Blogjune Day 4 - Though you're miles and miles away, I see you every day...

Today's question: How important is an online presence for an information professional?

But first! Today's song to set the tone... press play and read on.

As today is my nominated, the rules dictate that I must first answer these questions three:

1. What do I currently do for a living?

I am the Marketing Coordinator at Ainslie and Gorman Arts Centres, located close to the heart of Canberra's CBD. I've been there for three months now, in a maternity leave backfill role. Like my previous communications and marketing roles, my work is primarily involved in delivering online communications, such as web content, electronic direct marketing and and social media. It's a great mix of writing, editing and proofreading, and I'm constantly learning a lot, especially when I collaborate with designers and, lately, web developers. I also find that these kinds of roles allow me to work across many sections in the organisation, as well as a cross section of the community and stakeholders, and in doing so, I build a broad understanding of what my organisation does and how people can best connect with the organisation.

2. What three words would I use to describe my role?

Connection, community, stories.

3. What is my biggest achievement to date - personal or professional?

It would have to have been in September 2006, when I made the decision to move by myself from Melbourne to Darwin, to take on my first professional role at Charles Darwin University. It was the first time that I challenged myself well and truly out of my comfort zone, having never lived away from Melbourne until that point. Had I not made that decision, and developed both professionally and personally through that experience, I might not have made other consequent decisions that have continued to create lifelong memories and professionally valuable experiences. It taught me to be comfortable taking risks, push through the challenges, and not to be discouraged by failure. It made me a better person.

And now, for the main question... the importance of online presence for information professionals.

It's interesting that I mention 2006, because it's the year that Twitter was born. When I moved to Darwin in September, the Twitterers was still a little-known entity. However, for me, it was all about the biblioblogosphere - the world of library bloggers. It was then that I encountered Libraries Interact - self-described as 'a thali of library treats', it was an online hub for library bloggers - many of whom I still connect with to this day - and some of whom are still blogging for #blogjune! For me, as a new librarian living a relatively professionally and socially isolated life in Darwin (though, to be fair, the local librarian network was incredibly active and supportive!) the biblioblogosphere was a lifeline for me to connect with librarians around Australia and the world through our blogging. So, in that context, an online presence was incredibly important!

Jump forward five years to 2011, and I took something of a hiatus from the library world online. I was frustrated with aspects of the professional sector, and was exploring new opportunities and adventures. It was strangely easy to disconnect from the library-related online channels - though I still remained socially connected through blogging (particularly a year of video-blogging around Asia!). It wasn't until 2016 that I started reconnecting with the library world, on my return to Australia after living overseas on and off for years, and found that the online library world was now all over the Twitterverse.

For me, Twitter was for connecting with the professional world, and Instagram was for connecting with my personal world. I maintained my Facebook account only to stay connected to a number of close online communities that I participate in. Twitter, in particular, was an intense channel for immersing ones self in multiple parallel and interconnecting conversations all at once - particularly in unpacking central professional principles, and challenging the status quo. I loved it, but it could also be overwhelming at times, being swept along in the virtual wave of radical ideas. When this was good, it was amazing. When it was bad - it was horrid. For me, it reached breaking point amid the height of the first COVID-19 lockdown in 2020, which in itself was the low point in a series of personally challenging events. I had to switch off, and whilst it was hard to resist switching off at the time, two years later I feel little FOMO or a need to really engage in this channel.

So, to answer the question - yes, information professionals need to understand how to manage an online presence. This is the world we live in, and if we are to understand this world of information-seeking behaviour, then we need to learn by doing and interacting. As a new professional, this was essential in making my mark in the professional world and connecting with my peers. But now, more than 15 years on, I'm quite happy to stand back and prioritise other aspects of my life. I do still stay connected - after all, I'm still writing here - and the thing that I 'currently do for a living' is primarily about maintaining an online presence for my organisation. But I also know when to switch off, and maintain a comfortable balance.

For the most part, I'm content (pun intended) to post semi-regularly on Instagram to remind my networks that, yes, I'm still here, life is good, and I hope that you're all doing well too. However far it seems, we'll always be together in electric dreams.

Blogjune Day 3 - Teach them well and let them lead the way.

Day three's #junequestion is a doozy: What is the most important thing to teach new librarians?

Continuing yesterday's retro musical interlude, let me set the mood...

