It’s been two weeks since #librarystress, and some of the comments are still weighing heavily on my mind. Two more thoughts on this, and I’m done.
1. Sometimes we need to acknowledge that while we are all librarians, not all libraries are the same. Geography matters. Librarians in the UK some very different concerns than those of us in the US. Library type matters. Sometimes, we’re not all in this together, and that’s OK.
2. It was a shame that some of the most serious comments were being labeled as “stress” when they were so much more. #librarystress revealed some AMAZING stories of librarians going above and beyond to serve their communities. These are the stories we need to share EVERY DAY. Proactively get excited about the value of what you do. Don’t wait until you have to be defensive. Get ahead of the game and in control of the message. (I’d like to revisit this point later, but I’ll do it #librarystress free. Promise!)
It’s been a while. Here are some of my favorite reads of the last few weeks:
How to Evolve Your Own Job and Stay Relevant: Evolving jobs? Yep, we’ve got those. Help yourself focus with the questions in this post, starting with “Who uses my work and what do they need most?”
The Key to a Winning Sales Message: Show, don’t tell. What’s in it for your customer?
Never Sit Still: The motivation to keep improving our services and what we do. Comfort is for cozy sweaters, not jobs.
Buy Versus Buy Into: Short and sweet. Having users in general isn’t enough — they have to believe in what we do.
Catherine Odson 