This thing centers on talking about your roots but gives those of us that have discussed this topic before and out or two. One of those outs is to talk about advice we might give to those new to the profession. So here’s my advice.
Don’t keep quiet. Whether it’s via presentations at conference or just talking to someone at a bar, talk about libraries and your experiences in and with them. - Start the conversation. I suppose this is similar to my first piece of advice but just talking isn’t enough. It needs to be a conversation and if you won’t start one, why should you expect others to do so?
- Always strive to improve yourself. The learning opportunities today are almost limitless. Read blogs. Read books. Watch videos. Then, do all that outside of your skill level and community. You never know what you might learn from someone that isn’t in libraries.
- Take the long view. Things you do now may not pay off immediately, but they might just help you later on in your career.
- Develop your network. Those of us in the library world are genetically predisposed to helping others. The more people you know, the more people you can call on when you need some help.
