Add to that mix: practicing the art of personal invitation. Establishing relationships is the key to gaining insight into situations and opening doors to opportunities to learn and to become involved. Personal invitations are a way to initiate and strengthen relationships.

In this era of high tech, the personal invitation can satisfy our need for high touch.

Seek ways to invite others…and to be invited.

In association volunteer work

When asked to lead, I invite a co-chair to work alongside me. At this point, I invite someone newer to our profession. So we can co-mentor each other. I might contribute knowledge about the organization or work at hand, the other person might contribute technical know-how or insights into how today’s audiences or clientele will respond to messages.

I have been in groups of SLA members when the question was asked, “Who has been hired because of their connection with SLA?”  The majority of hands shoot up…every time!  Well, think back, how did you get involved in SLA? Did someone invite you to join or to be on a committee or to speak?

✓  I attended my first SLA meeting because I was personally invited.
✓  I joined my first chapter committee because I was personally invited.
✓  I ran for office in a division because I was personally invited.
✓  I ran for office in our chapter because I was personally invited.
✓  I wrote this post because I was personally invited.

How did you hear about that job?  Did an SLA colleague inform you about the position, invite you to apply, recommend you?

SLA’s “Connecting People and Information” could be expanded to “Connecting People and Information, Expanding Information to Knowledge & Connecting People to People.” The cross-pollination of what is learned in SLA, and the connections made there, with our professional work is the penultimate value of belonging.

Personally invite others to join and to become involved.

In the workplace

Larry Prusak referred to “ground truth” as one source of wisdom in his presentation at SLA 2011. That resonated with me. Inviting those who are “on the ground” to share their insights is not only good business, but it provides valuable knowledge that can be used to make better decisions. In our professional life, this can provide new knowledge and connections, improving the richness and the quality of the work we produce and the wisdom upon which we make decisions.

Personally invite those “on the ground” to share their “ground truth”

As Kevin Kelly so aptly put it, “The only factor becoming scarce in a world of abundance is human attention.” The human attention given through personal invitation is very compelling indeed.

“Yes, I was invited.”

Jan Chindlund has been Library Director, Columbia College Chicago, since September 2007. Previously she was Manager of McDonald’s Corporation Global Consumer and Business Insights Information Center and Assistant Vice President & Head Librarian, Duff & Phelps. Jan holds MLIS from Dominican University and MBA from Benedictine University. She has served in various roles at the chapter, division and association levels of SLA, currently Co-Chair of Local Arrangements for SLA 2012 to be held in Chicago July 15-18, 2012. Recipient of the Dow Jones Leadership Award and the Rose L Vormelker Award, she is SLA Fellow and extremely grateful for the learning, advocacy and networking SLA makes available to members.

by Gerry Lukos, Oregon Chapter, Business & Finance Division

Some years back I was invited to give the keynote at the Oregon Chapter SLA annual meeting dinner. The theme was “What Chimpanzees Have Taught me about Surviving (and Thriving) in a Corporation.” Years of volunteering at the Oregon Zoo primate house and reading about and working around great apes had made me realize that understanding chimp society could help me deal with the challenges and occasional frustrations of working in a corporate environment.

From time to time, I pull out this list and see that these learnings still apply to my role as a corporate librarian and also to my interactions with people on and off the job. Maybe the lessons imparted to me by my chimp friends and acquaintances could be useful as you move forward in your career.

1. Whether you spend most of your time in a group or on your own, you are part of a larger community.
2. Build alliances.
3. Keep track of who grooms whom.
4. Know which trees bear fruit … and when.
5. From time to time you need to display some attitude.
6. Know when to stop screaming.
7. Sometimes the bully wins.
8. Dominance is temporary.
9. Be resilient.

Number 6 was actually the first one I wrote down. It was inspired by a chimp named Hannah who was going through a difficult time being integrated into a new group, and it’s very much like a saying we have at my company: “Disagree and commit.” Can you figure out how each of these lessons might translate into your own work environment? I look forward to reading your comments.

Gerry is a Research Analyst (aka Librarian) at Intel Corporation and as such she gets to spend much of her time monitoring the news for events and trends in various industries. She is a member and a past president of the Oregon Chapter of SLA and has been volunteering at the Oregon Zoo for 19 years.

