Hey You MLIS Graduates!

You did it!!  You've got it!  Lotta hard work in back of you. Lotta hard work ahead. But really, it's all good. You are going to be stepping up and out and showing your stuff. Digging into a job - hopefully sooner rather than later. Digging further into learning and networking.  And truly, I hope you'll be showing your stuff to us all.

I'm always inspired by the energy, new passions and thoughtfulness of new librarians. And I want to echo what R. David Lankes wrote to the Syracuse graduates in his recent post: don't wait to break barriers, invent new ways of doing library work good, or pushing the envelope of fantastic.  Leap for it, push for it, do it. Do it now.

We sometimes get lost in the minutiae of our Masters work and easily believe that we aren't really learning anything..."I could teach myself this!" kind of attitude. You get out, get that first professional job and think, "Whoa, I really didn't learn what I needed to know to face this crazy person or this screaming dad!".

But you did learn exactly what you needed to be successful - research skills, problem solving, the big picture of librarianship and it's history, how to learn more on any subject and skill and a critical eye to determine which way is best to go to make libraries more..better...indispensible.  And you did it in that atmosphere of higher learning that surrounded you with mentors, peers and discussions that formed your library worldview.

Now take that knowledge and keep building on it and push ahead and lead now. Don't wait until some old guy like me says, "Well, I think you're ready to be listened to." Go out and grab the brass ring now and shine, shine, shine.

Don't wait for permission - start that blog or tumblr. Leap into Facebook's ALA Think Tank group or Friend Feed's Library Society of the World or Flannel Friday. Start collaborating within Google groups or Twitter. Propose programs. Share thoughts. Pursue big ideas.

Fail. Learn. Try again. Succeed. Fail. Retrack. Tinker. Try again. Succeed. Listen, listen, listen. Learn, learn, learn. And lead and imagine and invent. And then share, share, share.

I am learning so much right now from current MLIS students and shiny new librarians of one, two, three, four and five years experience. After thirty seven years in the biz, you all are rocking my world and keeping me fresh and energized.

So give yourself permission to be that innovator, that mover and shaker and emerging leader. Don't be shy. Step right out, step right up and show your stuff. The library world is waiting for you. And so am I!

Image from Pixabay http://pixabay.com/

What's the Best Skill You Picked Up Post-Degree?

As I was designing and putting up signs for the new concept book collection (part of that big Picture book shift) today, I was thanking my lucky stars that I took commercial art and design course work between library jobs many moons ago.

That design work - learning composition; type; color work; different art mediums; theories behind catching the eyes and minds of viewers and so much more - really has helped me again and again over the years. It helped me develop an eye for creating posters; handouts; newsletters and projects that has stood me in good stead at jobs where we have no pr or design person. I'm not saying I am an expert - just that I have a decent chance of creating a quick and readable poster/handout/thing without alot of fretting.

It helped me as well in my work as a children's picture book reviewer for SLJ and was invaluable in my time serving on the Caldecott committee many years ago. I always considered those six months learning graphics know-how as the best money I ever spent in terms of making my library job easier and increasing my skills.

How about you? What additional learning opportunities or coursework enhanced your skills and made you a better youth librarian?

Image: 'Crayons' http://www.flickr.com/photos/35237092540@N01/3286004323