By Lyndsay Rees-Jones, Europe Chapter, Knowledge Management and Leadership & Management Divisions

Since 2008 I have talked to a significant number of future librarians. I ran the Membership Support unit for CILIP with my colleague Kathy Ennis until restructuring closed the unit in October 2010. We visited LIS students at UK Universities and ran 2-3 hour professionalism sessions. Our aim was to help them short-cut our collective 50yr+ career journeys, passing on advice and experience that had proved its worth. Key points to take away were:

• Don’t undervalue what you know.
• Banish the words just and easy from your professional vocabulary.
• Reflect. Reflect. Reflect. Remember when you have learned something new, and acknowledge the difference it has made to you.
• Use our professional language with pride. Don’t dumb down.
• Consider the sort of professional that you want to be, and remember that our skills have value in every sector and every country.

So in the spirit of being Future Ready, here is a bit of personal reflection based on my career so far….

Cash’s (UK) Ltd – weaving company – particularly famous for their name tapes (think school uniforms). Unable to find a library post straight after graduating I became a management trainee. Brilliant fun, being responsible for weaving clothing labels and patches. I learned that the workplace can be a bitchy environment, as well as a political one. that I was good at representing the business at trade fares. That I was able to manage a big workload.

GEC Electrical Projects (which became subsumed into the Alstom giant as Cegelec Projects and what remains is now called Converteam ). My first professional post was as the solo Librarian and Information Office for four companies on a site with roughly 6000 employees. I learned that there was such a thing as a solo professional, and that it was a tremendously challenging yet exhilarating role. That I loved being totally in control: if I got it right it was all down to me; whereas if I got it wrong that was usually only because I felt less than professionally perfect, whereas the client was perfectly happy. That I was a good organiser, efficient and effective researcher, and that my information skills earned me respect from the engineers, accountants, surveyors, developers etc that were my clients. Gaining my Chartership added to my status.

Trioka Contracts Ltd – developed, set up and ran (part-time) a service for a contract interior design company. What fun I had playing with carpet samples, lighting catalogues and tiles. I learned that I needn’t be too precious about cataloguing and classifications. Up until this point I had been something of a perfectionist, adept at using UDC/Dewey, and suddenly it was obvious that this was overkill and I could create my own scheme! That my skills were valued and produced real business benefit.

National Grid Co Plc – I took over running the library and information service for the electrical transmitting utility, immediately following its relocation to Coventry from London. I inherited one member of staff (non-professional) giving us the grand total of 2 people to meet information needs previously managed by 5 full timers. What fun! I learned that thinking differently is a vital skill and having no baggage is a real bonus. That there is such a thing as internal consultancy. That you can be upwardly bullied, and there are people who can help and advise. That it was crucial that I was “out and about,” as a visual manifestation of the LIS service. That KM was growing in importance.

Library Association – which became CILIP in 2002 (after unifying with the Institute of Information Scientists). During my 13+ years at the UK professional body, I was variously a Professional Advisor, Special Libraries and Information Services; Workplace and Solo Advisor; Workforce Development Advisor; and Senior Advisor. Membership Support Unit. I learned that membership organisations are complex entities. That activists are important people who need adequate support. That there is real hope for the profession in the hands of the next generation. That I was a good advisor, who was at my best when sharing my own experiences.

Overall lessons learned so far…Some of the lessons were uncomfortable or painful to learn – it’s not nice being bullied by a subordinate for instance! Other lessons were real eureka moments that provided me with insight into things such as office politics and organisational insecurity. These in turn helped me adapt my delivery and communication styles, so that I could be more effective and face less antagonism or blocks. If I had indeed learnt these during my initial library studies, would I have been as effective? Or was experiencing the lessons first hand, crucial to my personal and professional development?

I suspect that the real answer is a half-way house. I hadn’t know there was such a thing as a solo professional when I graduated, and yet spent my practitioner career being one. Thankfully I accidentally found this route, as it enabled me to discover my professional persona. It also ensured that I developed skills right across the board (from shelf-dusting and inter-library loans, to strategic planning and budget management), so made me much more effective as a professional advisor. I had actually “been there and done that” more often than not. My next steps are to develop my business (Real Time Release ©) as a creative transitioner – supporting people as they move towards a more rewarding life. By reflecting on my experience to date, I think I’ve got lots to offer.

