by Doug Newcomb, SLA

The late U.S. Sen. Everett Dirksen once famously said, “A billion here, a billion there, and pretty soon you’re talking about real money.” That statement says a lot about how public policy is made, but it’s also an appropriate metaphor for the way our profession (indeed, nearly every profession) responds to changes in the environment.

Big changes make headlines, but small ones are mostly overlooked—until they result in a big change. For example, many economists were warning in the late 1990s and early 2000s that prolonged low interest rates would create a “bubble” in the real estate market. The decisions to keep interest rates low were small, but their long-term impact can hardly be overstated.

Small changes may seem to have minimal impact when viewed as discrete actions, but when combined, they can lead to a new dynamic in our environment. This dynamic can be positive or harmful—cutting spending on information resources can force information professionals to be more creative about finding new resources and help them develop valuable skills in this area, whereas reducing spending on staff training and development can prevent info pros from acquiring new competencies and reduce their value to their organizations.

Being future ready means anticipating, responding to, and making small changes. We need to be aware of small changes in our environment so we can respond before they become big changes. Likewise, we need to take the initiative to make small changes on our own, recognizing that the real-time impact may be minimal but the aggregate effect will be both noticeable and worthwhile. The future comes one day at a time; use each day to prepare for it.

Douglas Newcomb is the Chief Operating Officer of SLA.

The Division of Government Information is delighted to be posting on the Future Ready 365 blog this week. DGI is a diverse community of knowledgeable information professionals who share an interest in government information and government librarianship. Our posts this week come from librarians in a variety of government library environments including federal, military, and academic. These DGI blog contributors share their insights on navigating the complicated landscape that today’s information professional must travel — from getting that library job to staying on top in a rapidly changing field once you’re there. Maybe you’d like to join us on the journey! Come check out the Division of Government Information at:  http://govinfo.sla.org/.

It doesn‘t exactly take a rocket scientist to notice that libraries have changed more in the last couple of decades than they did in the century before that. When I started in this business, I learned how to order LC cards using paper forms. Last week I used the web-based administrative module of a vendor to link our ILS with the vendor‘s database of periodical articles. This represents a sea change in our profession. Again, not rocket science, but of more than passing interest to practitioners.

I‘m privileged to work in a medium-sized library that supports a small school providing mid-career graduate education to military officers. The service we give them was unimaginable two decades ago. We have people in our organization who seriously propose getting rid of a library that has been in place for a century because everything you need to know is on the web. Technological change has weaseled its way into our hearts.

This isn’t a paean to the forgotten days of yore. Libraries are better, and a hell of a lot better, than they were when I started. In 1972, when I slithered into my first professional job, no one seriously considered that it could ever be possible to hand a college student everything he needed to complete a term paper in five minutes. No one had even heard of unmediated database searching. Of course, that was the year before we got electricity and sold the mule.

Change is good. Change is life. Our business is different now, and will be ridiculously, revoltingly different in another decade. Yeah, yeah, grandpa, so what?

Well, the So What is that managers have to deal with the change. I have multicultural employees, patrons from eighty-seven countries (this year), and people whose business, maybe their physical survival, is dependent on the newest news, the latest research, the best understanding of something they never heard of before last week. Right now, the way to do that is a mix of mediated and unmediated searching, wide-ranging database access, good connectivity, careful attention to collection development, and comprehensive personal service. My building is going to be renovated starting this fall and I have to figure out how to keep services going. High excitement!

Well, never mind. We‘ll work it out. Libraries can do this stuff. Librarians can do this stuff. And we will.

Ed Burgess is the director of the Combined Arms Research Library in Fort Leavenworth, Kansas. He is practicing to become a windy curmudgeon in his old age.

by Cynthia Berglez, San Francisco Bay Region Chapter, Legal Division

From California’s earliest days of physical and economic upheaval, we Californians have tended to be a little more comfortable with change than citizens of less volatile states. And there is no word that better describes the world today than change.

When I began thinking about this post the economy seemed to be improving, but today the Dow is down again, and who knows what it will be when this is published. How can we be ready for the next curve? Look forward, far forward, where the path is clearer. The terrain seems flatter when seen from a distance. See where you’d like to be in ten years, then pull back to where you are now and plan for it.