Maybe Whitney Houston is onto something. Perhaps the most important thing to teach new librarians is to learn to love themselves - the greatest love of all - but probably not.

So back to the question. This feels like a variant on the usual, 'What's something you wish they'd taught you in library school?' or 'What new things do new librarians need to learn as part of their training?' After all, it's an ever-changing field, and we need to lean into that change.

In terms of the most important thing? My feeling is that it comes down to the principles and ethics that are at the heart of the profession.

There's one in particular that strikes a chord with me, above all others: The understanding that libraries are not neutral.

To be honest, I've always had an issue with this phrase - not the underlying message, but the way that it's presented, in opposition to the traditional idea that libraries should be neutral.

We don't identify with what we're not, but rather by what we are. So we need to start accepting that libraries are inherently political. And so are librarians.

To facilitate access to culture, knowledge and information in society is a political action.

To decide which information does and does not go into your collection is a political action.

To set guidelines on which groups can and can't use your library spaces is a political action.

To decide which cultural festivals you do and don't celebrate in your library is a political action.

To waive or uphold a library fine is a political action.

To choose which words you use to describe your collections is a political action.

To decide the terms by which people can or can't enter your library space is a political action.

To manage your library teams - and the ways you support them through pandemics, restructures and ever-changing times - is a political action.

To decide which collections you digitise and make available to the world online - and which collections you don't - is a political action.

And so on.

As much as librarians claim that they are no longer exhibit gatekeeper behaviour with your collections - you still do. All the time. And it makes a difference.

Libraries are political. Library work is political. Librarians are political.

New librarians need to realise this, and ask themselves: How will you choose to behave in your day-to-day duties, knowing that your actions will have a political impact on your library community, and the ways that they access information, gain knowledge and build their worldviews.

What could be more important than that?

Blogjune Day 2 - On inspiration

Today's question: Who inspires you?

So, to get us in the right frame of mind, let's start with the silky smooth falsetto tones of Peter Cetera...

Now that we've got that out of the way, I must say that I hate hate hate the idea of people being 'inspiring'. So often, we use this label to describe somebody who manages to achieve something extraordinary - particularly if it's something that we can't see ourselves doing ourselves.

It might be somebody who's managed to forge a successful career to the point where they have a secure six-digit salary. Or somebody living with a disability who has still managed to achieve success in some form. Or somebody who's defied expectations, and taken the path less taken to follow their dreams and find personal satisfaction.

I've certainly crossed paths with these people, and I've felt... something. I don't know if it's inspiration, or perhaps jealousy or resentment. Because the reality is that, generally speaking, they are just people. Not worthy of putting on a pedestal as being extraordinary. In most cases, they worked bloody hard - and a bit of privilege never went astray as well.

Because there are also many many more people who also work bloody hard, but never see the same level of success.

So, who inspires me? For me, personally, it's those closest to me who see the best in me and actively encourage me to do more and to do better, especially when I doubt my own capacity. They know who they are - I don't need to name them.

And in return, I try to do the same for others. Goodness knows we all need some positive encouragement from each other from time to time.

Blogjune Day 1 - Some useful advice.

I almost didn't sign up for BlogJune this year. Not that I'd necessarily forgotten that it was June... nor that I was lacking in things to write about. Whilst I find blogging to be a valuable exercise in reflection, it also feels a little like screaming into the void.

However, the wonderful Kathryn Greenhill has created #JuneQuestions, which has posed a question for each day of the month. Whilst the exercise encourages participants to take on one of these questions, I quite like the idea of having a shared prompt for these kinds of blogging exercises, so I aim to try to answer them all, and maybe reflect on others' answers.

So, the first question of the month: What is the most useful advice you have had from a mentor?

Firstly, I've never been one for following advice from mentors... I'll certainly listen to people describe things that have worked for them in their situation, and I definitely feel like mentorship relationships are more about sharing experiences of challenges and successes (and failures), and finding strength and encouragement through those shared experiences. But no mentor is going to have the perfect solution for their mentee / protege.

However, there was one particular moment that has stuck with when I was catching up with a former colleague over a coffee. At the time I was experiencing some level of frustration with work and career planning for the future. I knew exactly the kinds of jobs that I was good at and enjoyed doing - but such jobs were rare and extremely competitive with some substantial cultural barriers to employment. At the same time, there was plenty of work available that I was very capable at, but struggled with and didn't necessarily enjoy at the best of times.