Happy futures.

Lyndsay Rees-Jones is the Owner of Real-Time-Release. She is has been an active member of SLA Europe for many years, and is currently serving as the Awards Chair.

by Neil Infield, Europe Chapter, Business & Finance Division

I recently gave a talk to a room full of new information professionals on the topic of Continuing Professional Development (CPD).

I had been asked to fill in at the last minute, so didn’t have time to prepare. As anyone will appreciate, who shares my phobia of public speaking, this was actually a good thing.

However, what really surprised me, once I stood up and started speaking, was how passionate I became about the importance of CPD. And this wasn’t from some theoretical perspective about how we must continue to be aware of changes in our work environment and be on top of them. It was how my CPD activities resulted in bagging a great new job within six weeks of being made redundant from one I been in for sixteen years.

I was certain that no one would want to employ a librarian who had been stuck in the same job and become institutionalised. However, what I discovered was, the ability to deliver solutions and solve problems for my potential employers, gave me leverage in the job market.

These enhanced competencies came from a mixture of professional reading, signing up for workshops, regular networking with colleagues, and attending SLA events, particularly the SLA annual conference.

My favourite example, which led directly to a promotion at work, was discovering the concept of an intranet at one of my very first SLA conferences. I rushed home, and within six months had developed a rudimentary intranet for my company. And even though I was unable to explain to my boss why this would be beneficial for the organisation, six months later it became obvious to everyone how useful it was. And six months later, I was praised by our Chief Executive for introducing this wonderful innovation, swiftly followed by a promotion.

So, if you want to ensure you bag that next job, get a promotion, or just get to keep your existing one, CPD is not an optional activity, it is an essential one.

If you haven’t already had a go, I suggest an easy starting point is SLA’s 23 Things programme.

Since January 2006 I have worked at the British Library, where I am Manager of the Business & IP Centre. However, the postings here are my own and don’t necessarily represent the British Library’s position, strategy or opinions.

neil dot infield at bl.uk

By Dennie Heye, Europe Chapter, Petroleum & Energy Resources Division

Very often, leadership is considered to be the same as management. The simplest difference between those two terms is that you can be appointed a manager, but can only become a leader. A manager can only be effective when management techniques are complemented by leadership skills.

If you are not a manager, you can still be a leader – being a leader is about being able to influence teams to work towards a common goal. As a leader, you do not have employees but followers, who believe in your leadership to actually “lead the way.” There are many different kinds of leadership, and each of us should be able to find a style that fits us.

As an information professional, you can be a leader in the information management discipline, in your organization or your community. In my career I have was lucky to work with several leaders who have influenced my work and personality. A good leader inspires you to do great things and facilitates the road towards a goal.

Being a leader is a competency that is gained over time. Below are three insights and techniques that have helped me expand my leadership capabilities.

Enthusiasm

Nothing is more contagious than enthusiasm. If you encounter someone who is clearly excited about a new idea and simply radiates enthusiasm, it is hard to resist sharing that enthusiasm. Enthusiasm helps others to build willingness to change, to work harder, cooperate, study or make decisions.

You can stimulate enthusiasm by telling others what the ideal solution would be, what it takes to get there and how people will feel when the ideal solution is reached. Genuinely describe how you feel about the proposed solution, why it makes you feel good and interact with people to share those feelings and build enthusiasm.

Trust

If you are leading others, trust them to do as you agreed – give them time and space to do it their way. Let them gain your trust by showing results but achieving them in their particular way. Try and steer on the outcome of peoples’ actions, rather than the way others achieve the outcome. If you are like me, you will find it hard as a perfectionist that others do not do things they way you would do them. So sometimes I refrain myself from ‘trying to help the other,’ as I know my trusting the other will result in better results in the long run. If you do not trust others to perform their work, they will frustrated and unmotivated.

Challenge

If you have young kids, you know the period in their lives when they keep asking “why?”. They will start asking simple questions and then keep asking for the reasons why for every answer: “Why do cars drive on the road?” “Otherwise they would collide with the pedestrians” “Why?” Etcetera. Kids are curious by nature and do not accept things just because. That curious nature is still inside the adult of us and should be used more often. We will often feel that asking ‘why’ will make others thing we are not smart or “don’t get it.” Wrong. Challenge established procedures or new ideas by asking ‘why’ a couple of times after every explanation. It is very clarifying to see how easy it is to get to the bottom of things!

