Thing #23: The End of the Challenge (Not Really!)

I love to learn. In fact, my passion for learning is what led me to a career in librarianship. Whenever people ask me why I became a librarian, I reply "Because I have the chance to learn something new every day."

That's true if I receive a challenging reference question, if someone suggests a book that I just have to read, or if I attend a workshop. But often, in the midst of performing day-to-day tasks (i.e. - booking programs or creating bibliographies so that my patrons might learn something new), I miss the opportunity to learn myself.

And while I've been hard at work ensuring that the essential daily work gets accomplished, technology has changed (and will continue to do so). Patrons requested assistance to Web 2.0 programs that I'd never heard of, making me feel lost and - quite frankly - embarrassed. Of all the things that I could learn on the job, in an environment in which I have access to resources on every conceivable subject, the most important thing is learning how to keep up with my patrons - making sure that their informational and recreational needs are met by providing resources in every conceivable format.

That is why I'm grateful for this Challenge. I have truly learned a great deal. Working at my own pace, experimenting with something and then blogging about it, was at least three times more informational than a seminar. Now, I'll not only know the tools to which my patrons are referring, I may even be able to assist them in their use! I'll feel empowered, rather than embarrassed.

Of course, the use of the Web is going to continue to grow and change while I'm busy performing those everyday tasks. And when there is a Web 3.0, I hope that my library will provide me with another Challenge. In the meantime, I'll have to continue to learn on my own, taking responsibility for my own professional development, recognizing that doing so is the entire reason that I became a librarian in the first place. So the Challenge will - thankfully - never end. I'll continue to blog about my learning experiences.

As for these particular 23 "Things," there were many that I like, some that I will continue to use in my daily life, others whose purpose I understand and appreciate but will never use myself, still others that I was just frustrated with (i.e. - ListenNJ!). Del.icio.us, which provides the ability to carry one's favorite websites from computer to computer, is certainly a wonderful tool; I just don't use enough sites regularly to justify its use (I also need to learn where those periods go in that word; I can never remember).

As a parent, I definitely want to spend more time with flickr and the site minti, which won a Web 2.0 award. Peertrainer, another award recipient, will also be useful in my personal life. Bloglines and LibraryThing, which I've already used several times, are great methods of keeping track of my personal reading. Wikis, which I've become familiar with through my participation on a library committee, are terrific ways to communicate with other staff members - and should be utilized regularly (as should WorldCat).

So....I feel that I've come a long way, despite the fact that there were tools that I found less than useful (i.e. - Technorati). Some sites, such as NetLibrary and ListenNJ, I'll use only when it is necessary to assist a patron. But regardless of my own opinion of particular tools, it is essential that I, like all librarians, know about them; they are all
part of Library Life.