By Sara Tompson, SLA Board 2011-13 and Head of Library Instruction & Orientation Services, University of Southern California (USC)

How to stay future ready? Read science fiction! Science fiction (SF) is a “sandbox” in which writers can play with possible outcomes of current technologies, cultures and trends.

SF writers often deal with information or library trends in their novels. I read Gary Shteyngart’s near-future Super Sad True Love Story this spring, and was struck by how he projected texting, Tweeting and consumerism just a few steps further. The novel’s transcriptions of online chats “sounded” so much like my two nieces in their young 20s, and how my USC students talk online!

I’ve been an avid science fiction and fantasy reader much of my life, with some detours over the past few decades. My husband and I met at one SF convention and honeymooned at another, so naturally I retain a fondness for the genre! Recently I’ve gotten back into it, with Super Sad, as well as another near future novel, Riding the Trail of Tears by Blake Hausman, in which a Cherokee Long March virtual reality “ride” takes on its own separate reality and what information is “real” and what is not becomes debatable. I’ve also revisited old favorites, like Alexei Panshin’s award-winning Rite of Passage, where the young protagonist Mia’s ark-like interstellar ship includes a comprehensive digital and realia (e.g. old musical instruments) library.

Information professionals like to know things and organize things. The downside of these traits can be aversion to change. Exploring science fiction can free us to think outside of our everyday boxes!

Sara Tompson is serving as a Director on the SLA Board from 2011-2013.  She is a member of the SLA Finance Committee, and the Board liaison to all the California chapters, the Rio Grande, NM chapter, the SciTech Division, the Research & Development Committee and the Professional Development Council.  Tompson is the Head of Library Instruction & Orientation at the University of Southern California (USC).  In her spare time she is an instrument rated private pilot, and enjoys flying her husband and friends around beautiful California.

by Jane Dysart, Dysart & Jones Associates, SLA Fellow, President 1995-6 & John Cotton Dana Recipient

It’s great when organizations, and people, think about their future. Many do not.  In their book, Competing for the Future in the mid-90s, Gary Hamel & C. K. Prahalad said,

“In our experience, about 40% of senior executives’ time is spent looking outward, and of this time, 30% is spent peering 3, 4, 5 plus years into the future.  And of the time spent looking forward, no more than 20% is spent attempting to build a collective view of the future (the other 80% is spent looking at the future of the manager’s particular business).Thus, on average, senior management is devoting less than 3% (40% x 30% x 20% =2.4%) of its energy to building a corporate perspective on the future. In some companies the figure is less than 1%.”

This statement resonated with me at the time and is the reason that Dysart & Jones Associates has had a successful strategic planning consulting practice for almost 20 years. We created an accelerated planning technique that we use to facilitate expedited planning with clients, we wrote an article on Standing in the Future in Special Libraries (precursor to Information Outlook) in 2000, we teach and talk about planning in many venues — most recently at the SLA conference last month in Philadelphia with Thinking Strategically: How to See the Big Picture/Possibilities.

But how do we, and how should you, get insights and ideas to create strategic and innovative directions and priorities to be ready for the future?

1. Be deeply aware of your context and environment, not just your own operation but your organization’s, your industry’s, your community’s as well as the technological, social, political, and economic realities and possibilities.  Have you studied your organization’s strategic plan or your community’s master plan?  Have you read what industry analysts are saying about your industry or emerging technologies?

2. Be open to seeing things differently & adjusting your “frames” with openness, flexibility and adaptability, by clarifying assumptions and questioning the status quo, by getting the facts, and by focusing on the future.

3. Practice good strategic & critical thinking which raises the right questions – clearly & precisely; focuses on the real problem or decision to be taken; gathers & assesses relevant information; uses abstract ideas to interpret info effectively; develops well-reasoned conclusions & solutions, testing them against relevant criteria and standards; relies on recognizing & assessing  assumptions, implications, & consequences; communicates effectively with others in figuring out solutions to complex problems.