Dennie Heye is Global Knowledge Manager at Shell International. He is also a member of SLA’s Information Outlook Advisory Committee and the International Relations Chair for the Petroleum & Energy Resources Division.

by Laura Woods, Europe Chapter, Legal and Leadership & Management Divisions

I’m still a fairly new librarian, but thinking about how much I’ve learned just over the past four years makes my head spin! I would never have guessed, when I applied for my first library job, just what a fast-moving career I was entering. To me, being Future Ready means continually learning and adapting to new challenges.

If you’re at the start of your career, and the above sounds like a daunting prospect, here’s a few things I’ve learned that I wish I’d known when I was starting out:

1. Develop a network

Librarians are helpful people, so get to know as many as you can! Have a look for SLA chapters in your area, and just turn up and start talking to people. If there’s not much local to you, or if you’re more comfortable chatting online, try joining an online network like LISNPN (the LIS New Professionals Network) to get to know other people in the same position as you. Whether you do it online or off, building a network of fellow information professionals gives you an invaluable source of support, advice, and friendship. I’m a natural introvert with a dislike of asking people for help, so when I started off as a librarian my instinct was to keep my head down and get on with things by myself. It wasn’t until I started getting to know people within SLA and other professional bodies, and getting involved with committee work that meant I had to ask other people for help and advice, that I realised that a) no one was going to think less of me for needing help; and b) sometimes other people needed my help too! Developing a network is about building reciprocal relationships, and offering help as well as asking for it. It’s easy to assume that as a new professional you have nothing useful to offer those with more experience, but you will have skills and insights that other people lack – even if you don’t know it yet!

2. Say yes to everything you can

There are tons of awards and sponsorships available for LIS students and new professionals. I first became involved with SLA when I received an Early Career Conference Award from SLA Europe, co-sponsored by the Leadership and Management Division. However, I very nearly didn’t apply for that award – mainly because I thought that there would be so much competition, I wouldn’t stand a chance! I applied anyway, on the basis that it was worth a try, and was thrilled when I won. The lesson I learned from that was never to rule myself out of anything. Sure, there was a lot of competition, but if I hadn’t applied, I definitely wouldn’t have won. I’ve tried to carry that over into every other area of my professional life: I never say no to something, and thus count myself out of the running, unless I have a very good reason for not saying yes.

3. Everything is worth learning about

When I was at library school, there was a module on libraries in different sectors. Each week, a guest speaker from a different sector would come in to talk about their job and opportunities in their sector. I was pretty certain at that point that I wanted to work in law libraries, so while I was keen to attend the week a law firm librarian was the guest speaker, I didn’t have much enthusiasm for the rest of the module. However, after attending the first couple of lectures and realising that there were so many career paths in librarianship that I’d never even heard of, let alone considered, I was so glad to have the opportunity to hear from and talk to people in those many and varied jobs. As it turns out, I have stayed in law libraries since graduating; however, I still take every opportunity I can to learn about aspects of librarianship that have nothing to do with my current role. I take the view that even if I do stay in law libraries for the rest of my career, having a broader view of the profession as a whole, the issues librarians in other sectors face and how they deal with them, can only improve my own knowledge and strategic thinking, and thus improve my future readiness.

Those are just a few ways I’ve learned to be future ready; what would you add?

Laura Woods graduated from City University London with an MSc in Library and Information Studies in January 2010, and is currently working as an Information Services Adviser at Addleshaw Goddard LLP. She has been involved with SLA Europe since winning one of the Early Career Conference Awards in 2009, and attending the 2009 Annual Conference in Washington DC. Laura blogs about her professional development activities at Organising Chaos, and you can find her on Twitter as @WoodsieGirl. She is interested in networking with her peers, particularly fellow new professionals, and in innovative ways to promote library services and the information profession.

