metablogging!

I must confess, prior to this introductory LIS course I have been something of a skeptic, when it comes to blogging.  I mean, anyone can blog – and that means that there’s a lot of stuff out there on the “dot com” that, well, is potentially just a lot of… stuff.  People really like to put the contents of their heads out there, and why would we want to read most of those contents?  (says my old, skeptical self).  I also confess that I have attempted a blog or two myself over the years, to no avail (which I’ve tried to delete, but some skeleton of at least one of those blogs is still out there, clogging up the intertubes); so, perhaps my own lack of blogging prowess has also contributed to my cynicism?

But now, as I enter into the information profession, I have come to appreciate the blogosphere in ways that I never have before.  For in a profession that is focused on freedom of information, democracy, and the public good, how important is it to have a venue in which any writer can be (virtually) published, and any voice can be heard?  And in which conversation is also possible?  Take that, information industry business interests, corporate media conglomerates, and all you other imperial forces!  The people are speaking!

And speaking, and speaking, and speaking… It’s true, within the essential, foundational framework of freedom of speech/information, there can be lots of words out there to trudge through, in order to find information that is worthy of one’s consideration (whatever it is that one may be considering, at any given time).  Thankfully, there are those that have taken up the mantle of blogging with a professional mindset – and the LIS profession is rich with practitioners who have chosen this medium, as a complement to the professional journals discussed earlier in this blog, as a place for professional considerations and conversations about what matters in the LIS field, for today and tomorrow.

Take, for instance, Lauren’s Library Blog.  Lauren Pressley is an academic librarian, at Virginia Tech.  She is the author of So You Want to Be a Librarian (which has been “unglued,” so anyone can freely access it without Digital Rights Management worries).  It was a classmate’s recommendation of her book that encouraged me to check out her online presence.  As she blogs, Pressley focuses on “reading, thinking and experimenting with the future of libraries, education and instruction.”

Much of her posting is about instruction, and the library’s role in the institution.  These topics represent Pressley’s own professional passions, but they are also clearly among the more central concerns of academic librarianship today, especially in an information environment that has seen rapid changes due to ever advancing technology.  Some of her recent posts have offered downloadable resources for help with assessment, resources for exploring teaching styles (the latter as part of a blog series on teaching strategies), and reflections on the possible future directions of academic libraries.

One post that I’ve found especially helpful was actually a very personal reflection, written in gratitude to the colleagues Pressley recently left, in anticipation of her current post at Virginia Tech.  In her reflections about her time at the Z. Smith Reynolds Library at Wake Forest University, Pressley – while of course speaking to her particular experience in a small university library – offers a glimpse into what I imagine may be the broad experience of today’s academic librarianship, in general.  In this post, she emphasizes the support, collaboration and interest in innovation she found at ZSR, towards serving the university community within the framework of the library’s mission; she also highlights the opportunities she was given, to step into and develop her interest and expertise in the areas of information literacy instruction, assessment, new technology for instruction, teaching teachers, and more (Pressley, 2013).

As someone who is more drawn to public librarianship, but with some lingering interest in academic librarianship – and most certainly an interest in how our different library settings connect with and inform each other – I am delighted to read about such broad experience, and the ways in which Pressley was nurtured as a library professional from the ground up, from her days as a para-professional, through her MLIS studies, and to her current work today. I am also inspired to consider the ways different libraries might further embrace the role of instruction as they step into the future.  For instance, how might public libraries deepen and broaden their service to their communities, by focusing on information literacy and instruction in new and innovative ways?

Another blog that I’ve enjoyed exploring is the creatively titled In the Library With the Lead Pipe (which I’ll henceforth refer to as Lead Pipe, just for ease of typing!)  Lead Pipe is equally concerned with the improvement of and innovation in libraries, communities and the library profession.  But Lead Pipe is a blog of a slightly different bent.  First off, it is a team effort.  There are currently seven main authors/editors, along with guest contributors and emeritus authors/editors.  The authors, who are public librarians and academic librarians across the country and even overseas, blog individually, in small groups, and occasionally offer editorials as a board of editors.  And contributions are more like scholarly articles – even peer-reviewed by at least two reviewers.

Lead Pipe offers a wider variety of thoughtful articles and reflections.  Some recent posts of interest include the potential in student advisory boards, for academic libraries; the possibility of future integrated ebook apps, that will make the library e-user experience much easier and more consistent, and will allow for social reading – connecting with fellow readers within the ebook itself; tips on networking, gaining relevant skills and expertise, and fostering professional development for LIS, while working in a non-LIS field; and do-it-yourself (DIY) library culture and the future of academic libraries.

One blog entry/article that especially caught my eye was a January post by Kim Leeder, Director of Library Services at the College of Western Idaho.  Leeder invites us to consider alternative understandings of leadership that do away with the traditional managerial hierarchy and instead foster a more “humanist” approach to work life.  She notes, for example, such alternatives as collective leadership, and a “flipped” model where administrators/executives understand their role as supporting and empowerin frontline staff (“staff having managers,” instead of “managers having staff”).  Leeder also stresses the importance of emotional intelligence (EI) – that is, our own self-awareness, a sensitivity to the emotions of our co-workers, and the ability to work with our emotional selves in constructive ways.  While EI is important in any work landscape, it is absolutely important in today’s libraries, as information technology and modes of communication are themselves changing rapidly, and changing the ways we interact with each other in the workplace (Leeder, 2013).

As someone who is interested in a “human-centered librarianship” (a term which I’ve referenced in earlier posts, coined by library blogger Andy Burkhardt), I am encouraged by such reflection on library leadership.  I would also encourage library leaders to gain competency in additional EI tools, such as family systems theory, which can help leaders navigate the emotional landscape of any work setting –perhaps especially including libraries, where “work families” serve not just individuals but sometimes actual families and other close communities.  For a crash course in systems theory for leaders, here’s a great introductory video, featuring Dr. Jonathan Camp:

Connecting to both of these blogs throughout the course of the semester has encouraged me to explore the LIS blogosphere on a regular basis.  A skeptic no more, I am excited that there are so many mentors out there for the “clicking,” helping me stay abreast of issues, trends, concerns, and creative innovations that are current within the LIS profession!

References

Leeder, K. (2013).  “Someday When I Am Incompetent…”: Reflections on the Peter Principle, Leadership and Emotional Intelligence.  Retrieved from:    http://www.inthelibrarywiththeleadpipe.org/2013/someday-when-i-am-incompetent/.

Pressley, L. (2013).  A Chapter Ends, A Chapter Begins.  Retrieved from: http://laurenpressley.com/library/2013/02/.