Business schools used to teach business planning for 5, 10 or 15 years. But for the past 10 years or so, organizations have been saying, “we can’t plan, it’s hard enough to just hang on for the ride.” Maybe they have forgotten the value of planning. A good plan will help a business change with the times, and it will work just as well for an individual, even a librarian. If you plan what you can but don’t carve it in stone, you can be ready for change. But try to keep that distant focus.

Why make a plan?

• It forces you to take a hard look at your current skills. This is good news. You can always add new skills, which helps your brain to stay active too.
• A plan will show you how much money and time you will need to get where you want to go.
• A plan gives focus and direction, relieving stress, streamlining your actions and eliminating distractions.
• Planning compels you to do your homework on market forces and the business environment. This will keep your skills current, and make you aware of changes as soon as possible.

Now, take the first step. You’re a librarian, which means that while you might not know everything, you know how to find it. Find a plan to take you into the next 10 years. There are loads of business and marketing plans on the Internet. We have relevant books in the libraries to which we belong. I just now looked for business plans and our friend Google said “about 88,500,000 results.” I’m sure there must be one you can use.

Think of your career as a business–YOUR business. Network and build your professional support group, among and beyond your librarian colleagues, and develop best practices for your future. I know you’re busy; you have important things to do. Who is going to invest in your career? You are!

References

Debaise, Colleen. “Why you need a business plan,” Wall Street Journal, Sept. 28, 2009. http://online.wsj.com/article/SB125391138155241963.html

Wikipedia “Business Plan” http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Business_Plan

Cynthia received her MSLIS fairly recently from San Jose State University, after spending the previous 12 years using her MBA in International Transportation. She was looking for something more stable. Flexibility and marketing her skills is something that she has learned by necessity. She enjoys helping others to find a comfortable path in the changing world.  She is currently the President of the San Francisco Bay Region Chapter of SLA, and the West Coast Research Librarian for the law firm Ropes & Gray.

by Gwen Alexander

As the dean of the School of Library and Information Management at Emporia State University, I spend a great deal of time thinking about how we should be offering learning experiences that will support 21^st century librarians. The two most important skills that come to mind immediately are both related to “change”:  1) leading/planning for change and 2) recognizing change as opportunity. New technologies and global developments have accelerated the pace of change recently, which engenders related questions:  How shall librarians learn the skills of adapting to change, recognizing opportunities, and planning and implementing changes for the future? Are these skills that can be taught in a master’s level course? How do people learn to discern change that adds value from change that harms? What about unintended consequences that result from change and its inherent opportunities? How can leaders of change overcome competing commitments to traditional librarianship?

In That Used to Be Us, written by Thomas Friedman and Michael Mandelbaum, the authors discuss the unique role America plays in providing important public services across the globe and the consequences of failing to renew domestic sources of American prosperity and strength. They argue that a strong, pro-market federal government is necessary to create favorable conditions that promote private enterprise. I would add that one of these domestic sources has been, and continues to be, our libraries and the ethic of freedom of access to information for everyone. If this is true, librarians and supporters of libraries are tasked with the responsibility of updating libraries and library services to keep them relevant to 21^st century information needs. To accomplish this task, we need to know what is relevant to meeting 21^st century information needs.

I think our libraries need to focus on being community information/learning centers that support education and information literacy from birth through old age. Providing access to the world of knowledge (far more than the basic subjects in formal education) in a variety of formats is still what libraries and librarians do best. Libraries are not repositories for books, computer labs, or quiet places—they are educational institutions that are vital to all age groups. We need to make sure that the general public and individuals who are part of the funding process understand that libraries are necessary to the initial and continuing education of all age groups, from birth to old age.

I began with the idea that librarians need the skills to plan and lead change and recognize change that brings additional opportunities. I am ending with the thought that all change is not necessarily for the good and we need to be able to recognize the difference so we can know which path to choose. The “good” changes are those that support libraries as community information/learning centers. SLIM has initiated a concentration in Leadership and Administration that includes courses in management, leadership and leading change, marketing and public relations, and a choice of courses focused on public libraries, academic libraries, and special libraries. Recognizing the need for change, planning change, and implementing change are taught across the curriculum. This is the change we have made as our response to the need to educate students in how to move forward in our changing profession and environment and contribute to the library and information management field as professionals in the future.

Gwen Alexander is the Dean of Emporia State University’s School of Library and Information Management.