4. Create a positive vision of the future, a preferred future that is a stretch from the current situation — stand in 2015 and imagine your organization at the top of its game, with highly skilled colleagues illustrating future ready competencies, with clients that rave about your services and call you “indispensable,” with perfectly working technology & processes that allow efficient & effective collaborative work spaces, with supportive stakeholders who fund your operation and are willing to try your new ideas. Isn’t that where you want to be in 2015?  Explain what you just envisioned to a colleague or friend using the present tense and you will definitely want to be there. Try it. Now. And remember what Eugenie Prime, formerly with Hewlett Parkard, exhorted a few years ago — “No puny visions!”

5. Be curious, listen & read.  See opportunities. Go to conferences where you can mix it up with all types of information professionals SLA Annual and Regional Conferences, Internet Librarian, Library Directors Digital Library Summit, Computers in Libraries to name a few, (and yes I have a vested interest in those as Information Today has been a wonderful client of mine for almost 20 years and allows me to grow and learn from great speakers and participants), or go to leading industry conferences that influence those in your organization whether it’s pharmaceuticals, food, medicine, etc.  Ask questions, talk to people, learn as much as you can about your environment so that you can see opportunities or gaps that you can fill. As Winston Churchill said, “A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty.” Watch for difficulties and pain points; jump on those opportunities and create new services to alleviate those challenges.

The Challenge of Information Overload & the Opportunity of Abundance

by Charlie Davidson, CEO, Attensa

Information professionals have always played a critical role supporting knowledge workers. Today, that role is more important than ever as future-ready solutions are implemented.

As digital information proliferates, businesses and their knowledge workers are confronted with unprecedented information management challenges. These challenges arise not just from the sheer volume of information, but also the number of sources that produce it and the number of locations or devices where this information is consumed.

As organizations grapple with the consequences, information professionals play a critical leadership role in the solution. There is a massive opportunity to impact personal and organizational performance throughout their organizations.

This post explores the nature of the challenge presented by information overload (and the opportunity of information abundance) and why information professionals must play a leading role in the solution.

It is no small irony that today we have unprecedented access to information and yet it always seems so difficult to maintain awareness of the information that really matters to us and drives organizational performance. Consider the results of a study by Xerox that reported that 53% of the knowledge workers surveyed believe that half of the information they receive is valuable. The study also revealed that organizations believe “that time constraints and lack of understanding of how to find information is preventing their employees from finding the information they need to do their jobs.” This topic is explored in greater detail in the Attensa White Paper: Reducing Information Overload in the Enterprise.

Why is information so poorly targeted? It is easy to lay complete blame on information overload, which is unquestionably a major issue. However, the fundamental issue is our inability to filter and discern the information that matters. In other words, the killer app in the era of information overload will deliver relevance. Information professionals are ideally suited to deliver this to the people they serve.

Today, with the right tools, you can deliver the right information to the right people and build a flexible foundation that is “future ready.”  Implementing these tools and strategies can be done incrementally and is not complex. We find that with many of our customers relatively simple first steps create immediate business benefits.

Why Existing Approaches and Tools Aren’t Working

Before considering solutions, it is worth exploring why existing approaches and information content providers are failing to fully address the problem. One of the fundamental reasons is that current solutions were designed on the premise of information scarcity rather than information abundance. This paradigm shift has been occurring for the past couple of decades, fueled by the digitalization and networking of content and the new communications and publishing tools that have decentralized and democratized publishing. More disruptive change is clearly on the way, as ebooks evolve and content in general is further atomized. This shift not only requires new tools, but a new perspective.

From Managing Sources to Managing the Flow of Information

This shift is perhaps best captured by the authors of The Power of Pull who observe that “Information now flows like water and we must learn to tap into its stream.”  In the era of information abundance, the traditional information supply lanes are blurred.  Unless that fundamental issue is addressed, getting the right information to the right people at the right time is extremely difficult.

By the same token, leveraging the notion of flow with the right tools will enable information professionals to effectively manage and deliver information in new and impactful ways. With the right tools:

• information from different sources inside and outside the organization can be filtered and managed in a unified way;
• simple software-enabled processes can streamline the work of information professionals and simplify the lives of information consumers;
• the information that matters can be delivered to people in appropriate places rather than requiring them to look for it; and
• intelligent software can help people focus their attention on important information and help organizations utilize the knowledge that exists throughout their organizations.

