Librariati

This mornings post from CPD23 was so spot on I have to share it. Back in the bad old dark ages I came to work, did my job and went home. The years changed and the books got old and replaced while I ticked over! A few years ago when the recession wasn't bouncing out and new funding targets where being sought you could see the writing on the wall. Libraries were a soft under appreciated, overlooked target. I spent a few months dashing about like a headless chicken and didn't sleep well worrying about what might come! My yoga was very very useful at this point, I can recommend it to aide sleep!

It took a while to realise that the only one who make a change was me, very obvious you may think, but the job had been so normal, unchanging and comfortable for nearly 10 years at that point. I sat back and made an audit of me, and found I had become very complacent, set in my ways and I had lost the spark that made me love libraries. It was very hard to start changing and the process is ongoing, I shall never be finished but then I am finding I enjoy the challenge.

I moved my self forward and got mentor training and am helping various mentees for different reasons in many places not all work related or even libraries :-) which has been fun too. I did apply for the next level up of jobs and while I came very close the other candidate had the experience I didn't. But again I learnt more about myself and my own skills, I am also glad on reflection that I didn't get the post as the work load for it on top of my own would be very hard work now. But next time I will try again and hope to do better :-). I am also part of a group developing materials to help support everyone in the service deliver a consistant and easy to use series of Library Skills, both in school and through public libraries.

There is a whole new management here at work, only one has been in post more than 2 years and they are only a year longer, this has meant to things I had accepted in the past being questioned and challenged, why I only take limited numbers with out staff and how many is that! and who sets the limit! thankfully most of my day to day things have been shown to be there for a very good reason, the few that I am changing are being done with full support so I am not being left out on a limb. My Line manager in the school has been in post since January and is still finding his own feet, I get to train him to be the manager I need :-) right from the start.

I don't like change! but have found it doesn't matter if I like it or not it will happen. It is better to go with change and be part of any process than to try and not change and get left behind.

I would agree with Jo Wood, you don't have to do all or be all, do what suits you and remember to fight your own corner, you can get support for CPD even if they won't timetable it, take it on board or acknowledge it. It istn how your boss sees you or how your job is, is a part of you and how you grow, change and develop.