Hello from the nation’s capital!  DC/SLA is excited to be contributing all of this week’s FutureReady365 posts (thanks to our future-thinking Communications Secretary, Chris Vestal).  We are a diverse community of 800+ information professionals, with members from D.C., Maryland, Virginia, as well as 30 other U.S. states and 12 countries.  You’ll see this diversity reflected in the range of future ready ideas presented in posts throughout the week.  We hope our posts will spark some thought and conversation and, of course, your comments. Most of all, we want to help keep the spark of the FutureReady blog alive  – a spark that’s become a fire, gathering us around it to brainstorm our way into the future. — Mary Talley, DC/SLA President (2011)

by Mary Talley, Washington, DC and Maryland Chapters, Business & Finance, Information Technology, Knowledge Management, Legal, and Leadership & Management Divisions

It was a wonderful life. When I started out, libraries and librarians were the only information game in town. Books held the answers and we held the books. There was no question that our work supported our organizations in crucial and irreplaceable (if not always measurable) ways. We were sure of our value: they (formerly known as “patrons”) needed us to identify, organize and maintain the sources and get at the data. These were powerful, valuable positions. It was a wonderful life.

Then… Well, you know the rest. The competition arrived and with it the temptation of the low-hanging fruit of good-enough information that forced us to rethink our place and value in this ever-evolving, 2.0 information world. To complicate life further, technological change and the competition it brings with it isn’t coming in fits and spurts – it’s rapid and continuous.

But wait a minute – was our old place in the information world really all that wonderful? Did we drive our organizations back then, tending the gates of knowledge; or, were we really in adjunct, transactional roles? If our positions did not allow us to be active participants in driving our organizations’ goals and objectives, we were – and are – adjuncts in our organizations. In a self-serve, peer-to-peer, 2.0 information world, as long as we hold adjunct roles, we will remain at the periphery of the organization and continually challenged to prove our value.

What can we do to be truly future ready? Move the conversation away from “proving value” to being valuable and trade in our transactional roles for those that are directly involved in the high-value work of our organizations. Moving information professionals out of libraries and embedding them in user communities provides a path to that direct involvement. Embedding trades in the service-provider role for one as a team member accountable for the outcomes.

The rise of a highly-interactive, information environment is opening the way for embedded information professionals, as much as it is making these new roles imperative. Collaboration, immediacy, accessibility, the disintegration of boundaries, and a new emphasis on relationships – this is the 2.0 information world our user communities inhabit. This is what they expect when they seek information from technology or us. Luckily, these are also qualities associated with the provision of embedded information services.

Mary Talley heads TalleyPartners, an information management consulting firm specializing in strategic planning, repositioning and embedded information structures for information centers.  She currently serves as President of DC/SLA.

by Jan Sykes, President, Information Management Services (Illinois Chapter, Knowledge Management and Leadership & Management Divisions)

We’ve seen earlier Future Ready posts recommending that information and knowledge professionals apply principles of design to our work. This idea was reinforced this week in a keynote presentation at the ILA (Illinois Library Association) conference by Duane Bray of the design firm IDEO. He noted that they often found that people in the trenches have some of the best insights into user behaviors, emerging trends and new ways of working. Are we, as information professionals, actively observing and engaging our colleagues in conversations that help us identify emerging practices and opportunities? Or, do we use our extremely busy schedules and full work load as justification to continue our “business as usual” mode? In order to develop new and creative, user-centered ways of making business information readily available to our clients, our antennae must be sensitive to changing signals in our environment.

Mr. Bray described several emerging behaviors they have identified in recent work in the education and healthcare sectors including: human multitasking, mediated conversations (engagement and reliance on input from our social network), melding of online and offline worlds, and leveraging of collective intelligence (ratings and commentary offered by others across a range of products and services, e.g., YELP reviews). Most of us would probably acknowledge seeing these same behaviors. The challenge is to transition our mindset and our service models to incorporate this reality. It is critical for us to do so to remain relevant and competitive. While we may feel we are caught up in whirlwinds of change, I like the concept of small-scale, rapid prototyping to test new services or products within our control and within our respective communities. In collaboration with diverse small groups of clients and colleagues, new tools, technologies, and resources can be quickly tested. Failure on a small scale is an inexpensive learning experience and helps us refocus our planning and energy in a direction that is likely to have a more positive outcome. Successful prototyping lays the groundwork (and business case) for an expanded implementation. More importantly, such work helps us move with added confidence into the future.

