The 80/20 Librarian: Focusing on the 20% that matters

I am in the midst of reading Scott Steinberg’s book Make Change Work for You (don’t worry I’ll post the book review when I’ve finished!).

Steinberg discusses a company, TrainSignal (now part of PluralSight), that made the leap in early 2013 from selling product via DVD to solely offering streaming video.

Checkout Christina Desmarais article in Inc about how the switch went down.

If libraries are going to consider following TrainSignal they will need to thoroughly research the patron demand for the streaming service, make sure the streaming is of high quality, be prepared to whether the storm of transition, and frequently/clearly communicate with patrons.

Check out the Bloomberg news video with Erik Schatzker interviewing “Bond King” investor Bill Gross. Gross is planning to give his fortune away through a foundation. Gross is obviously a major philanthropist. My question is, are libraries paying attention? What is our industry doing to develop rapport with philanthropists? How might we better inform philanthropists about what we do?

Libraries should be in-sync with what Gross defines as success. What does Gross say about success?

Today, “success becomes a function of what we can do with the rest of the world, to help others.”

(Here I am with Steven Bell and Corinne Hill!)

Got a great opportunity to arrange for Steven Bell (Associate Temple University Librarian/ Library Journal Columnist) and Corinne Hill (Library Journal’s 2014 Librarian of the Year and Chattanooga Public Library Director) to hold an all day workshop/presentation at the 2015 Maryland Library Association/Delaware Library Association (MLA/DLA) Conference in Ocean City, Maryland)!

The title of the program was Remarkable Leadership and Risk Taking in Modern Librarianship!

Steven Bell gave an outstanding workshop in which he highlighted Remarkable Leadership. His workshop finds its genesis in the work of Karol Wasylyshyn and her book Behind the Executive Door.

Which type of leader are you?

You could be a Remarkable Leader (such as Mother Theresa), a Toxic Leader (such as Richard Nixon), or somewhere in between is the Perilous Leader (Steve Jobs).

(Steven Bell in full presentation mode stressing Mother Theresa (on the slide) as a Remarkable Leader)

How to become a Remarkable Leader?

Total Brian Leadership (TBL)  + Emotional Intelligence (EI) + Productive Narcissim (PN)= Remarkable Leadership.

Also, what’s your Personal Mission Statement? You’ll want to read Steven Bell’s Library Journal Articles on Remarkable Leadership and Personal Mission Statement for further information. See Steven Bell’s Diigo Leadership Links for additional resources.

Corinne Hill thoroughly presented on what is happening with the Chattanooga Public Library.

(Corinne Hill presenting on the Chattanooga Public Library)

What are some things Hill is doing to be the best library leader she can be?

Read a lot ! Hill suggests reading WSJ and Harvard Business Review. This is in addition to books on the latest trends in business.

Follow what is going on in the wider profession including internationally! This includes learning what the library world is doing in such innovative countries such as Finland and Denmark.

Support your staff and allow them to soar! This also means assembling the right people and putting them in the right roles!

Get out of the library from time to time and connect with the wider community in non-library venues (i.e going to events at the symphony)!

Click here for a video recording of my talk at the University of Maryland

Tonight is my talk at the University of Maryland on the job search process for future librarians. I will say that you need to be insanely passionate about working in a library as this desire will allow setbacks to only increase your resolve to find what you are looking for. If you find a position, not matter what it is, make sure you do the best possible work to bloom where you are planted.

After asking for input from the Linked In INALJ Group here are the main points that librarians on the job hunt should be aware of.

For me it is all a matter of strategy and how you plan to strategize your job search. See below for details. Compiling what I learned from the INALJ Group here are the tips I came up with.

1. Do as much preparation work while in library school as you can. See below for details.
   1. Work in a library setting while you are in school to get valuable work experience
   2. Decide what types of positions you are planning to apply to and study job advertisements for those positions to get an idea as to what skill set you will need
   3. Join and Be Active in Professional Associations
      1. Student memberships are available for a discounted rate
      2. You gain leadership experience
      3. The networking is invaluable and you will need to make contacts
   4. Work on library projects that allow you to make contacts in the field and acquire mentors
   5. Ask the mentors for advice, the earlier you do this the better
   6. If you cannot find a paying job while in school then intern or volunteer at a library
   7. Start applying for positions within about a year of graduation, you will learn from the process and sharpen your skill set.

2. Identify where you plan to be a librarian and what type of library you want to work in.
   1. Find the major communication source amongst the librarians in that state(website, ListServ,FaceBook,etc.)
   2. You’ll need to know who is hiring and what they are looking for
   3. Think about ways to connect with librarians from that place (i.e. webinar, national conference, etc.) The more contacts you have in that area, the better.

3. Be willing to move to a different place to find the job you want. Look not only within the U.S., but internationally as well.

4. Consider a non-traditional library job with a vendor, data management provider, etc.

5. Invest in skills that will make you stand out such as foreign language, technical skills (i.e. Java, Ruby, Python or any current language) , grant writing, etc. I strongly advise developing a strong electronic presence by creating your own website or by getting active in professional social media venues such as Linked In.

6. Make sure your cover letter is informative and that you attach this to your resume/CV. Know if the potential employer wants either a CV or resume. Academic libraries lean toward CVs. You can ask your mentors and contacts for advice on this.

7. Even after you have a job, always be continuously learning. The more you know the more you can do. The more you can do the more valuable you are.

8. Finally, don’t give up on the process even when things look dim. If there is a will there is way.

For additional reading see

http://www.metaman.org/2015/04/10/not-all-sunshine-and-rainbows-reflections-on-the-job-hunt/

enhancing-your-resume-sla-handout-3-20151

https://www.linkedin.com/groups/INALJ-I-need-Library-job-4112382/about

http://www.ala.org/acrl/about/sections/cls/collprogdisc/collegelibrary

http://americanlibrariesmagazine.org/2015/04/06/the-bohemian-librarian/