Describing this to my (unofficial) mentor, they said to me, 'Maybe the right job for you is the one that you haven't thought of or found yet.'

It wasn't 'advice', per se, but they were absolutely right. Since I started working in the library and information sector, there has been so much emphasis on the status connected with holding a specific job title, and even though I've managed to finally shrug off the anxiety of being a 'real librarian', there are elements of this attitude that had pigeon-holed my approach to job seeking and career planning.

Over the past nine months, my focus has shifted away from a specific job title, level, or the idea of 'professionalism' that it implies, and instead looking at:

• What kind of organisation do I want to work for? In what sector?
• What can I tell about the people who currently work there?
• Are there any roles on offer there that I could do?
• What exact work does that role entail, and would I be able to do it well and enjoy it?
• What working relationships are involved in that role, and with whom (both internal and external)?

This kind of approach has been huge in opening up the way I see the range of opportunities available, and encouraged me to apply for jobs that I would have otherwise not considered (including the job that I'm currently in).

It's also encouraged me to be open to suggestions from my peers. On several occasions, people who I know and respect have approached me about considering jobs that I wouldn't have otherwise considered, but think that I would be good in them. And it's an important reminder that I'm not always the best judge of what would be a good job for me - sometimes there are others that see my skills and strengths much better than I see them in myself. It takes a leap of faith to say 'yes' to those situations, but so far I haven't regretted it.

We don't talk about COVID (no no no...)

Today, in The Australian Capital Territory, we had the highest number of cases reported since the peak of the Omicron wave on 19 January. And it will probably be even higher, if the recent trends of Thursday reporting the highest number of the week continues.

ACT COVID-19 Update – 23 March 2022

💉 COVID-19 vaccinations
◾ Aged 5-11 years (1 dose): 79.8%
◾ Aged 5-11 years (2 doses): 38.7%
◾ Aged 5+ years (2 doses): 96.7%
◾ Aged 16+ years (3 doses): 72.0%

🦠 COVID-19 case numbers
◾ New cases today: 1,314 (653* PCR and 661 RAT) pic.twitter.com/V12jlEBPYy

— ACT Health (@ACTHealth) March 23, 2022

Not that it's really a topic of discussion anymore. Welcome to the latest stage of the pandemic - where many have simply stopped talking about it. 

It wasn't always this way. We've been through many different phases of our relationships with COVID-19, which we've been very much engaged with and responded to. Whether it's mask-wearing and sanitising, providing contactless services, limiting our travel interstate (or indeed beyond our immediate neighbourhood), getting vaccinated and then our booster shots, and limited our workplace interactions with people who are unvaccinated.

We've gone through a long list of interventions, which has limited and in some places successfully (if temporarily) eliminated the spread of COVID-19. We've been vigilant, attentive and responsive - particularly in our workplaces and in our daily interactions with each other in the community.

But at some point over the past month, it's kind of... stopped.

Since mask-wearing became optional, it was almost like engaging with the risk of COVID-19 is also now optional. And my observations from attending moderately large-scale events, such as markets and live theatre/music performances, is that the majority of people won't take up that option.

I mean, yes, I get it. We'd all rather pretend that we're now in a post-COVID world. But we're not. We are still living in a global pandemic with widespread local transmission. We currently have a dominant strain that is more than four times as infection as the original. Thankfully, due to vaccinations, we've been able to limit the incidence of hospitalisation and death, but this is a strain that is not susceptible to immunity from previous strains, and often breaks through in cases where the person is vaccinated and boosted. And then there are the elderly and immune-compromised who are still at a very real risk of serious illness and death.

One thing that's also really struck me is that, in the last few weeks, there are more people that I know who have caught it, than in the previous two years. It's here, and it's hitting people who are within my social circles.

And yet, many of us are strangely blasé about it now. We've done all we can. Apparently we can't keep living like this, and we certainly can't go back to the lockdown days of 2020 and 2021.

So, this is what it means to live with COVID-19. It means that COVID-19 is something that happens to somebody else - until it happens to us. It means that the best thing we can do is try to live our best lives and keep our fingers crossed and stay quiet, because god forbid we should try to be proactive and ready for the next necessary intervention.

