Category Archives: Topical

Defining a New Information Professional

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LIANZA’s website states those that can use the New Information Professional Category as those that, “having started Library career within the last 24months, valid 3yrs”.

I’m intrigued by this, as I am with most definitions, as I like to deconstruct terms to help with my own understanding of it.

The point that I’m most intrigued by is the,

“having started Library career…”

When can you define when you start a library career?  Me, being the tenacious person I am (thank you Sally) always wants to get the best deal and I would’ve liked to have gotten in on this category if I hadn’t been a personal member for hmm 4 years, 5 years is it?  And if I hadn’t already written on the interwebs in numerous places that I started my Library career, well… more than 5 years ago, then I might’ve been able to get in on it.

How have you defined when you started your library career?

Or how will you define when you start your library career?

How do you know when you’re a librarian?

How do you know when you’re not new anymore?

I really feel like I’m in neverland sometimes. I’m not really a labels or tag person. I’m not one and and I’m not the other. I just am. If people want to say I’m a new professional then I’m fine with that. If people want to say I’m a youngun, that’s fine too. If people want to say I’m a techie, then sure, say that too (I’m not really – but wait, what’s a “techie” defined as??).

Maybe I should just put the dictionary down and think less…

Dictionary
Photo by Greeblie on Flickr

 

Thoughts on list-servs as professional discourse

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So I wrote this draft response to the “content restrictions, available to members only” thread on nz-libs at 11pm last night. As you do.  I often draft things now and sit on them for a while, sometimes quite a while in that they never get sent or published.  I’ve decided I won’t post this to nz-libs as you can’t delete things from there. You do own what you say though, and I will own what I say here too, however I will be able to delete it if I no longer want it’s memory around.  Somehow it probably still will be, however I just want this out.

This is what I drafted intended for the nz-libs audience:

I believe the LIANZA website is only ever going to be as good as its member participants make it.

There is a small number of dedicated members who are utilising its functions and doing so with persistence and determination because they believe in sharing information with their profession via their professional association.

The website and its participatory functions haven’t been around a while, just a couple of years. It takes time to grow a community. Nzlibs has been around a fair bit longer. Email is another communication mode that many have mastered as clearly shown by the number of people responding to this thread.

Everyone: Have you ever posted something yourself to a group forum? Have you ever commented on something on the website? If not, why not?

There is a different audience on nzlibs, likewise within LIANZA. Every avenue has a different audience and there was a good reason LIANZA communicated directly to its members using the medium they did. As a bonus, its a medium they are familiar with. However when an email is sent to you privately via a blind carbon copy from a member association, it is not expected you post it to a public forum – not its intended audience. Doing so, calls into question information ethics.

A great community is not made overnight, nor within 2 years. It is grown, developed, fed and nurtured with care.

If our professional association has one fault, it may be that it’s too careful or conservative. That’s not a bad thing.

I’m not wading into the content restrictions debate, nor our associations response.  However I would like to know what you think of list-servs. What is their purpose again?  Should people be unhinged on there or collegial, professional and polite? (manager or future employer may be watching)  Perhaps unhinged is the wrong word to compare with the others. Should people be themselves on there?

Would be interesting to know what you think about list-servs as I have my opinions, but in a hypocritical way, I think I’m going to keep them hinged.

Your thoughts?

Facebook and privacy

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Facebook has made it into the traditional media lately, in concern over privacy of personal information and “youth” possibly not being aware of the issue of Facebook’s lack of great terms and conditions for privacy and security of personal data.

My friend, (I like to say friend, but I have never met him, but I think I understand him on a professional level – Michael Parry @dannevirkelib, made a post recently on the NZ-librarian’known blog “Diligent Room”.

I know that in a short period of time I am going to leave Facebook. I’m currently engaging in activities recommended to me by library folk friends and articles that resonated with me that I’ve found via other networks.

It’s funny that I feel disconnected using Facebook. And it’s funny that I find it necessary to leave Facebook in order to feel like I have some ownership of myself and my identity again. Facebook has been great yes, but in terms of “connecting with someone”, that connection has been lost and I no longer want to connect with some of the people on my friend list for an indefinite period of time via Facebook. I would rather “connect” with someone face to face, than via a network in an impersonal nature such as “online”. Facebook was great, but I believe I’m over the wonder of it now. Now I just see it as some huge media conglomerate with unethical business owners and developers leading it somewhere in which I don’t want to go.

I don’t need to read copious “articles” about this. I just need the choice made up in my mind and to follow through.

In another vein, I’d also like to point out that Facebook has made us lazy information sourcing sleuth’s. All too often I hear the phrase, “Just google it”, or “look them up on Facebook”. OK I don’t hear the latter very often, but the first one I do. It’s true though. If you really want to “connect” with me, I am out there, you just have to do a simple search on any search engine and you’ll find me. “Connecting” with people is that simple. What ever happened to the white pages and e-mail ay??

I am going back to my roots of real communication. Mail and face-to-face.