This week, SLA Europe take over the Future Ready blog. SLAE has around 250 members in half a dozen different countries. We are a thriving network of information professionals: individuals and organisations within the UK and across Europe come together to benefit from each others’ knowledge and experience. All areas of the information profession are represented by our members -  specialist librarians, researchers, knowledge managers, business insight consultants, information scientists, editors, content specialists, graduates and academics and we’ve got representation in many different divisions.

by Jane Macoustra, Asian and Europe Chapters, Business & Finance Division

The phrase “Future Ready” can have a number of meanings. For me, being Future Ready means always keeping up with new developments in the tech side of the Information Professional world, and exploiting that tech for best advantage.

At the moment, the professional world is experiencing some difficult times, but technology comes to assist in the form of Virtual reality worlds. I was unable to attend the SLA 2011 conference in Philadelphia, so I attended virtually. I got a lot out of attending the conference from afar and also met new colleagues that I wouldn’t necessarily have had the opportunity to meet if I had attended the conference in person. Previously, if I’d been unable to attend, that would have been the end of the matter because virtual attendance is a fairly recent innovation.

I work as an editor on a daily basis for a New York publisher which allows me to work and publish my daily current awareness before anyone has reached the office to start their day. I do Sun Chasing work, and the technology we have now is an enabler to making time zones completely irrelevant. When I worked in Asia, I could cover colleagues’ absence in the US and London. I was abroad on holiday very recently and my mobile rang with a client requesting assistance. I took the instruction and completed the work from Spain, using a note book. The hotel was wi-fi-ed, and so I sat by the pool compiling and completing my assignment. When office space is expensive, and people don’t want to pay for extra office space, I work virtually for clients and maintain contact with them using technology that is free, such as Skype and a web cam. I also utilise free software and clean-up tools for my laptops such as a defragmenter and a CCleaner from Piriform or Uniblue.

I’m always on the lookout for the next new innovations and watch what others are doing, and how they are getting on with new products. I also sign myself up as a guinea pig for any new Beta testing of software that has just arrived in the public domain and I read many tech blogs and articles. That way I feel that I am doing my utmost to be Future Ready from a virtual perspective in relation to my work.

Jane is an experienced Information Professional, previously working in oil and gas, law, investment banking, university teacher and project manager, as an author of a book on business research and now –as a Virtual Assistant under the Tai-Pan Research and the Virtual City Girl consultancy. The assignments she undertakes are diverse and interesting. She spent 2 ½ years working in Hong Kong, and is on the Board of SLA Europe and SLA Asian Chapter.

This week, SLA Europe take over the Future Ready blog. SLAE has around 250 members in half a dozen different countries. We are a thriving network of information professionals: individuals and organisations within the UK and across Europe come together to benefit from each others’ knowledge and experience. All areas of the information profession are represented by our members -  specialist librarians, researchers, knowledge managers, business insight consultants, information scientists, editors, content specialists, graduates and academics and we’ve got representation in many different divisions.

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

What’s the one sentence I remember most clearly from library school? (Apart from ‘you passed!’) The revelation, the moment things fell into place? The phrase that summed up everything I’d been learning? Interoperability is a mindset. I don’t know where it originally came from. All I know is that it’s become one of those phrases that I feel encapsulate librarianship, along with ‘the user is not broken,’ ‘content not container’ and ‘more cake please.’

Future ready is also a mindset. It’s about more than being open to change. It’s about always having one mental eye and ear open for the stirrings of change – and then adapting the way you think and work to accommodate this.  In games of mental strategy, such as chess and go, the ability to ‘read’ a number of moves ahead is considered vital for those aiming to become masters of the game. This comes from a combination of knowledge of the game – recognising known shapes, expected situations – and being able to think on your feet; to see a move and realise that it signifies, somewhere down the road, something for which you’d better prepare now.

This is the same in the information professions. The information landscape is our game. We need to be in the habit of scanning developments, no matter how routine the opening moves seem to be. By recognising how what we do now will impact later in the game, we automatically put ourselves a few moves ahead.

I was delighted to hear a story at the UK Archives Discovery Forum earlier this year, which demonstrated this perfectly.  One of the presenters was speaking about her experiences working in archives in the early 90s, and gave us a quote from her manager at the time (who is my new LIS hero). They said: ‘We may not have a database now, but if we have structured data then one day we will have a database to put it in!’ Being able to think about your database structure before you have a database? Now, that’s Future Ready.

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.

