I guess I owe some folks an explaination for my earlier post regarding Playaway audio books…
Lately the biblioblogosphere has been awash in post regarding “movers & shakers”, “shameless self promotion” and “drudges”. Much of this has hit several nerves with me but I’ve been loathe to participate for fear of sounding like a whiner. The earlier post was an admitedly passive-agressive way of getting involved. A particularly sad attempt at best. First, some background:
I’ve been @ MPOW for almost nine years now. In the time I’ve published eight books and dozens are articles. (Maybe closer to 200 if you count all the articles I’ve written for MPOW’s newsletter.) I tought more than 1000 workshops to literally thousands of individuals ranging from librarians, library staff, and members of the general public. I also blog (obviously) and I know I have a dedicated core readership along with others who at least glance at what I post.
In the past two years of my blogging life I’ve blogged about many varried topics. Not all of them have been LIS related and I’m o.k. with that as I have many interests and not all of my readers are interested in library technology. However, several times I’ve posted about a topic and the response was nonexistant. Then someone else blogs about it a few weeks or months later and it become “big news” or a “sh*t storm of controversey”. (No, I’m not going to be specific but the Playaway devices was the latest.)
So, what exactly is my problem? Trouble is, I’m not sure. Do I want credit? Not necessarily. It would be nice, but I’ve learned to accept not getting much of that. I put the information out there and you’ll do with it what you will. I guess what I would like is for either more people to care and to say so, or to have the “right” people care. This leads into the whole issue of self-promotion and movers & shakers…
I’m not an “A lister” (sometimes I make it onto the “B list”) but then again, I’m by no means a drudge. I sit somewhere in the middle, (maybe the upper-middle,) constantly wondering when am I either going to get my big break or have it all disappear without warning.
It’s my job to travel and to train. I love doing it despite all of the hassle that the travel causes in my life. My name is out there. I am more well known than most librarians ever will be. I self promote through my blogging, speaking and publishing. I currently have one state that wants me to come out to speak to their librarians so much that I’ve had to start turning them away. (If you want me, the earliest I can get there right now is September.) So, why am I complaining that I don’t get enough attention? (See, this is why I’ve been avoiding blogging about this whole issue.)
Maybe it all boils down to the fact that I’m doing all of the same things that the “movers & shakers” are doing but I’m still not at their level. Sometimes it makes me feel like I’m doing something wrong but I just can’t figure out what. It’s one thing to want me to come to your organization, library, or conference and speak. Heck, it’s my job to do that and I’ll be more than happy to do whatever I can for you. I guess what I’d like to know, in some way, is that what I’m doing is actually having an impact. I can’t tell you exactly what someone should do to get that point across to me. To do that would make it virtually meaningless.
There. I’ve gone and done it. I have no idea what sort of response, if any, I’ll get but I needed to do it. For those of you who think I’m just whining let me make it clear that I am not the only person who feels this way. I’ve talked to others. We’re stuck in the middle and don’t know what to do or how to put it into words that make it clear to others who aren’t in our position. I hope that I’ve be able to explain it just a little.