Nope.

I want us to keep talking about COVID. I want us to be able to have candid conversation with our colleagues, our clients and stakeholders, about what we can all do to maximise each others safety. Not just some standard words about adhering to government guidance - but an actual conversation to acknowledge and address people's fears about what it might actually mean to be 'living with COVID'.

I want businesses who are, understandably, keen to get their customers and audiences back through the door, to take responsibility for the safety of their workers and communities. Let's stop trying to avoid our duty of care by saying 'oh, we'll let you decide what's best for yourself' - take the initiative to say, 'here's how we're taking care of your health and welfare'.

I want dance schools to take a duty of care so that I can feel confident to go into a room with 30 other strangers, and hold their hands, knowing that we've all had a frank and open discussion about how we're going to keep each other safe.

And that goes for you too, conference organisers! If you're going to invite hundreds (or thousands) of people to a physical venue during a pandemic, then your messaging about COVID safety needs to be front and centre. There are a few upcoming conferences on my radar, and from what I can see, this is not adequately being addressed.

I do understand that this stuff is hard, but we've been doing it for the past two years, and communication is essential for managing any kind of relationship. So, let's keep talking about it.

And if we don't feel comfortable talking about it, we need to ask ourselves why. Is it because in doing so, we might be acknowledging that we're taking risks by opening up - risks that we're not ready to accept yet? But that's another conversation for another time...

Time for new adventures

I'd only intended this 'sabbatical' to last for a couple of months, and though the latest lockdown threw a spanner in some my plans for my 'doing whatever I want' time, there have been a few concerns growing in the back of my mind:

• Money. It almost goes without saying, but money is kind of a necessity in our society. Whilst I've saved to create an adequate buffer for the short-term, it will run out, and I'd like to have a job before that happens.

Adam Sandler GIF

• Time. Few people would blink at a resume gap of a couple of months. More than that, and it becomes an issue. Whilst I enjoy having this time for me, I'm aware that there's a growing risk of long-term unemployment, the longer I take.
• Collaboration. But most importantly, I do miss having a team of people to gather with on a daily basis and work on interesting and challenging projects together. Jobs allow us to do this *and* get paid for it. I do currently get to do a little of this through my volunteer work, but it's mostly with people who volunteer on the side of full-time jobs, and so naturally it's not the same as collaborating with somebody who can dedicate a lot of time and energy to the thing.

So, I've been searching and applying for jobs. I've set myself a few ground-rules:

• Don't pigeonhole myself. It would be natural to simply just search for 'librarian' and 'communications' work, but there are interesting jobs out there that sit outside this scope. In fact, one of the more interesting jobs that I had an interview for was completely out of left-field, but still aligned closely with my skill-set. Similarly, temp agencies have sent me job descriptions for work that I would have never have considered. Admittedly, some of them were clearly not a good fit for me, but other suggestions have expanded my outlook for the kinds of work that I might want to consider.
• Don't apply for just anything that I can do. There are definitely jobs out there that I could do quite confidently, but I know that my heart just wouldn't be in it. If I have doubts during the application process - especially after speaking to the hiring manager - then I give myself permission to bow out, and focus more on those applications that I really feel enthusiastic about. Applying for jobs is hard enough, without dedicating the time and energy into an application that I'm not one hundred per cent sure about.
• Get paid more or learn more. I know where my strengths are, and what I'm worth. However, I also know where I want to build new skills, and in those areas it's worth considering roles at a lower level than I'm used to. To expand my experience at a comfortable level of responsibility, whilst being mentored by a good supervisor - definitely worth taking a pay cut.

There's one thing that I've particularly found useful and enjoyable about this process, that I haven't always taken advantage of previously. You see that bit in the job ad that says, 'For more information about the position, contact xxxxxx'?' I've come to realise that it's such an important part of the process that is often understated.

Firstly, it's an opportunity to become a familiar name and face if you're an otherwise-unknown entity. You can't assume that there won't be internal applicants - I can almost guarantee that there will be. It's a chance to make an initial impression on somebody who will be shortlisting applicants. So, while you're asking questions about the role, be sure to add little tidbits of information, like, 'Oh, I worked at the National Library for a few years and they used XXX platform. Do you use something similar?' It's also encouraging if they also ask you questions about yourself - so be ready to pitch yourself!