This week, SLA Europe take over the Future Ready blog. SLAE has around 250 members in half a dozen different countries. We are a thriving network of information professionals: individuals and organisations within the UK and across Europe come together to benefit from each others’ knowledge and experience. All areas of the information profession are represented by our members -  specialist librarians, researchers, knowledge managers, business insight consultants, information scientists, editors, content specialists, graduates and academics and we’ve got representation in many different divisions.

Geraldine Clement-Stoneham, Europe Chapter, Academic, Biomedical & Life Sciences, Information Technology, Knowledge Management, Leadership & Management, and Taxonomy Divisions

Noone can really predict the future of our profession accurately, but we know too well that it is changing and changing fast. Good business planning in uncertain time involves the development of scenarios with associated plans of action, and an assessment of their likelihood. The assumption is that the best way to cope with uncertain outcomes is to have an array of possible responses available at all times, in the hope that one of them will provide a way to adapt to the new circumstances.

I believe that the same can be applied to career planning, and that the best way to prepare for the future is to seek new experiences in order to develop the ability to apply our core information management skills in different situations.  When we apply for a job, we tend to do so because our skills match the job description. Once we are in the job, at the beginning the new environment brings enough learning opportunities, but over time this gets harder as one settles in daily routines.

I have discovered throughout my career that unexpected activities I volunteered for enabled me to develop skills and experience which put me in a better place when time came to move on to the next job. I am lucky because I am a naturally inquisitive person, so I tend to look for new adventures all the time, having even been described as a “compulsive volunteer”! Whilst some might readily argue that an unusual activity is “outside the scope of their role,” and turn it down, I tend to accept if I think I can contribute valuably, and also get something out of it which I would find enjoyable (such as acquiring new skills).

My willingness to invest my time and skills in projects outside of my comfort zone has not only given me the opportunity to work alongside great people who shared their expertise, but also enabled me to influence outcomes and demonstrate the value of my professional knowledge. When I didn’t get the opportunity to grow my skills in my work place, I volunteered in my local SLA chapter. There I have been fortunate to work alongside people willing to share their experience and trust me to take initiatives forward. Today I know that I often rely on knowledge and skills that I have developed working on projects not mentioned in my job description. Many have demonstrated that to be “future ready” one must be flexible, and I would encourage everyone to seize new opportunities and develop new responses to a world that is constantly changing.

Geraldine Clement-Stoneham is an Information and Knowledge Manager at the Medical Research Council UK, where is she is responsible for knowledge and information management policies and systems, including records management, as well as the day to day management of a team of six. Her previous experience includes working as a researcher in a investment bank and managing an information unit for a large international law firm, providing support to lawyers and business development teams. She obtained an MA in Musicology and English from the University of Geneva in Switzerland, and an MA in Library and Information Management from University College London. She was the SLA Europe Chapter President in 2009 and currently serve as as the Membership Chair and an Alignment Ambassador. She is a member of the SLA Information Ethics Advisory Council.

Summer lethargy

Quiets blog traffic greatly

Be future ready

In the summer noise

Librarians search for truth

A blog grows silent

by David Stern, Rhode Island Chapter, Knowledge Management, Physics-Astronomy-Mathematics, and Science-Technology Divisions

SLA is a great place to become future ready … because it is THE place where all the tools, knowledge, and opportunities exist to make you a more complete professional.

Where else will you find such a broad group of experts with comprehensive knowledge of the tools, the trends, and the bleeding-edge developments in the industry? Where else will you find a sandbox of the latest tools, with a cadre of colleagues ready to assist you and play in hopes of finding new applications? Where else will you find a risk-free environment in which to develop speaking, writing, management, and leadership skills? Where else will you find a ready-made network of librarians and industry colleagues interested in exploring new solutions to age-old or brand-new issues? Where else will you so easily find such a group of like-minded people, and develop life-long friendships?

And SLA does not just make you future ready by preparing you to face the rapidly changing information and knowledge world –  it also allows you to impact this future. In SLA you will be collaborating with vendors and publishing partners in order to influence the future. Be future ready and futuristic!

David Stern is Associate Dean for Public Services at Illinois State University. He is an SLA Fellow with prior service on the SLA Board of Directors, and as Chair of two Divisions and has spent numerous after-conference hours on the dance floors and at baseball games.