Filed under: CPD | Tags: conferences, leadership, meetings, networking, reflection, SLA
It’s not often I find myself struggling for words, but I’m really not sure what to write about this year’s SLA conference, which is odd because I had an excellent time. Baltimore was my fifth consecutive attendance, so I have a lot of friends to catch up with, I’ve learned to enjoy chatting with our exhibitors about their products, and being on SLA’s board of directors adds an extra dimension to it all. I’ve even got a bit better at self-care, at long last – I managed to eat a hot meal every day, and even took a little time out to get some much-needed sunshine and fresh air (you have no idea how much of an achievement this is for me…!).
Filed under: Events, Non-library stuff | Tags: ARLIS/NY, manuscript illumination, networking, paddleboarding, SLA NY
This week I’ve had two new experiences, all in the name of networking – never let anyone tell you librarians don’t like to try new things! I must admit that neither manuscript illumination nor stand-up-paddleboarding were activities I’d previously thought of as options for professional networking, but I had lots of fun trying them both in company with some great groups of people. Continue reading
Friday June 12th saw me heading up to Boston on a Greyhound bus for SLA’s 2015 conference. After the conference in Vancouver last year I had a much better idea of what to expect, and it being on my ‘home’ coast meant that I knew a lot more people who were going to be there, so it was much less of an intimidating prospect, although I was probably just as excited to be there. Before it all began I spent a very pleasant afternoon exploring central Boston (having visited there previously I didn’t give myself much time for sight-seeing), followed by a lovely dinner with friends, and then jumped into the action rather earlier than I usually prefer to be up and about on a Saturday morning. Continue reading
This was the first Quick Take session I attended, and I must say I thought it was a brilliant concept. A condensed bundle of top tips on a specific topic, with no time for waffle – perfect! This was day 2 of the conference so I had already been putting my best networking skills into practice, and I was pleased to note that I was doing many of the things which Tom Rink recommended, but of course there’s always room for improvement.
Aims of networking:
building and maintaining relationships
getting to know people
building strong foundation for your career
enhance your reputation & credibility
facilitating resource/knowledge sharing
NOT about selling yourself
I’ve been reading quite a few end-of-year-review kind of posts and articles recently, with “things I’ve learned/used in 2010” being a common theme. Maybe it’s because I’m nosey, but I always enjoy this sort of thing, and they often contain information which is either useful or reassuring. Continue reading
Libraries, the universe and everything 