Jan Sykes has over 20 years experience in the information industry. Currently, she leads Information Management Services, Inc., an independent consultancy.  Her work is focused on information and knowledge management projects, including needs assessments, content portfolio reviews, contract negotiations and strategic planning activities. Prior to beginning her own consulting firm, Jan was Senior Director of Client Services Consulting for Knight-Ridder Information, Inc.

Jan is active in SLA: she was president of the IL chapter in 2002 and chaired the Association Nominating Committee in 2005. She served on the Board of KM-Chicago and also on the Board of Trustees for the public library in her community.

By John J. DiGilio, National Manager of Research Services, Reed Smith LLP

Back when the internet was still young, so was I . . . well somewhat. I was fresh out of law school and fresh out of work. Two things were certain to me back then: I had no desire to practice law and I was happiest when I was researching in the library. When I made up my mind to pursue a degree in information science, one of my closest friends and an early tech guru, asked me if I was crazy. According to his digital crystal ball, once this “internet thing” took off, libraries and librarians would surely go the way of the dinosaur. All of these years later, I am pleased to say that not only have I failed to fossilize, but that I am happier than ever to call myself a librarian. Librarians are survivors!

It’s a new millennium. Yes, the internet is bigger than anyone imagined. Yes, libraries have gotten smaller in many respects. Maybe we saw that coming. But in a stroke of tenacity and adaptability, librarians have become, in my opinion, more integral than ever. In this age of easy access and information on demand, we are more than the gatekeepers. We are the curators of relevance. We are information quality control at its finest! Staying relevant has not been an easy road and many of my colleagues in the industry are struggling with changing technology and tightening fiscal belts. Yet, I have just to look around to see many others adapting to new roles and processes that few of us might have expected even just a few years ago. Call it a “can do attitude” or even career Darwinism. I think of it as the very nature of librarianship. It is quality, innovation, and service despite and in response to changing circumstances. It’s what we do!

Being future ready means being adaptable and responsive. It requires keeping your finger on the pulse of change and meeting it head on with new methods, fresh ideas, and unwavering enthusiasm. It is also embracing the fact that as times change, so too will the definition and domain of the librarian. It is only natural. Librarians can and do adapt. We do survive. Above all, we can thrive in the face of change. Here are just a few of the skills I believe that can keep us from getting voted off the island (OK, bad “Survivor” reference!):

• Anticipate change.  Change is a given, whether we like it or not. Yet it seldom blindsides us. Librarians are imminently positioned to see what is coming our way. We are out there interacting with the resources, vendors, and information – the very agents of change – on a daily basis. If you are not already leveraging your contacts, networks, and conferences to help you prepare for tomorrow, you really need to start doing so. Change cannot sneak up on you if you have eyes in the back of your head. Old librarian stereotypes aside, you do have eyes in the back of your head right?
• After you ask WHY, ask HOW!  Like I said above, change is a given. So is the fact that we are not always going to like the changes that occur. It is only natural to lament when the rug is pulled from beneath you. But once you get done sweating over why something has changed (an important question in and of itself), it is time to start thinking about how you are going to adapt. As librarians, our goal is to continue to deliver quality service and work regardless. Shrinking budgets and spaces be damned, our goals do not change. Regardless of the size of the institutions we serve, we are each part of a team that keeps that place running. Want to show them how integral you are to the team and your workplace? Show them just how much you really can do with the resources you are given. As Tim Gunn would say, “Make it work!”
• Don’t just shift . . . SHINE! Finally, it is not enough to just make the most of change. Shifting approaches and expectations may be the bulk of the battle, but they are not enough to win the war for survival. What good is besting change if no one knows what you are doing? You have got to be able to talk up what you and your department are doing in ways that are meaningful to your institution. From raising the bar on the quality of information and results to saving money, the powers that be need to know the impact of your work and changes. Don’t be shy about tooting your own horn. Just toot it strategically.  No one wants a cacophony of self-congratulations. A sweet tune of success is enough to tempt the ears of those at the top.

