Tag Archives: Librarian

How being mindful can help your work as a librarian

We’d all like to have more inner peace and behave with more kindness and patience as we go through our day, right? Life in the library field can be stressful and exhausting with constant demands from students, patrons, supervisors. or stakeholders. This article from American Libraries is all about mindful librarianship and how learning to practice mindfulness has helped some librarians with their work lives.

What is mindfulness, anyway? According to the American Psychological Association it is the “moment-to-moment awareness of one’s experience without judgment.” Through the use of breathing exercises and meditation, the goal is to be in the moment without worries or distractions.

Being able to be mindful while working in a library can have huge benefits, particularly in relation to stress. If you work in a library, you know that things aren’t always smooth and easy, especially when there is too much work to do and too little time in which to do it! The article acknowledges that “many librarians feel that they are spread increasingly thin on the job, yet their performance often depends on their ability to maintain focus amid a flurry of responsibilities. That’s something with which mindfulness can help.”

Read more about the benefits of practicing mindfulness as a library person here.

And if you want to know more, check out CMLE’s past series on mindfulness and see if the practice is beneficial to you!

Resource: Letters to a Young Librarian

As library people it can be useful to hear from others in the library world and learn from their experiences, especially if they’ve been in the profession for awhile! We thought this blog might be a helpful resource, particularly if you are a new librarian. (Plus she features plenty of cat pictures, always a plus!)

Librarian Jessica Olin has been in the library profession since 2003 and she writes about her experiences on her blog Letters to a Young Librarian. In this post, she’s celebrating six years of blogging about library life and shares some of her favorites posts from the past:

You can visit her blog here!

 

Send Librarians to Congress – in book form!

Some advocacy to help our legislators know more about libraries!

Donate here!

“Help us send librarians to congress by taking part in the campaign to send a copy of the book, “This is What a Librarian Looks Like,” by Kyle Cassidy, to every member of Congress.

Federal funding for libraries would be eliminated in the proposed “Skinny Budget” from President Trump. Many of our elected representatives are unaware of the work that librarians do for millions of Americans every day. We need to show Congress that librarians are providing critical services for communities and teach Congress about the impact that librarians’ work has in our big cities and small towns. Librarians come from all walks of life, backgrounds, and society, but what they have in common is a passion for learning, innovation, and making sure that knowledge is available, free of charge, and accessible to everyone. Libraries are not just rooms filled with books; they provide computers, cameras, kayaks and fishing equipment, 3D printers, recording studios, video games, and even neckties for people who aren’t able to get access anywhere else. This is the message that members of Congress need desperately to hear and you can help us raise the money we need to reach them.

Tell congress about the work that librarians do in the United States by helping us raise money to send them Kyle Cassidy’s book, This is What A Librarian Looks Like by May 9th.

Through his book, Kyle Cassidy has made it his mission to remind us of how essential librarians and libraries are to our communities. His subjects are men and women of all ages, backgrounds, and personal style–from pink hair and leather jackets to button-downs and blazers. The nearly 220 librarians photographed also share their personal thoughts on what it means to be a librarian. What A Librarian Looks Like also includes original essays by some of our most beloved writers, journalists, and commentators including Neil Gaiman, George R.R. Martin, Nancy Pearl, Cory Doctorow, Paula Poundstone, Amanda Palmer, Peter Sagal, Jeff VanderMeer, John Scalzi, Sara Farizan, Amy Dickinson, and others. Cassidy also profiles a handful of especially influential librarians and libraries.”

Chapter Proposals: Finding Success on the Job Hunt and in Your First Job

Coloured, textured craft card
“A reminder that the deadline for chapter proposals is April 15.

Working title: The Future Academic Librarian’s Toolkit: Finding Success on the Job Hunt and in Your First Job

Publisher: ACRL Press

Editor: Megan Hodge

Chapter proposals are invited for The Future Academic Librarian’s Toolkit, a book collecting practical strategies on landing a first academic librarian position and building and enhancing one’s professional reputation.
Continue reading Chapter Proposals: Finding Success on the Job Hunt and in Your First Job

Get information on libraries: Listserves

Desktop computer clipart - Yellow theme

Subscribing to listservs is an easy way to keep up with news from around the profession. It’s always valuable to have a variety of information from people who do what you do, and who talk about things that might be useful in your library!

There are literally dozens of listserves focused on your professional interests, filled with ideas for making your skills stronger and to improve the services you can offer to your community. Continue reading Get information on libraries: Listserves