Information professionals can and should be at the epicenter of this shift. It should a fun ride.

In the next post, I will describe how these tools and future ready design principles can be easily integrated with existing systems and information sources. In the meantime, feel free to call contact me with any questions or comments.

Charlie Davidson is the CEO of Attensa, an enterprise software company solving the problem of information overload for businesses and professionals. He serves on the Steering Committee for the Information Overload Research Group and is also a member of the Oregon and Washington State Bar Associations. Charlie’s can be reached at charlie.davidson@attensa.com on Twitter @CharlieDavidson or  at +1 971.340.2000 ext. 100.

by Nora Martin, Australia and New Zealand Chapter, Leadership & Management Division

In May 2007 I began employment as the inaugural Library Manager at the Australian Transaction Reports and Analysis Centre (AUSTRAC). AUSTRAC is Australia’s anti-money laundering and counter-terrorism financing regulator and specialist financial intelligence unit (FIU). My major contribution included the establishment and maintenance of an online library and the implementation of a new library and research centre service.

I attended the 11th Aurora Leadership Institute in February 2008 as a result of being awarded the inaugural AGLIN Scholarship. Subsequently I served on the AGLIN Executive Board from 2008-9. AGLIN is an independent organization established to coordinate Australian Federal government libraries. The Aurora Leadership Institute assists future leaders in the library and information sector to maximise their skills and potential. This was also an opportunity to spend time with and learn from leaders in the library profession.

My participation as an AGLIN Executive Board member for 2008-9 gave me an insight into how an executive board operates and was a valuable learning experience. I would describe the benefits of participating at the Institute as increased self awareness and learning about the difference between leadership and management, especially the importance of leading from within.

Aurora increased my confidence to such a degree that I applied for and obtained a 9-month reassignment within AUSTRAC as Senior Analyst within the Strategic Analysis Unit. This role included conducting detailed research to provide internal and external stakeholders with proactive intelligence on money laundering and terrorism financing typologies, trends and vulnerabilities. This reassignment turned out to be a wonderful opportunity for professional development, leading to an increased understanding of the information needs and requirements of our Intelligence business unit. Another benefit was that this knowledge greatly assisted me upon return to my substantive capacity as Library Manager in early 2009.

Information professionals have exceptional research and analytical skills, often not recognised by the intelligence community. These skillsets are very transferable and it’s a positive sign that increasingly government agencies are strategic in their approach to the exercise of professional development within human resource management. Governments worldwide continue to deal with the threat of terrorism and organised crime plus work together to combat global threats, such as those concerning the environment and climate change. As a result, the need for the services of government information professionals has increased in recent years. The need for current information and qualified information and knowledge services staff cannot be underestimated. The challenge is to reinforce this message to key stakeholders within government agencies, to prove our value and become indispensible.

In July 2009 (due to operational requirements) I was permanently reassigned to the position of Senior Analyst within the AUSTRAC Operational Intelligence branch. My responsibilities included the evaluation and dissemination of Suspect Matter Reports to domestic and international partner agencies. Concurrently at this time I took on a mentor role and trained another information services colleague in library procedures. My mentee demonstrated her commitment to the library profession by taking on the responsibility of maintaining a streamlined library service in addition to her normal duties.

Whilst enjoying the challenge of working in the intelligence field, library work remains and is my passion! Late last year I obtained a promotion to an executive leadership role at the Australian Taxation Office (ATO) Library. Our ATO eLibrary model is linked to the 2011 SLA Annual Conference sub-theme “using knowledge sharing to encourage collaboration.” The library team is placing a particular emphasis on web 2.0 and emerging web 3.0 services, demonstrating a capacity to innovate and develop new information products and services to meet an identified need.

The moral of the story is to think outside the square in terms of professional development opportunities. Often a break from “traditional” library work will reenergise and reinvigorate you leading to other exciting opportunities down the track!