It's an opportunity for them to move away from the corporate speak of the position description, and give you a meaningful interpretation of what the job entails, and what particular skills and experience they prioritise and value. A good manager will already have a good pitch ready - after all, they want to attract good people to the role. If you come away from the conversation still having little idea of what's involved, then that could be a red flag.

Finally - and most importantly - it's a chance to gauge what this person might be like as a colleague and supervisor, and perhaps glean something about the work culture. In some cases, a couple of initial questions have turned into a fun and stimulating chat, all about the way they work, what some of the pleasures and challenges are about the job, and the different approaches there are out there in addressing the prevalent issues. These conversations really get me excited and enthusiastic about applying - and I hope they also get the hiring manager looking forward to seeing my application. These social connections are so important, right from the get-go, because they are going to influence everybody's impression of whether they want to work with you or not.

In one such conversation that really resonated with me, the manager acknowledged that they was a lot of movement happening, and that they were looking to take a chance and attract staff from the many people out there who were currently seeking 'new adventures'. 

New adventures sound great to me, and I'm all for it.

The great reinvention

For months now, we've been hearing about the great resignation. As society starts emerging from 12-18 months of lockdowns and working from home, there is - unsurprisingly - a trend of people leaving their jobs, often without something secure lined up. Some have decided to return to study whilst others (such as myself) have decided to take a short break, and bank on having a number of choices reveal themselves in the coming month.

Indeed, just scrolling through my LinkedIn feed yesterday, I spotted a couple of posts from people in my extended network saying things like:

"I've made a tough decision to say farewell ... So, where am I off to? Well, I don't know yet! My new adventure is still unfolding, even to me... looking for the right fit, a place where I can add value and make a sustainable difference with my skill set... it felt right to close this beautiful chapter before starting a new one."

and

"I have always been so proud to work at XXX and always felt safe, supported and enabled. But not us the time to take a risk and try something new. ...Time for a small break and onto the next opportunity."

In a way, it's a comfort to know that it's not just me that is doing this!

And it's certainly not a reflection on my previous employer. I was talking to a friend recently who told me that they were just exhausted, and wanted to do something different, but also didn't have the energy to learn a new job from scratch right away. And with this exhaustion, they weren't in the right mindset to go through all the processes of job applications and interviews.

So, when I heard word of a 'great resignation', I was initially skeptical. After all, we've been waiting for the retirement of baby boomers for 15 years, and perhaps the imminence of a great resignation in Australia has been greatly exaggerated. Still, it makes sense in theory - many of us have spent much of the past two years holed up in the same domestic space where we sleep, eat, work, read/watch tv, and sleep again.

Whilst working in a busy office has its share of social interactions, distractions, and the gratification that comes with collaborating and having in-person validation from professional peers, working from home is an entirely different experience. It is an isolated time with plenty of opportunity for introspection, and where I often get energy from the presence of colleagues to stay motivated and on-track, when I'm working from home, I have to come up with all that energy myself.

It can be exhausting, and when you need to summon up all that energy, the questions arise: Why am I doing this? Is this all there is? What do I want to do when the world opens up again?

Again, no shade on my previous employer, who were a wonderful team to work with, but if I'm not being my best person in the workplace, then maybe it's time to move onto something else.

Which brings me to my gripe of today - the phrase 'the great resignation'.

When I see this term arise, it comes out of a place of panicked fear - and from the perspective of the employer. Oh no! People are deciding that they want something else from their lives, and now you must quickly change your work culture to keep them! Here's a listicle on how to make your brilliant staff stay!

Firstly, people have *always* been resigning from crappy jobs, so this isn't a new trend, but by all means, if you manage a team with a toxic culture, you should probably change that. Secondly, my best managers have always been 100% supportive of my leaving to take on new and exciting opportunities, and if you really care for your workers, the best thing you can do is shake their hand and offer to be a reference once they start applying for jobs.

And then you can go out and start headhunting rising talent that have left other organisations in search of a new challenge to shine in.

So, I'd like to rename this current phenomenon as 'the great reinvention'. A time to switch things up again, try new things, build new teams, and explore new opportunities with a new workforce with new skills.

One thing's for certain - if this pandemic was already too long to be locked up in the same space day in, day out, then life is definitely too short to be spending it doing the same thing year in, year out. So, let's embrace change!