I could go on and on about the ways in which librarians can thrive in changing and even uncertain times. I have at times even been accused of being too optimistic about the changes that are shaping our industry and its future. You can call me a Pollyanna. I really do not mind. If I did not believe it and practice it, I would not preach it. Librarianship, in all of its evolving names and forms, is every bit as exciting to me as it was when I was starting info school. I still love what I do and, most importantly, I am still doing it. That friend, the tech guru with the gloomy prognostications? He is not in tech anymore. In fact, I am trying to get him to try librarianship too. I am certain there is a future in it!

John DiGilio is the National Manager of Research Services for Reed Smith, LLP. He has over 20 years experience in libraries and has written for numerous publications and taught college and graduate courses for attorneys and librarians. He has twice been awarded SLA’s Dana Award. John blogs at iBraryGuy, and follow him via Twitter (@iBraryGuy).

Info-entrepreneurs, represented by the Association of Independent Information Professionals, stand out as innovative, forward thinking, and client focused information professionals.  This series of posts delivers future ready solutions and strategies from current and past presidents of AIIP.  As industry thought leaders they have much to share about staying ahead of the curve and delivering cost effective solutions to clients worldwide.  In this insightful series of postings readers will learn how to create a job for life by listening for opportunity, watching for changes, stretching to acquire new skills, finding a balance, planning for the long term, and drawing on your strengths. — C.S.

by Crystal Sharp

In the usual course of play, study, or work, individuals — consciously or not — take steps to exert some control over their immediate short-term or long-term future. What is unsettling about this age of Twitter and YouTube is the rapid pace at which our world is being stretched, flattened and flexed, and as the familiar and predictable structures of social, professional and personal relationships are shifted, we are left less in control.  

Sometimes it is hard not to feel left behind as others implement new solutions, devices, and paradigms, and seemingly march confidently into the future. There seems no time to stop, reflect and take stock as the information world keeps up its rapid shifting. However, it seems more important than ever to cut through the many competing claims on our attention and to stop and think about what we are doing, and why we are doing it, so we can meet the future with some confidence, even in this environment. 

Each of us should start by identifying our own core competencies and then aligning them with goals. This sets some boundaries and enables focus and prioritization of what to spend precious energy on. We don’t need to be part of everything that is happening around us. 

By core competencies, I refer not just to one’s collection of skills, knowledge and experience – but to the unique combination (or portfolio) of skills, services and intangible assets an individual possesses or has access to, that can be used strategically to develop products and services of economic and/or social value.  My core competency portfolio, for example, includes not only the education, experience and knowledge I possess, but that of my knowledge network as well as access to knowledge and special services and programs available to me by associations like AIIP and SLA. I bring all these to bear on the products and services I offer my clients. 

As information professionals we collectively have the core competencies to understand, harness creativity, and guide developments in information and communication technologies; to preserve knowledge, making it findable, usable and useful; and to educate and empower others in ways we have traditionally done. Now we need to be strategic about doing what we do. The concept of being “future ready” has different implications depending on the time horizon. Near-term future-readiness requires that we come to terms with change, enhance professional qualifications, understand how new technologies empower, enhance and endanger; and critically assess our core competencies and goals.  Longer-term future-readiness, however, demands thinking beyond our individual contexts, to shaping new environments; to providing insight and innovation that influences and guides wider operational, intelligence and social environments; and enhancing sustainability of the profession. We are part of this change and it is up to us to guide that change, to pave the way, to shape the future. 

Theodore Roosevelt in his Labor Day address in 1903 was reported to have said “Far and away the best prize that life offers is the chance to work hard at work worth doing.”  The democratization of knowledge we are experiencing today offers us this possibility. We need to seize the opportunity, but maintain perspective and understand that though tools will change and how we work and what we do will change, we cannot lose sight of who we are, what our mission is, and what matters in the long run.  We have to find a balance that works.

Crystal Sharp, MA, MLIS, is a Grant Consultant, Researcher and Writer at CD Sharp Information Systems, Ltd (www.cdsharp.com), an independent information business in London, Ontario, Canada. She has been a member of AIIP and SLA since 1998 and was President of AIIP in 2006.

Info-entrepreneurs, represented by the Association of Independent Information Professionals, stand out as innovative, forward thinking, and client focused information professionals.  This series of posts delivers future ready solutions and strategies from current and past presidents of AIIP.  As industry thought leaders they have much to share about staying ahead of the curve and delivering cost effective solutions to clients worldwide.  In this insightful series of postings readers will learn how to create a job for life by listening for opportunity, watching for changes, stretching to acquire new skills, finding a balance, planning for the long term, and drawing on your strengths. — Cindy Shamel

by Susanne Bjorner

 “Once you have been an independent information professional,” I like to tell those new to information entrepreneurship, “you will have a job for life.”