After working in a public library as a paraprofessional for over twenty years, Nora Martin completed her degree in 2005 and is now Assistant Director, Library & Information Services at the Australian Taxation Office. In 2009 Nora was the recipient of the SLA Diversity Leadership Development (DLDP) award and International Travel award. She previously worked as Library Manager at AUSTRAC, Australia’s anti-money laundering regulator and specialist financial intelligence unit. Prior to this time, Nora was employed as a Research Librarian at Fairfax Media, providing high-quality research and information services to journalists, working on local print publications and helping journalists from various interstate and overseas bureaus.

by Bethan Ruddock, Europe Chapter, Business & Finance, Leadership & Management Divisions

Reposted with permission from SLA Europe blog

SLA Europe board member Bethan Ruddock spoke on a panel on Alternative Uses of the Library Degree at SLA 2011. Here, she shares her thoughts on what it was like to be part of the panel, and what she learned from the experience.

Back in 2010, Dee Magnoni contacted me to ask if I knew someone from SLA Europe who’d be willing to take part in this LMD/Taxonomy panel.  The person specification?  New professional, based outside US/Canada, working in a non-traditional environment.  I put my hand so far in the air that my feet nearly left the ground – but, in the interests of fairness, we decided to open the chance up to SLA Europe members.  When no-one else stepped forward (to my secret delight), I was in.

Not only was I pleased to have the chance to be speaking at all, and wear the coveted ‘speaker’ ribbon, I was also eager to talk about my work at Mimas.  It’s not something I get to talk about very often, as most of my writing and speaking is focussed on wider professional issues, but it’s profoundly important to me – and I really do love my job!

Fast-forward to 2011, and find me preparing for conference in a fairly desultory fashion, with no real idea what I’m going to do for the panel.  Fortunately, moderator Ruth Wolfish had it all under control – she gave us a set of questions of which we could answer all or some, set out the running order, requested a slidedeck and an introduction, and encouraged us to share our planned slides with the other panel members (Jean Fisher, George Plosker, and Kim Dority).  Ruth also did something rather sneaky, which I would recommend to all moderators: after telling us that we had 10 minutes max each, we found out the night before the panel that we actually had 15 minutes.  And yes, we all used them all – in fact, we finished pretty much exactly on time! Definitely a great way to make sure your speakers don’t run over.

Ruth also took us all out for dinner the night before the panel, which I found enormously useful! It was a fantastic opportunity to get to know the other panellists, to learn more about their views and ideas, and to connect with a really amazing bunch of information professionals – not to mention my chance to try Maggiano’s pound cake!

Ruth also asked us to get to the room early and circulate among the audience – chat to them, ask them why they were there, and what they were hoping to get from the session.  I found the thought of this rather terrifying, so decided to look out for people with first-timer ribbons as a) this gave me a great opening gambit and b) they were the only people in that room likely to be as nervous as I was…

I really enjoyed doing my panel slot.  Lots of speaking experience over the last year has helped to get me over the ‘nervous gibbering wreck’ stage, and I’m now starting to feel more comfortable in front of an audience.  The audience were great, too – they listened really well, and laughed in the right places!  I also found that it having spoken to some of the audience in advance did really help, by giving me a few extra familiar faces in the audience.  I’d suggest it as a tactic if you’re a bit nervous about speaking, especially if the alternative is to be stood self-consciously at the front waiting for the session to start.

Having some idea of what my fellow panellists were going to say was a huge boost too.  As we were all talking around the same questions, it’s not surprising that many of the same themes came out, but it was very reassuring to know that I wasn’t about to be flatly contradicted by the next speaker!

The questions Ruth asked us to address were:

• What is the type of individual, with what skills that are currently successful in your Library?
• What personality skills would you look for in an individual?
• How important are technical skills? What specific skills?
• In your opinion, going forward in the Library profession; what type of individual will succeed?
• In hindsight, what would you do differently in your career to succeed? What did you do that was the most beneficial?
• What trends do you see for the future? How will your type of Library change in the future?
• Name 3 things that you continue to do in order to succeed? (ie. public speaking, networking, classes, SLA ……?)
• Will Libraries exist in the future ? Public Libraries? Corporate Libraries?  How will databases or products change in the future?

We all had a slightly different take on these, and some of us (well, me) didn’t answer them all, but there was definitely some cohesion in the answers.  We all spoke about the need to be flexible, open to change, and willing to learn new skills.  The need to get involved in the profession outside your workplace was also identified as being key – unsurprising, given that the advice was coming from active SLA members.  Each panel member mentioned different technical skills, relative to our different environments, but it was clear that technical skills – or at least the willingness to acquire them! – was a must-have.  And the same message kept coming across:

You have the skills to do this!  You’re an information professional: you have learned how to learn.

Something which I don’t think was stated explicitly, but which came through very strongly, was that to work in a non-traditional/non-library environment you must have a keen sense of two things: adventure, and your own worth.  4 years ago I wouldn’t have said I had either.  Now I’m helping others to find theirs.  Whatever else librarianship may be, it’s certainly one heck of a ride.

Bethan Ruddock is an early-career professional, working as Content Development Officer for Library and Archival Services at Mimas, University of Manchester. She is Awards Chair and Early Career Co-Chair for SLA Europe, and Co-Chair of the LMD Marketing Section.  Bethan blogs at http://bethaninfoprof.wordpress.com/, tweets as @bethanar, and is currently editing a New Professional’s Toolkit (http://lisnewprofs.wordpress.com/), due for publication in 2012.

by Kathy Kelly, Washington, DC Chapter, Government Information Division

When Cindy Romaine visited the DC SLA chapter for our holiday lunch cruise during late 2010, she challenged all of us to gear up to post on the FutureReady blog. I told her I would have to do so from the standpoint of an unemployed librarian. So let me share my view of why we’re in a great profession in which to handle the challenges of joblessness or underemployment with resiliency. First, librarians are instinctive networkers. We are always learning, communicating, and sharing knowledge with our peers, via the many events and learning opportunities that are constantly pushed out to us by our collaborative networks. And we’ve all learned how critical networking is to landing jobs in challenging times.

Second, our companions in this profession are doing a great deal to address employment issues for both new and seasoned info pros. The DC SLA chapter is soon to launch an employment portal on its web site; this chapter provides discounts to unemployed members for its programs; and its long-term members are generous with mentoring those who are seeking jobs and in transition. In addition, SLA at the association level provides a reduced membership rate for the unemployed.

Third, info pros are used to juggling multiple priorities and using time well. What a bonus it can be to have ample time to attend free trainings on Thomas, Legal Research, and Business Research at the Library of Congress; Fedlink trainings at the same institution; database and legislative history trainings at the DOI Library; online trainings while at home; and the usual slate of intriguing DC SLA programs, book clubs, happy hours, and dinearounds. We really have an embarrassment of riches in terms of opportunities for staying active in our field.

Because of financial constraints, I had not been out of the DC area for a long time when I decided that the investment in attending the SLA 2011 conference in Philadelphia would be well worth it, and I was not disappointed. But even when we may not be able to travel to conferences, unemployment or underemployment cannot stop any of us from serving on various boards, doing volunteer work for chapters and other groups, and writing for our profession’s publications and blogs.

During an earlier period of unemployment years ago, I was attending a DC SLA dinearound when a librarian asked for my contact info in case her institution had any openings in the future. She assumed I did not have a business card since I was in between jobs, but I carried a personal business card, and pulled one out pronto. Within a few weeks, her library had an opening, and I had a job. I still carry those cards, and always keep ‘Librarian/Certified Archivist’ in my email signature block, no matter what my job status.

I’d say that info pros are not only always ‘employed’, in the sense of being engaged in a lively profession, but they are also always ready for future employment thanks to that present engagement.

Kathy Kelly most recently served as Librarian Project Manager and Marine Protected Areas (MPA) Librarian on the library support services contract at the NOAA Central Library.  Previously she served as a Task Order Manager/Supervisory Librarian at the U.S. EPA’s Pollution Prevention Information Clearinghouse (PPIC), and before that as an Archivist/Delivery Order Manager at the EPA History Office. Prior to serving at EPA, Kathy worked as a Library Technician in the Library of Congress (LC) Music Division and an Archives Technician in the LC Manuscript Division.  She has been a Certified Archivist since 1997, and is currently the 2011 Secretary for the SLA Government Information Division, and 2010-2011 Secretary for the Catholic University School of Library and Information Science (SLIS) Alumni Board.