But only if you accept the fact that the job will change a thousand times, and that you must create and re-create the job yourself.

Since the Association of Independent Information Professionals (AIIP) was formed over a quarter century ago, I have seen many of its members establish businesses, market their services, achieve their professional and financial goals, and then revise and reinvent their businesses as change rolled in to hit society at large, the information industry, their market niche, or them personally.

I have also seen several smart, capable business owners make the decision to move on from their successful business and take higher-level jobs in corporations, academic institutions, and prestigious non-profits. Often these were institutions that were former clients or partners. The new employee had seen an opportunity and created their next job, this time choosing to be on the inside.

Eyes wide open

Independent information professionals learn to look at the open market around them and see what needs to be done. What encourages independents to keep their eyes wide open while facing the future? We have to. There is no paycheck coming in automatically next week or next month. We are constantly on the lookout for the next job, whether it is a new client or a new service to sell to an existing client. Success demands constant watchfulness.

AIIP members have a unique forum that keeps them continually aware that change is coming. In order to maximize profits by targeting their resources, most small information business owners work within just one or two industries or market sectors. As a group, however, AIIP members cover the gamut of industries and business sectors. All members have access to a lively private electronic discussion list that has been running since the second year of the association’s existence (way back in 1988). In this active members-only forum, AIIPers share their experiences, questions, and reflections as they discuss–while observing client confidentiality–projects, resources, tactics, strategies, technology, and possible trends.

Active reflection

I say “possible” trends because the word “trend” rarely comes up in the discussion. Discerning potential trends that may affect the information industry–and our businesses–is an individual responsibility and largely an individual activity. The beauty of the AIIP discussion group is that there are readers and contributors from multiple industries and geographic areas who provide very different services and perspectives. Discussion is not targeted toward specific disciplines, specialties, or market sectors as it is with many e-discussion lists. Often, a key insight comes when observing an activity, industry, or practice far removed from the area we are working in, carried out by someone we might never know if we did not share association in this very diverse forum. Not everyone figures out future trends from the wealth of data points that are offered in this global exchange, but the opportunity is there.

Look outside

Even if you are not a member of AIIP (though you are welcome and do not have to own an information business to become an associate member) you can take a step toward being future-ready by participating in forums (electronic and otherwise) outside your area of immediate interest and practice. Yes, it requires a time commitment that may be hard to manage in the short term. But this is an easy way to look into the long term, and we need to do that frequently and reflectively. Because by definition, the future is outside of where we are today.

When Susanne Bjorner attended the organizational meeting of AIIP in 1987, she had no idea that today her business would be providing editorial services from a home in Spain. Along the way she has had hundreds of jobs, belonged to six SLA chapters, and observed countless information professionals move successfully into the future.  Susanne served as AIIP president in 1989-1990.

By Bruce Rosenstein, Author, Living in More Than One World: How Peter Drucker‘s Wisdom Can Inspire and Transform Your Life (Washington, DC Chapter, News Division)

Best Practices for Government Libraries is a collaborative document that is put out annually on a specific topic of interest to government libraries and includes content submitted by government librarians and community leaders with an interest in government libraries. The 2011 edition includes over 70 articles and other submissions provided by more than 60 contributors including librarians in government agencies, courts, and the military, as well as from professional association leaders, and more. Best Practices is edited by Marie Kaddell, Senior Information Professional Consultant; SLA DGI Chair.  If you did not write for this year’s Best Practices, Marie invites you to submit a guest post for the Government Info Pro marie.kaddell@lexisnexis.com.

Wherever you work, information professionals are under unprecedented pressure. Very few people are exempt from the need to perform faster and better, and to constantly prove their worth.

A great way to thrive in this brave new world is to accept the need for change and to create an inner, self-culture of belief that embraces new ways of being and doing. A helpful framework can be applied from the teachings, work and life example of Peter Drucker, the father of modern management, who died at age 95 in 2005. Drucker was the keynote speaker for the SLA Annual Conference in Los Angeles in 2002, and his ideas continue to resonate within the world of libraries and information.

Here are some suggestions for embracing and expanding, based on the research — including several in-person interviews with Drucker — for my book Living in More Than One World: How Peter Drucker‘s Wisdom Can Inspire and Transform Your Life (Berrett-Koehler, 2009).

Get Organized for Change: The only constant is change. It‘s better to be organized about how you adapt to the changes in your life inside and outside of the workplace. Try not to think in terms of preserving the status quo. Instead, how can you look for and take advantage of changes in the workplace and society that may have an effect on you?

Pilot Testing: Drucker believed that anything that involved changes, or creation of new products, services or activities, could be pilot tested. Companies do this with proposed new products and services. This can be applied to new services you‘d like to offer within your library, and to new activities to add to your non-work life.

Think of Yourself as a CEO: No matter your job title, even if you have no managerial or supervisory responsibilities, think of yourself as not only CEO of your own life, but making your decisions as if you were the CEO of your organization. This affects how you think and makes you aware that decisions are made not just for your benefit, but also for colleagues and others in your organization, additional stakeholders, plus your family and friends.

Systematic Abandonment: In order to embrace the new, organize for change and expand your horizons, you‘ll need to find time. Most people are so busy that they can‘t add many new activities without dropping current ones, even those that they find satisfying and worthwhile. Regularly take a look at all your activities (inside and outside of work) and determine what can be dropped or scaled back to make way for something new, and potentially even more valuable. This could be the perfect opportunity to create more time for leisure activities such as playing in an amateur sports league; taking music, art or acting lessons; or doing more traveling.

The Power of Self-Reflection/Retreats: Take time, at regular intervals, to assess the direction of your life. Does your current job reflect the kind of person you are now, or is it more reflective of who you were when you were hired? Are you sure you will be working for the same organization in five years, and doing the same kind of work? It‘s difficult for most of us to do this thinking in the midst of a busy daily schedule. Try to carve out some time, even a short period, for sitting or walking alone, without distractions. Many people find value in short retreats, even silent ones.

Networking for the New: Information professionals are world-class networkers, in person and online. This is an efficient and powerful way to learn about activities to add to your life. Studying the profiles of your friends in Facebook and LinkedIn can give you an idea of how people spend their time, and can be a great source of ideas. Talk to people to find out how they find time to engage in these activities, and to learn more about what they do. It could lead to a new outside interest, a volunteering opportunity, a new learning initiative, or even a new job.

Wide-Ranging Reading: Many of us are voracious readers, a description that applied to Drucker, who regularly read great literature (in various languages) and a variety of magazines and newspapers. He stressed in his insightful 2002 interview in Information Outlook to read beyond your discipline. It‘s important to keep up with reading that directly affects your work, but in order to truly broaden your horizons, you should read about a wider set of topics.

Get and Stay Involved: How can you deepen your involvement in SLA, ALA or related organizations? Helping to organize conferences, meetings and events, writing articles, and mentoring are all perfect opportunities for learning more, meeting new people and developing new capabilities. This can also lead to job opportunities.

Learning by Teaching: Drucker believed that no one learns as much as the person who must teach his or her subject. But that is only one reason to get involved in teaching. It may turn into a parallel career that you can do on a part-time basis while you work at your main job. It can provide volunteering opportunities, if you teach, for instance, at a religious institution. There may also be teaching opportunities within your workplace or within library-related organizations. Try to find people who are already teaching in some capacity, and find out how they got started.

Finally, the challenge of organizing your life around change rather than preserving the status quo takes dedication, resilience and creativity. Welcoming new activities and new people into your life means that other areas of your life and work may have to be de-emphasized. People from various aspects of your life will be competing for your time and attention. If you are pondering career changes, or adding a parallel career such as teaching or writing, you must determine if it makes financial sense. But if you give the proper thought and effort, and maintain perseverance, you may find that your broadened horizons fit the new you perfectly.

Bruce Rosenstein is currently Managing Editor for the journal Leader to Leader. He serves as an adjunct faculty member for The Catholic University of America School of Library and Information Science, teaching The Special Library/Information Center. His book Living in More Than One World: How Peter Drucker’s Wisdom Can Inspire and Transform Your Life was published by Berrett-Koehler in 2009. It has since been published in Brazil, China and Japan. For 21 years, Bruce was a librarian for USA TODAY, where he also wrote about business and management books for the Money section of the newspaper.